[As published by Vatican Radio. John Paul II, pray for us!]

On Friday the Vatican's Congregation for the Causes of Saints published the decree for the beatification of the late great Servant of God John Paul II. Below we publish the full text of the decree:

Beatification: Sign of the depth of faith and invitation to a fully Christian life

The proclamation of a Saint or of a Blessed by the Church…  » More

Extolling Christ Jesus's obedience unto death, even death on a cross, St. Paul teaches that, "Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil 2.9-11).

This…  » More

Fr. Jonah Pollock, O.P., delivers the third lecture of a nine-part series of theological catechesis on the Threefold Body of Christ - Natural, Eucharistic, and Ecclesial. This lecture wraps up the segment on the natural body born of Mary, considering the significance of Christ's temptation, suffering, and death. As these paschal dynamics are rooted in the mystery of the Incarnation, our Christmas…  » More

[The Holy Father's urbi et orbi Christmas greeting this year, wishing us all a Merry Christmas!]

"Verbum caro factum est" - "The Word became flesh" (Jn 1:14).

Dear brothers and sisters listening to me here in Rome and throughout the world, I joyfully proclaim the message of Christmas: God became man; he came to dwell among us. God is not distant: he is "Emmanuel", God-with-us. He is no stranger:…  » More

Would you like to live without regrets?

Many are the mottos that would proclaim man's refusal of his limitations or the world's terms. But while phrases such as "no fear," "just do it," and "never look back" are great for marketing, they're a bit too bold to be realistic. They also seem to protest too much, as if they sensed their own futility.

Similar things might be said about the pretense…  » More

The first called
In a Wednesday catechesis from 2006, our Holy Father explains why St. Andrew is called the "protoclete":

"He was truly a man of faith and hope; and one day he heard John the Baptist proclaiming Jesus as: "the Lamb of God" (Jn 1:36); so he was stirred, and with another unnamed disciple followed Jesus, the one whom John had called "the Lamb of God". The Evangelist says that "they…  » More

A friend of mine took me to see Gatz the other night - a theatrical reading (...verbatim!) of The Great Gatsby (1925), a novel many of us probably read in high school. Having by chance just reread the book a couple of weeks ago, I was delighted at the coincidence of the invitation. Even though I still find Fitzgerald's nihilistic sangfroid morally distressing , it's hard for me not to be enticed…  » More

Today, we remember the deceased brothers and sisters of the Order with a Mass and Divine Office for the Dead. Above and below are two great commentaries on this uniquely consoling and Christian dynamic of our Order's life from two of our brethren.

To Be a Dominican Is To Cultivate Great Love and Care for the Dead,

Fr. Pius Pietrzyk, O.P.

I remember hearing once a description of the…  » More

I realize some reviews are intended more as digests. But the obstinacy against spiritual insight - which does not require so many more words to express - is still upsetting to stomach.

The New Yorker's David Denby is usually no slouch, but his latest précis of the films, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger and Never Let Me Go is perfectly lame. I watched Woody Allen's film the other night and read…  » More

For those of us who aren't teetotalers but desirous of virtue, St. Thomas Aquinas's note that one can drink usque ad hilaritatem is a godsend. One might even say that, because "God gave man wine to cheer his heart" (Ps 104.15), a moderate imbibing is a salutary blessing for a life of service usque ad mortem.

Whatever else might be said about this matter (for which prudent sensitivity ought to outweigh…  » More