My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. for he has looked upon his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name. —Luke 1:46–49 Mary sings her Magnificat at a time when… Read More Frassati Reflection: Magnificat

The people Jesus speaks of in today’s Gospel are perpetually contrary. Upon seeing John the Baptist’s asceticism, they declare that he must be possessed by a demon, as though such a life could not be attained by great holiness in and of itself. Upon seeing Jesus eating and drinking in fellowship with His disciples and even with… Read More Frassati Reflection: Stubborn of Heart

When Adam was created in original justice and grace, it was his nature to be ruler over all that was created on the earth, and so all the lesser creatures rendered him obedience. When he sinned and transgressed against God he was rejected by his inferiors. The elements and the rest of the creatures rebelled… Read More Frassati Reflection: The New Eve

Mountains and hills, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever. Everything growing on earth, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever. You springs, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever. Seas and rivers, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever. You sea monsters… Read More Frassati Reflection: Bless the Lord

Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out those who were selling things, saying to them, “It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.” And every day he was teaching in the temple area. —Luke 19:45–47 Do you not know that… Read More Frassati Reflection: The Sacredness of the Temple

For from the greatness and the beauty of created things their original author, by analogy, is seen. —Wisdom 13:5 The sweetest thing in all my life has been the longing…to find the place where all the beauty came from. —C.S. Lewis Sometimes the beauty of creation is dazzlingly obvious, shining forth from a sunrise or… Read More Frassati Reflection: For the Beauty of the Earth

Thus I aspire to proclaim the Gospel not where Christ has already been named, so that I do not build on another’s foundation, but as it is written: Those who have never been told of him shall see, and those who have never heard of him shall understand. —Romans 15:20–21 God is the fullness of… Read More Frassati Reflection: What We Mean When We Say “God”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus cures on the Sabbath. The Pharisees are shocked by His acts of mercy, which appear to them as impropriety. Here we see that mercy can look radical, even unseemly, to those who have not contemplated their own need for it. If we do not realize that God bent down to the level… Read More Frassati Reflection: Feast of St. Martin de Porres

Brothers and sisters: I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh. The willing is ready at hand, but doing the good is not. For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want…. Miserable one that I am! Who will deliver… Read More Frassati Reflection: Perseverance vs. Perfectionism

There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops. —Luke 12:2–3 When we encounter a teaching about the faith that… Read More Frassati Reflection: Faith Seeking Understanding