Harpa Dei

2 Macc 6:18-31 Eleazar, one of the foremost teachers of the Law, a man already advanced in years and of most noble appearance, had his mouth forced open, to make him eat a piece of pork. But he, resolving to die with honour rather than to live disgraced, walked of his own accord to the […]

Today, the traditional calendar commemorates Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus, a saint credited by the Lord with performing extraordinary miracles. In today’s meditation, I will recount some of them. We know that the ministry of Our Lord and the apostles was also accompanied by great miracles, manifesting God’s loving omnipotence. While miracles should not occupy a central

Today we commemorate a saint closely linked to the Lake Constance region, where the motherhouse of the Agnus Dei Community is located. Otmar was born around 690, likely into a noble Alemannic family. Thanks to his brother, he was welcomed as a child into the court of Count Victor in Chur (Switzerland), where he received

Lk 18:1-8 And Jesus told them a parable, to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.  He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor regarded man; and there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Vindicate me

When the need is great, God sends His messengers to offer help and comfort. Great indeed was the need of Christians held captive under the Muslim yoke. Seeing their suffering, Saint Serapio was so moved that he gave himself up as a hostage, since there was not enough money to pay the ransom for all

Lk 17:20-25 Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was to come, Jesus gave them this answer, ‘The coming of the kingdom of God does not admit of observation and there will be no one to say, “Look, it is here! Look, it is there!” For look, the kingdom of God is among

In the new liturgical calendar, the feast day of Saint Josaphat is celebrated today, November 12. In the traditional calendar, he is commemorated on the 14th. Today’s saint was a religious and a bishop who sacrificed his life for the unity of the Eastern and Western Churches. In today’s context of ecumenical dialogue, other paths

Lk 17:7-10 At that time the Lord said, ‘Which of you, with a servant ploughing or minding sheep, would say to him when he returned from the fields, “Come and have your meal at once”? Would he not be more likely to say, “Get my supper ready; fasten your belt and wait on me while

A handsome young man does not usually find it easy to escape the ladies who have taken a liking to him. Such was the case with Lancelot Avellino, born in 1521 in Castronuovo, Italy, the eldest son of Giovanni Avellino and Margherita Apelli. On more than one occasion, he found himself in a situation similar

Lk 19:1-10 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through.  And there was a man named Zacchae′us; he was a chief tax collector, and rich.  And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not, on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature.  So he ran on ahead and climbed up into