Harpa Dei

Everything would be so simple if men submitted themselves to the loving rule of the Lord, allowed themselves to be filled with His Spirit, and, in this relationship of love with God and with one another, led a full and holy life. Is this just a dream? Is it simply a desire that dwells in […]

God’s love finds those who do not close their hearts to Him. Not everyone has turned their back on Him; not everyone lives indifferently as their earthly life passes by; not everyone remains mired in lethargy or keeps their ears closed to God’s call. There are also those who are faithful to Him! After Noah,

“Adam, where are you?” (Cf. Gen 3:9). The Heart of God seeks man who, having fallen under the seduction of the powers of darkness, has turned his back on Him. As Jesus shows us in the parable of the prodigal son, God is always waiting—awaiting our return. Man wanders through this world without knowing where

A great tribulation befell the faithful of England and Wales when King Henry VIII broke away from the authority of Rome in 1531 and founded the so called “Church of England.” The situation worsened under the reign of Elizabeth I. Catholics were treated and persecuted as enemies of the state. With no Catholic bishops left,

Before we delve into the story of today’s saint, we should first ask: what is iconoclasm? Following the Council of Chalcedon, a controversy arose in the Eastern Church over whether it was permissible to depict Christ in icons. Influenced by the Islamic doctrine of God’s inaccessibility, those who opposed images argued that Christ could not

As we approach the end of the liturgical year, I would like to tell you about two saints who are likely unfamiliar to us today, but whose story was so popular in the Middle Ages that it was said some knew it better than the Holy Scriptures. They are the hermit Saint Barlaam and the

Dan 5:1-6,13-14,16-17,23-28 „King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his lords, with whom he drank. Under the influence of the wine, he ordered the gold and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar, his father, had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, to be brought in so that the king, his lords, his wives and

We had reflected on the virtue of fortitude in context with the readings from the book of Maccabees; those courageous men and women of the People of Israel. I also pointed out that we need this virtue for our Christian witness in the world, which, in an extreme case, can go as far as martyrdom.

Lk 23:35b-43 At that time, the leaders jeered at him with the words, ‘He saved others, let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.’ The soldiers mocked him too, coming up to him, offering him vinegar, and saying, ‘If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.’ Above

Fortitude – which is considered as one of the four cardinal virtues – is part of the basic equipment of a soldier. If he does not become courageous, he cannot be counted on in the toughest battles, for fear would take hold of him, so that the situation would become dangerous for all his comrades.