Fr. Z's Blog

Today is Wednesday of Holy Week.  Spy Wedneday.  The Roman Station is St. Mary Major. Fulton J. Sheen contrasts Mary and her alabaster box and money box Judas. I provide these especially in gratitude to benefactors who help me and this blog.

Today is Tuesday of Holy Week.  The Roman Station is Santa Prisca. St. Gregory of Nazinazus scares the tar out of us. In honor of Notre-Dame de Paris, something from a disc of music from the Maitrise de Notre-Dame – perhaps not to be heard again in our lifetime, recorded on the disc Les Grandes heures liturgiques à Notre-Dame de Paris.  US HERE – UK HERE De profundis clamavi ad te, Domine; Domine, exaudi vocem meam. Fiant aures tuae intendentes in vocem deprecationis meae. Si iniquitates observaveris, Domine, Domine, quis sustinebit? Quia apud te propitiatio est; et propter legem tuam sustinui te, Domine. Sustinuit anima mea in verbo eius: Speravit anima mea in Domino. A custodia matutina usque ad noctem, speret Israel in Domino. You’ll here something from one of the best chant discs I’ve ever heard, a little hard to get now. US HERE – UK HERE I provide these especially in gratitude to benefactors who help me and this blog.

Today is Monday of Holy Week.  The Roman Station is Santa Prassede. Fulton Sheen opens up the dialogue of Jesus with the Greeks who want to see Him.  This is an important moment as the Passion draws near, for it demonstrates that the Lord’s “hour”, spoken of during the Wedding at Cana early in Christ’s public life, had at last arrived. You’ll here something from one of the best chant discs I’ve ever heard, a little hard to get now. US HERE – UK HERE I provide these especially in gratitude to benefactors who help me and this blog.

Today is Palm Sunday. Holy Week begins. The Roman Station is San Giovanni in Laterano. Podcast #40! Fulton Sheen gives us the Lord’s lesson in contrasts. You’ll here something from one of the best chant discs I’ve ever heard, a little hard to get now. US HERE – UK HERE I provide these especially in gratitude to benefactors who help me and this blog.

These daily 5 minute podcasts are intended to give you a small boost every day, a little encouragement in your own use of this holy season. Today is Saturday after Passion Sunday, Saturday in the 5th Week of Lent. Today we hear of the unbloody, but nearly parboiled and poisoned martyrdom of John the Apostle and Evangelist.  Yes, martyrdom, though John didn’t die. In the Church we have had the ancient teaching and tradition of “red” or bloody martyrdom for the sake of charity whereby the martyr dies giving witness in the face of hatred for Christ, the Church, the Faith or some aspect of the Christian life that is inseparable from our Christian identity. There is also a long tradition of identifying “white” martyrdom, coined by St. Jerome, whereby a person gives witness through an ascetic life, withdrawal from the world, pilgrimages involving great sacrifice, or who suffer greatly for the Faith but who do not die in bearing witness. Coming from another tradition there is a kind of “blue” (or “green”) martyrdom, involving great penance and mortifications without necessarily the sort of withdrawal from life that a hermit or a cenobite might live.  Gregory the Great in his Dialogues, writes of different kinds of martyrdom, bloody, public martyrdom in time of persecution and secret martyrdom, not in time of persecution.  He wrote that secret martyrs are no less worthy of honor, because they also endured sufferings and the attacks of hidden enemies, but they persevered in charity. It seems that John was all of these, though miraculously preserved from red martyrdom.  His apostolic work wasn’t yet completed, though he seems to have completed his responsibilities to his Mother and ours. I provide these especially in gratitude to benefactors who help me and this blog.  

These daily 5 minute podcasts are intended to give you a small boost every day, a little encouragement in your own use of this holy season. Today is Friday after Passion Sunday, Friday the 5th Week of Lent. We hear about a unique basilica in Rome and the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. I provide these especially in gratitude to benefactors who help me and this blog. An image from Santo Stefano Rotondo.  

These daily 5 minute podcasts are intended to give you a small boost every day, a little encouragement in your own use of this holy season. Today is Thursday after Passion Sunday, Thursday the 5th Week of Lent. Babylon is a theme if this podcast. Today, flowery earnest prayer to Jesus for the sake of His Most Precious Blood. I provide these especially in gratitude to benefactors who help me and this blog.  

These daily 5 minute podcasts are intended to give you a small boost every day, a little encouragement in your own use of this holy season. Today is Wednesday after Passion Sunday, Wednesday the 5th Week of Lent. Today, flowery earnest prayer to Jesus for the sake of His Most Precious Blood. I provide these especially in gratitude to benefactors who help me and this blog.

These daily 5 minute podcasts are intended to give you a small boost every day, a little encouragement in your own use of this holy season. Today is Tuesday after Passion Sunday, Tuesday of the 5th Week of Lent I provide these especially in gratitude to benefactors who help me and this blog.

These daily 5 minute podcasts are intended to give you a small boost every day, a little encouragement in your own use of this holy season. Today is the Saturday of the 3rd Week of Lent. Fulton Sheen helps us keep together sacrament and sacrifice, lest we become Protestants!   We must also keep in touch death, not just life.   He uses an alarming image! Today we hear something from the wonderful nuns in Missouri at Gower Abbey.  US HERE – UK HERE I provide these especially in gratitude to benefactors who help me and this blog.

These daily 5 minute podcasts are intended to give you a small boost every day, a little encouragement in your own use of this holy season. Today is the Friday of the 3rd Week of Lent. Marcel Lefebvre speaks to us about carrying our crosses day to day.  US HERE &  HERE (in French) UK – HERE (in French) I provide these especially in gratitude to benefactors who help me and this blog.

These daily 5 minute podcasts are intended to give you a small boost every day, a little encouragement in your own use of this holy season. Today is the Thursday of the 3rd Week of Lent. Fulton Sheen talks about the school of pain I provide these especially in gratitude to benefactors who help me and this blog.

These daily 5 minute podcasts are intended to give you a small boost every day, a little encouragement in your own use of this holy season. Today is the Wednesday of the 3rd Week of Lent. St. Basil and Fulton Sheen give us a hand. I provide these especially in gratitude to benefactors who help me and this blog.

These daily 5 minute podcasts are intended to give you a small boost every day, a little encouragement in your own use of this holy season. Today is the Tuesday of the 3rd Week of Lent. St. Ambrose talks to us across the centuries about the Blessed Virgin Mary. I tried something clever with the music today.  You will hear a cut from the intriguing disc…  US HERE – UK HERE I provide these especially in gratitude to benefactors who help me and this blog.

These daily 5 minute podcasts are intended to give you a small boost every day, a little encouragement in your own use of this holy season. Today is the Monday of the 3rd Week of Lent.   It is also the Feast of the Annunciation. Pope Benedict takes us back to the angel’s greeting to Mary.  Yesterday, day the way, was Gabriel’s traditional feast.  Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives.  US HERE – UK HERE Caroling at Ephesus US HERE – UK HERE I provide these especially in gratitude to benefactors who help me and this blog.