Go Sell What You Have
Br. Humbert McCrorey, O.P., reflects on this Sunday’s Gospel (Mark 10:17-27) in our weekly video series.
Br. Humbert McCrorey, O.P., reflects on this Sunday’s Gospel (Mark 10:17-27) in our weekly video series.
Friends - we're excited to share that the Lay Mission Project is now becoming the Lay Mission Institute! This means that the Lay Mission Institute…
On the Solemnity of Corpus Christi (the Latin phrase for “The Body of Christ”), we spend the day giving special veneration to Our Lord presenting…
We should always remember that our bodies are not simply ours to do with as we please. After receiving the sacrament of Baptism, we become temples…
Can the diversity of the Church be reconciled with her unity? In his first letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul speaks about the diverse manifestations…
“… The fruit of the earth and the fruit of the work of human hands” would be a more literal translation of the prayer used during the preparation…
In a manner atypical of the usual scholastic precision of his theological works, St. Thomas Aquinas’ great Eucharistic hymn Adoro te devote sublimely,…
Earlier this year, several Dominican friars and sisters paid a visit to Thomas Aquinas College in southern California. Three friars of our Province—Fr.…
Like many of you, I grew up with a dog. Ever since then I have been fascinated by dogs’ intelligence and social sensitivity. In the world of…
Kurt Vonnegut’s 1963 novel Cat’s Cradle features a fictional religious movement that teaches that life is intrinsically meaningless. People,…
Easter Morning Reading, Northern Syria (?), circa 1216 AD Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Today we come to the conclusion of our Easter…
“Would you like to go to Easter egg hunt?” “No, I am too old for that.” At some point, we hear that response from children. The excitement for…
Bright Tuesday Divine Liturgy, Constantinople, circa 1001 AD Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Yesterday we looked at a 14th-century Italian…
Easter Matins, Italy, circa 1300 AD Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! For the first entry of our Easter Octave series, Greeting the Resurrection…
Christ Surrexit vere, alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed, alleluia! With this Paschal greeting, we join the Saints throughout the…
“I have pains in my gut. How can I not have pain in the gut of memory when it is filled with putrid stuff?” -St. Bernard Of Clairvaux, Ad clericos…
Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, a sacred journey that culminates in the joyous celebration of Easter Sunday. This significant day…
Among other titles in the Litany of St. Joseph, the foster father of Our Lord is invoked as the “terror of demons.” One reason for this is that…
God the Father offered his friendship to the first human family, to Adam and Eve, but their disobedience broke this friendship. Yet another family…
This past summer I had the great gift of completing a hospital chaplaincy internship. There were numerous moments of repentance and grace (thanks…
The “penance” we do in Lent means turning away from sin and toward God. To enable us to cooperate well with God’s grace in doing penance, the…
We come, once again, to the holy season of Lent! Just as before the joy of the Resurrection there was the pain of the Passion; so too before…
Often, when we think about almsgiving, our minds immediately turn to money. Of course, contributing material wealth is important and commendable…
Christians attribute great effectiveness to fasting. It keeps us alert, awakens our sensitivity to God, allows us to know ourselves, and makes…
The DSPT College of Fellows convened for the first time in four years on February 2-4, 2024, after a pandemic that began in 2020 was followed…
The Dominican Order’s official name is “Order of Preachers.” We embrace the apostolic life, possessing material goods only in common, and devote…
“But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that…
We had come, like streams of a river, from the same source in our native land, had separated from each other in pursuit of learning, and were…
The Lord invites Elijah to witness His presence in 1 Kings 19. As the Lord passes by, Elijah discovers that the Lord is not in a great and strong…
When most of us think of the Epiphany, we immediately think of the Wise Men visiting the Christ Child. However, this is only part of what the…
The relationship between faith and the state has been controversial at least since the beginning of Christian history. Matthew points to this…
In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every…
I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to study Greek and Syriac patristic theology in Rome near the locations where so many saintly theologians…
When the Anglican scholar Edward B. Pusey wrote his Eirenicon, St. John Henry Newman felt compelled to reply by letter to his old friend’s polemics…
Oscar Wilde once visited the Sistine Chapel while the choir sang the “Dies Irae,” a classic chant about the Last Judgment that’s still used as…
The greatest act of thanksgiving is found in the Church’s celebration of the Eucharist
One of my favorite pieces of choral music to listen to and meditate upon is called Funeral Ikos. Written by the English composer John Tavener,…
"What you are now, we once were. What we are now, you shall be."
One of the best-known Dominican saints around the world is not famous for his eloquence or his education. There are no sermons of his passed…
At the root of all our desires is a yearning for oneness with God. In our fallen state, we are prone to respond to that yearning with things…
Was the Rosary truly historically given by the Blessed Virgin Mary to our founder St. Dominic de Guzman? Unfortunately, even though more than…
As one of the most widely-practiced forms of Christian prayer, the Rosary is well-known for the many benefits which it can confer on a person’s…
Art can help us understand theological and historical realities by providing us with concrete images that symbolically express a truth.
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.
Throughout the season of Advent, the Church prepares for the birth of Jesus. Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit, and became…
Whereas in his nativity Christ demonstrates the mystery of his own virgin birth, in the resurrection he gives a pattern to all who are to be…
Imagine that we are standing on the top of a cliff. We look down, and we don’t see the base of the cliff. The space below us is shrouded in mist.…
One of the most striking aspects of the writings of St. Catherine of Siena is her attention to bodiliness. Her visual metaphors are often punctuated…
Mary was waiting for Him with joy Not as a mother waits for the return of her son from war But as one waits for a friend who never broke a…
Did you know? Everyone in heaven gets a trophy!
Why did Jesus die? The question of why Jesus had to die is one that has puzzled Christians for centuries. It is easy to point fingers and assign…
How to better experience the three Holy Days before Easter.
Feeling hopeless? There’s medicine for that … the medicine of immortality!
Of course you kvetch, you've overstretched! Let Mary show you a better way.
Want to be holy? Choose hatred!
Are you sure you have repented? Think again!
My younger sister is a fantastic skier. We have both skied since a very young age. However, once upon a time, she fell down and hurt her knee…
Can shame be healthy?
How does a whole burnt offering point people to the meaning of human life?
There is nothing unfortunate about the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience!
The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple was a monumental moment in the history of salvation. How do Simeon's words in the Gospel of Luke show us the Word's fulfillment of the entire Old Testament?
We often find the life of the mind placed in opposition to the spiritual life. However, is this a fair opposition? Aquinas can be our guide in resolving this tension.
What should the name of Jesus evoke within me?
What is so special about a name?
During this Christmas season of joy, how can Christ manifest in our struggles and sorrows?
The nativity of Jesus: a mystery of a personal victory that mobilized his friends and agitated his enemies.
An effusion of the Ineffable!
Do not be afraid to take Mary into your home (which always brings Christ) as we come to the end of Advent and prepare for His coming at Christmas.
How can we joyfully prepare for God Incarnate amidst a dark and sinful world?
It's Gaudete Sunday and we are entering the third week of Advent with joyful anticipation for the commemoration of Christ's birth.
Mary the Immaculate Conception: Forbidding Myth or Grace-filled Maiden?
St. Nicholas is not only a giver of gifts but a giver of Truth!
How can we better prepare for the coming of our Savior this Advent season?
We're so grateful for your support of this year's Rosary Sunday: Dominican Student Appeal!
Browse the newest publications by Western Dominicans
To see God's face once meant death, but now we see true life in the face of God Incarnate.
Can thinking on Hell increase our faith? Learn why hellish meditations should be included in our spiritual exercises.
How can we grow in the virtues of hope, patience, and joy?
Will we grow bored of worshipping God in heaven for "forever?" How will our heavenly unity with God affect our desires?
What is the value of suffering - for us and for "holy souls" in Purgatory?
What is true humility? The foundation of humility lies not in ourselves, but in God.
St. Jude and the Birthday Cake - is the oft-forgotten apostle a baker?
Climb the mountain - a pilgrimage of our mind and heart!
Worthy of love or worthy of honor: how do we properly approach Our Lady?
How do I pray well, even perfectly? Br. Anthony Maria Akerman, O.P. offers a reply to this perennial question.
How is St. Michael the Archangel a powerful defender in all battles? Learn from Fr. Michael Hurley, O.P., on how this powerful saint helps us flex our spiritual muscles!
If St. Michael the Archangel can save Rome from the plague, how can he help us in modern times? Br. Scott Norgaard, O.P., helps us understand how angels are instrumental in executing God's mercy.
The Big Bang was the moment of creation...or was it? Br. Pascal Strader, O.P. helps unfold the cosmological and theological considerations in this claim.
How should we treat those who have seriously hurt or wronged us? Br. Anselm shares the difficult, but life-giving answer in honor of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross.
This past July, I was in Berlin taking an intensive course in German. Over the past five years studying at the Dominican School of Philosophy…
This summer, I spent several weeks learning Spanish in Mexico along with four other Dominican student brothers -- Br. Nathaniel Maria Mayne,…
The Dominican Friars of the Western Province have had a special relationship of mutual support and collaboration with the Polish Province for…
When I disclose the fact that I am learning Arabic to family, friends, and acquaintances here in the Western United States, I receive similar…
Dominicans offer their lives to preach the Gospel and dedicate their lives in service to God and the Church. The vast majority of Dominican friars…
Totus tuus ego sum et omnia mea tua sunt. Accipio te in mea omnia. I am all yours, and everything that I have is yours. I take you for my all.…
The Church dedicates this month of May to Our Lady. Therefore, this is a very convenient time for us, her children, to contemplate the beauty…
The history of salvation is not the history of the One Creator God acting alone in human history. Rather, it involves an intimate dialogue between…
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can…
“Christ is Risen! - Truly, He is Risen!” This Paschal greeting that we are so accustomed to hearing on Easter morning represents the overwhelming…
Have you ever been betrayed by a friend? If so, you know how terrible it feels when a friend turns against you. Our attention is drawn to the…