Resurrection Cemetery, Staten Island, NY

07/31/2026

From Wounded Soldier to Warrior of the Spirit: The Story of St. Ignatius of Loyola

Dear Beloved in Christ,

Today we honor a warrior for Christ, a soldier who traded the sword of ambition for the sword of the Spirit—wounded at Pamplona in 1521, Saint Ignatius' broken leg became the doorway through which grace entered. As he lay convalescing, his heart began to discern the difference between fleeting worldly delight and the deep, lasting peace that comes from God alone—and from this humble discernment was born the "Spiritual Exercises," a treasure the Church still uses to guide souls into deeper communion with the Lord.

In 1540, Saint Ingatius founded the Society of Jesus, sending his brother Jesuits not away from the world but boldly into it—into classrooms, courts, and far-off missions—convinced that God could be found not only in majestic cathedrals and humble churches but in all things—literature, nature, every corner of human life, for we are created "to praise, reverence, and serve God our Lord" in all things. Saint Ignatius calls us to seek God's presence in ordinary things and ordinary days.

And so, as we carry his witness forward—finding God in labor and in rest, and in the physical and emotional wounds that reroute our lives toward Him—may peace be with you; and may we all discover that every ordinary moment is fertile soil in which God may plant His grace.

07/29/2026

Santos Marta, María y Lázaro: un solo hogar, tres caminos del amor

Queridos hermanos en Cristo:

Hoy nos sentamos a la mesa en el hogar de Betania junto a tres almas a las que Jesús amaba profundamente; en su amistad, vislumbramos la esencia misma de la vida cristiana.

Marta, que se apresuraba a servir y no temía expresar en voz alta su dolor y su fe —«Creo que tú eres el Cristo, el Hijo de Dios»—, nos enseña que el amor activo y la confesión valiente son, en sí mismos, una forma de oración.

María, que se sentaba a los pies del Señor y más tarde los ungía con un perfume costoso, nos muestra que el silencio, la adoración e incluso una devoción generosa —y aparentemente poco práctica— nunca son en vano ante Dios.

Y Lázaro, llamado a salir del sepulcro por una voz que impera incluso sobre la muerte, se erige como prueba viviente de que nuestro Señor no es solo un maestro de la resurrección, sino su fuente y autor mismo: «Yo soy la Resurrección y la Vida».

Juntos, estos tres hermanos de Betania conforman un único hogar de santidad, revelando que el discipulado tiene espacio para las manos que trabajan, el corazón que contempla y el alma que simplemente recibe la vida nueva como un don gratuito. Por ello, el Papa Francisco, en su sabiduría, unió sus nombres en una sola memoria litúrgica, para que la Iglesia honre la hospitalidad, la contemplación y la esperanza de la resurrección en un mismo acto.

Al llevar su ejemplo a nuestros propios hogares —a nuestras cocinas, a nuestras capillas silenciosas y a nuestros momentos de pérdida—, pidamos la gracia de imitar el servicio generoso de Marta, la atención plena de María y la confianza de Lázaro en Dios.

07/29/2026

Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus: One Household, Three Paths to Love

Dear Beloved in Christ,

Today we sit at the table of the Bethany household with three souls whom Jesus loved dearly, and in their friendship, we glimpse the whole shape of the Christian life.

Martha, who rushed to serve and did not fear to speak her grief and her faith aloud—"I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God"—teaches us that active love and bold confession are themselves a form of prayer.

Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and later anointed them with costly oil, shows us that stillness, adoration, and even lavish, seemingly impractical devotion are never wasted before God.

And Lazarus, called forth from the tomb by a voice that commands even death, stands as living proof that our Lord is not merely a teacher of resurrection but its very source and author—"I am the Resurrection and the life."

Together these three Bethany siblings form a single household of holiness, revealing that discipleship has room for the hands that labor, the heart that contemplates, and the soul that simply receives new life as pure gift; this is why Pope Francis, in his wisdom, joined their names as one memorial, so that the Church might honor hospitality, contemplation, and resurrection hope all in the same breath.

As we carry their example into our own homes, our own kitchens and quiet chapels and moments of loss, may we ask for Martha's generous service, Mary's undivided attention, and Lazarus's trust in the God.

07/25/2026

The Feast of Saint James the Apostle, the First Martyr

Dear Beloved in Christ, Saint James the Greater shines before us as a pillar of apostolic courage, the first among the Twelve to drink deeply of the chalice of martyrdom, and a witness who teaches us that true discipleship is measured by love poured out in sacrifice. He is the patron saint of pilgrims and Spain. As the brother of John and companion of our Lord, he beheld the Transfiguration, trembled in Gethsemane, and learned that the path to glory passes through the Cross, inviting us to a faith that is lived with steadfast devotion, pilgrim-hearted perseverance, and a readiness to serve Christ in humility and zeal; venerated across the Church, especially through the ancient pilgrimage of Compostela, he reminds us that our earthly journey is itself a sacred road toward God, where every step, offered in grace, becomes prayer, and every trial becomes purification, drawing us nearer to the Heart of Christ.

May peace be with you, and may the intercession of Saint James strengthen your faith, guide your pilgrimage, and lead you more deeply into the love and truth of Our Lord.

07/25/2026

¿Por qué y qué rezamos antes de escuchar el Evangelio?

Antes de escuchar el Evangelio, hacemos una pausa para orar porque Cristo nos habla a través de su Palabra. En ese momento sagrado, pedimos un corazón abierto, oídos atentos y la gracia de recibir el Evangelio con fe, para que transforme nuestra vida.

Santa María Magdalena (cuya fiesta celebramos el 22 de julio) nos mostró lo que significa escuchar verdaderamente al Señor. Permaneció junto a Jesús, le fue fiel incluso en el dolor y fue la primera en anunciar la alegría de la Resurrección. Que nosotros, como ella, sepamos escuchar la voz de Cristo y compartir la Buena Nueva con nuestra vida.

En la homilía de la Misa de este jueves por la mañana en la Catedral de San Patricio, el padre Enrique Salvo explica el significado de la oración que rezamos antes de la proclamación del Evangelio.

Puede ver la homilía del padre Salvo aquí en The Good Newsroom​ (12;19 mark; ve a la configuración y selecciona español en la pista de audio): https://thegoodnewsroom.org/fr-enrique-salvos-homily-july-23-2026/

Fr. Enrique Salvo explains the prayer we do before listening to the Gospel. By the virtue of our Baptism, we are invited to hear the good news of Christ.

07/25/2026

¿Por qué y qué rezamos antes de escuchar el Evangelio?

Antes de escuchar el Evangelio, hacemos una pausa para orar porque Cristo nos habla a través de su Palabra. En ese momento sagrado, pedimos un corazón abierto, oídos atentos y la gracia de recibir el Evangelio con fe, para que transforme nuestra vida.

Santa María Magdalena (cuya fiesta celebramos el 22 de julio) nos mostró lo que significa escuchar verdaderamente al Señor. Permaneció junto a Jesús, le fue fiel incluso en el dolor y fue la primera en anunciar la alegría de la Resurrección. Que nosotros, como ella, sepamos escuchar la voz de Cristo y compartir la Buena Nueva con nuestra vida.

En la homilía de la Misa de este jueves por la mañana en la Catedral de San Patricio, el padre Enrique Salvo explica el significado de la oración que rezamos antes de la proclamación del Evangelio.

Puede ver la homilía del padre Salvo aquí en The Good Newsroom​;Ve a la configuración y selecciona español en la pista de audio: https://thegoodnewsroom.org/fr-enrique-salvos-homily-july-23-2026/

Fr. Enrique Salvo explains the prayer we do before listening to the Gospel. By the virtue of our Baptism, we are invited to hear the good news of Christ.

07/24/2026

Why, and What, Do We Pray Before Listening to the Gospel?

Before we listen to the Gospel, we pause in prayer because God is about to speak. In that sacred moment, we ask for open hearts, humble ears, and the grace to receive Christ’s word with faith.

Saint Mary Magdalene (whose feast we celebrated on July 22) demonstrated what that kind of deep listening is truly like. She stayed close to Jesus, remained faithful in sorrow, and was the first to proclaim the joy of the Resurrection. May we, like her, be attentive to the Lord and ready to share the Good News with our lives.

In his homily from this Thursday morning’s Mass at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Fr. Enrique Salvo explains the prayer we do before listening to the Gospel.

Please feel free to watch Father's Salvo's homily (12:19 mark): https://thegoodnewsroom.org/fr-enrique-salvos-homily-july-23-2026/

Fr. Enrique Salvo explains the prayer we do before listening to the Gospel. By the virtue of our Baptism, we are invited to hear the good news of Christ.

07/19/2026

From the Ashes of Despair to the Altar of the Precious Blood

Like New York's own Saint Patrick's Cathedral, the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris belongs both to her local flock and to the entire Catholic world — two shared inheritances of stone and soul. As July calls the faithful everywhere to dwell on the Precious Blood of Jesus, we return once more to this cathedral's Herculean five-year restoration, one of the most moving testaments to devotion and dedication we have witnessed in our lifetime. The very altar raised from Notre Dame's ashes now stands to hold the same Blood poured out anew at every Mass offered within her walls — an altar forged from a fire that raged 15 hours into a faith that could not be broken.

Beyond the spire's return to the Paris sky and the Great Organ's 8,000 gleaming pipes singing once more, the true heart of this restoration is liturgical: a new bronze altar, sacred vessels blessed for holy use, and a reliquary built to enshrine the Crown of Thorns, all fashioned so the Eucharistic sacrifice could rise again at the cathedral's living center. Pope Francis named this rebirth a "prophetic sign" of the Church's renewal in France, and that word — prophetic — echoes the quiet, patient theme of July's Gospel readings, where the sower's seed rises unseen from ruined ground into golden harvest. Even the earth beneath Notre Dame kept its own secret through the seemingly endless flames: archaeologists uncovered a medieval stone screen carved with the life of Christ, a buried treasure of sacred art brought back to light just as the cathedral herself rose from cinders to splendor.

For those of us in the New York tri-state area, and for Catholics everywhere, Notre Dame stands this July — as Saint Patrick's does in New York — not merely as a monument to brilliant human craftsmanship, but as living witness that the Precious Blood still transforms ruin into resurrection, and ashes into altars.

Please feel free to watch the related NBC News video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8p2hKnu-C0

Inside the majestic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris for a close up lo...

07/19/2026

Fiesta de San Buenaventura, nuestro Doctor

Queridos hermanos en Cristo:

Hoy elevamos nuestros corazones en agradecido recuerdo de San Buenaventura, a quien celebramos por su liderazgo espiritual en la Orden Franciscana y por sus profundos escritos, que unen el intelecto con la devoción mística. Él es nuestro "Doctor Seráfico", el título honorífico que la Iglesia otorgó a San Buenaventura y que combina "Doctor", designación formal reservada para los más grandes maestros teológicos de la Iglesia, con "Seráfico", porque enseñó y vivió con el ardiente amor de los serafines, el coro más alto de los ángeles, completamente encendidos de amor por Dios. El suave brillo de San Buenaventura unió el fuego del amor divino con la claridad de la razón iluminada por la fe. Nacido en una familia que lo vio sanar de niño por la intercesión de San Francisco de Asís, creció para convertirse en hijo espiritual de ese mismo pobre y radiante Poverello (el querido apodo tradicional de San Francisco de Asís). Ingresó en la Orden Franciscana y ascendió, por humildad más que por ambición, hasta servir durante años como su Ministro General, guiando a la Orden en medio de graves conflictos internos. Como teólogo en la Universidad de París, trabajó codo con codo con su querido amigo Santo Tomás de Aquino. Pero, mientras Tomás iluminaba la mente, Buenaventura encendía el corazón. En su obra maestra, El viaje de la mente hacia Dios, nos enseña que todas las cosas creadas son huellas y espejos que guían al alma de regreso a su Creador, y que la verdadera sabiduría es inseparable de la caridad, la contemplación y la Cruz. Nombrado posteriormente cardenal y reconocido por la Iglesia como Doctor de la Iglesia, trabajó incansablemente por la unidad de la cristiandad. Exhaló su último aliento durante el Segundo Concilio de Lyon, donde se esforzaba por la reconciliación entre las Iglesias de Oriente y Occidente. En el querido San Buenaventura encontramos la hermosa armonía que la Iglesia tanto valora: una mente que no teme al estudio profundo, unida inseparablemente a un corazón ardiente de amor por Cristo.

Que la paz esté con ustedes, queridos amigos, mientras llevan consigo un poco del fuego seráfico de San Buenaventura en su día a día, buscando a Dios con el corazón y con la mente.

Imagen: Excremento de los Santos Cristianos y de los Santos Didi Francesco y Madonna por San Antonio, Abad de la Abadía de San Antonio, Francisco, Bonaventura y Maestro de Feltre

07/17/2026

The Feast of Saint Bonaventure, Our Seraphic Doctor

Dear Beloved in Christ,

Today we lift our hearts in grateful remembrance of Saint Bonaventure, who we celebrate for his spiritual leadership of the Franciscan Order and his profound writings uniting intellect with mystical devotion. He is our "Seraphic Doctor" (the honorary title our Church bestowed upon Saint Bonaventure, blending "Doctor," a formal designation for the Church's greatest theological teachers with "Seraphic," meaning he taught and lived with the burning love of the "seraphim": the highest choir of angels wholly aflame with love for God. Saint Bonaventure's gentle brilliance wed the fire of divine love to the clarity of sacred reason. Born to a family who saw him healed as a child through the intercession of Saint Francis of Assisi, he grew to become a son of that same poor and radiant Poverello (the beloved traditional nickname for Saint Francis of Assisi), entering the Franciscan Order and rising, through humility rather than ambition, to serve as its Minister General during years of grave internal strife. As a theologian at the University of Paris, he stood shoulder to shoulder with his dear friend Saint Thomas Aquinas, yet where Thomas illumined the mind, Bonaventure illumined the heart, teaching us in his masterwork The Journey of the Mind into God that all created things are footprints and mirrors leading the soul back to its Maker, and that true wisdom is inseparable from charity, contemplation, and the Cross. Named a Doctor of the Church and later a cardinal, he labored tirelessly for the unity of Christendom, even giving his final breath while laboring at the Second Council of Lyons to reconcile the Eastern and Western Churches. In dear Saint Bonaventure, we find the beautiful harmony the Church so treasures: a mind unafraid of deep study, wedded inseparably to a heart set ablaze with love for Christ.

May peace be with you, dear friends, as you carry a little of Bonaventure's seraphic fire into your own day, seeking God with both your heart and mind.

Image: Mural of the Assumption of Our Lady in the Vision of St Bonaventure in the church Chiesa di Santa Lucia del Gonfalone

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