Posts by Fr. Marcelo Javier Navarro Muñoz, IVE
Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, Archangels
Fra Angelico – San Domenico Altarpiece – Christ Glorified in the Court of Heaven, 1423-30.1 Holy Scriptures are full of mentions of Angels and Archangels who are in God’s presence and minister to men. Thank God our lives are also filled with the Angels’ presence; too bad we cannot see them. Today’s reading from Daniel…
Read MoreMemorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist
The Decapitation of Saint John the Baptist, 1607 by Caravaggio[1] Once again, the Church presents to us the liturgical memorial of the Passion of St John the Baptist. Once again, I face the same main thought that comes to my mind when I read this gospel. It is a display of human cruelty. Obviously, hatred…
Read MoreMemorial of Saints Martha, Mary, and Lazarus
Christ in the House of Martha, Mary and Lazarus Jacopo and Francesco dal Ponte known as Il Bassano (Bassano del Grappa 1515 – 1592) / (Bassano c. 1549 – Venice 1592) and workshop1 John 11:19-27 Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother [Lazarus, who had died].…
Read MoreSolemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles
Statue of St Peter the Apostle[1] Statue of St Paul the Apostle[2] Dear brothers and sisters: Mother Church celebrates today the Solemnity of these two great Apostles. I would like to share with you some brief excerpts from the Catecheses of Pope Benedict XVI on Peter and Paul. Regarding the vocation of Peter Benedict XVI…
Read MorePrayer and Bearing Fruit
I chose you from the world, to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord. (Jo 15: 16) Pentecost by Titian1 Last Sunday we celebrated the culmen of the Catholic Easter liturgy, that is, the Solemnity of Pentecost. Christ breathed the Holy Spirit into the nascent Church. Pentecost is the celebration of a…
Read MoreEASTER HEARTS…
The Emmaus Disciples, Abraham Bloemaert, 1622[1] In today’s gospel (John 12) Jesus tells us: “I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness”. One of the main effects of Easter is joy, and joy can be translated into light. Light expels darkness, the darkness of sin…
Read MoreThe “blocks” of Christ’s Passion
Anthony van Dyck, (1617)[1] Lent has introduced us little by little to the sufferings of Christ, but today, Palm Sunday, the liturgy slaps us on the face with the sorrows of our Lord during Holy Week, as we read the entire Passion of Matthew, chapters 26 and 27. It is a ‘concentrated shot’ of the…
Read MoreIs the Liturgical Year a Display of Christ’s Light…?
Sermon on the Mount (Christian Baer, 1909)1 A lamp to my feet is your word, a light to my path. (Ps 119: 105) We are still at the very beginning of the liturgical cycle. The transition from Christmas up to this coming fourth week in Ordinary Time, Cycle A, has been smooth. We almost feel…
Read MoreChristmas, Time of Hope and Renewal
At his first Christmas Mass Pope Leo XIV combined his own message with that of Pope Benedict XVI’s from 2012 to remind Catholics all over the world of the splendor of Christmas: “Behold the star that astonishes the world, a spark newly lit and blazing with life: “To you is born this day in the…
Read MoreBe vigilant at all times and pray
The Last Judgment, 1534-41, Michelangelo[1] The Mass readings of this last week of the liturgical year might be frightening: see for instance the passages from the Book of Daniel or the words of our Lord himself. He has assured us, however, that we should not be afraid. The context of these readings is rather one of…
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