The end of the 19th century revealed a dazzling Western civilization, which seemed to have materialized every dream of wealth and splendour hitherto imaginable. At the head of the brilliant Prussian army, Otto von Bismarck asserted: “I am bored; we have already done every great thing”; Germany was enjoying an industrial miracle; the intellectual and…
Music speaks directly to the soul, tugging at the strings of our highest sensibility, modelling states of mind, often framing poems or prayers which acquire greater eloquence through the harmonization of instruments and voices. In the Principality of Wales, in the United Kingdom, there is a hymn from the 19th century which is noteworthy for…
Let us imagine ourselves on board a troop transport plane, at an altitude of over five thousand metres. The passengers are paratroopers and are getting ready, like us, to jump for the first time from this altitude. It is impossible not to feel fear! Some entrust themselves to divine protection, while others vie to be…
Thursday September 8. The world learned, through the mainstream media, that Queen Elizabeth II had just passed away. Death is always cruel and painful, whatever the circumstances. Nevertheless, analysed from a purely material point of view – the only one that seems to have the right to exist in our times – the general commotion…
The fascinating role of crowns, whose trajectory spans history, dates back to the dawn of civilization. From ancient times, the heads of the Roman Caesars were encircled with laurel wreaths, those of Germanic barbarians with precious metals and dazzling stones; and surpassing them all in grandeur and glory, the Son of God chose to be…
To undertake the task of writing a brief account of figures who have crossed the firmament of history like stars, at once agile, brilliant and enchanting, is no easy task; and to attempt to write something, whether brief or lengthy, about personalities who, as considered in the previous article, symbolize their very nation, is an…
“If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you” (Jn 15:19). How harsh these words of the Divine Master seem! Those who choose the path of justice, of living as God…
Jesus looked lovingly upon a young man who practised the Commandments and invited him: “Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven; and come, follow Me” (Mk 10:21). This call to abandon everything in order to follow the Divine Master first came to the Apostles and, in…
Curious, Friar Dominic of Caserta began to observe a monk who daily passed through the monastery at a very peculiar hour. Before Matins – therefore, in the first hours after midnight – he would steal quietly out of his cell and return just as the bell rang for prayer, so as not to be seen….
Work, worries, misfortunes, achievements, dreams of success and distractions of every kind often completely absorb our attention, immersing us in a vicious and constant dissipation… Yet Scripture says: “Non in commotione Dominus” (1 Kgs 19:11), the Lord is not in agitation. Caught up in the turmoil of earthly concerns, we end up distancing ourselves from…
