We know that in the Old Testament, the way to make amends for offenses against God consisted of offering a victim, immolating it with the shedding of blood, a symbol of life. This sacrifice appeased divine wrath and resulted in the reparation of the acquired stain (cf. Lev 5:15-26). In the Holy Scriptures, we find many figures…
Having concluded his mandate as congressman,1 Dr. Plinio resolved to employ the ample influence he still enjoyed in the Catholic milieu, as well as other resources still at his disposal, to proceed vigorously with his apostolate. One of these resources was the modest newspaper Legionário. Published semi-monthly since 1927 by St. Cecilia Parish for the circulation of…
When we look up at the sky and see the stars, they look like an immense collection of tiny lights, very similar to each other. However, if we observe them through a telescope, we realize the great variety that exists among the stars, as St. Paul affirms: “Stella enim a stella differt in claritate – “for…
Angelic nature, the work of God’s hand, is characterized by being purely spiritual, endowed with intelligence and will. When, through intellection, the Angels understand one same principle and love this ideal, they are united with one another. Ideas are also a factor in uniting men, but, already in the Earthly Paradise, God wanted to place…
In his first epistle, written when he was advanced in years, St. John the Evangelist exhorts his disciples to always remain in Our Lord Jesus Christ through the observance of the Commandments, particularly the love of God and of neighbour. He, who in the past was called the “son of thunder” (cf. Mk 3:17), due to his fiery…
In our filial relations with the Mother of God, understanding the fundamentals of Mariology undoubtedly plays an important role in this relationship; however, this is not everything, nor is it the most relevant aspect. The primordial factor in our relationship with the Blessed Virgin always consists in a sensible grace of a mystical nature, a…
I remember the first conversation about spiritual life that I had with Dr. Plinio, in 1959, when I was still very young and asked him for advice to help me decide which career I should pursue. Dr. Plinio arranged to meet me at five o’clock in the afternoon, at his law office. When I arrived, I found…
The fame of John the Baptist had marked the history of Israel, and public opinion was still under the influence of that unusual man, who ate locusts and wild honey, dressed in camel skin and a leather belt. Providence had bestowed graces upon him, and countless comments circulated about him, among which the predominant idea…
For centuries, when radar and other sophisticated devices available today did not exist, sailors relied on the stars as their main point of reference. The steersman had to orient himself by the position of the stars to keep the ship on course. Therefore, no one could take the helm and cross seas and oceans –…
The modern world, so devoid of symbols, leadership and beauty, in which everything depends on machines and cybernetics, makes people much more animalistic than spiritual, prone to caring only about what affects them personally or their pockets, and to acting solely on the basis of their attachments and feelings. The idea of sacrifice seems to…