Author Archives: Steve Benner

Antiphon: https://tinyurl.com/ywnxcz7d When the Lord appears, we shall be like him,for we shall see him as he is. 1 John 3 Almighty God,to whom all hearts are open,all desires, known,and from whom no secrets are hid:Cleanse the thoughts of our heartsby the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,that we may perfectly love youand worthily magnify your holy name;throughContinue reading “Oremus for Saturday, August 7, 2021”

Anniversary of the Bombing of HiroshimaOn this day in 1945, the United States hastened the end of World War II in the Pacific by dropping the first nuclear bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Three days later, it bombed the city of Nagasaki. The Japanese surrendered shortly thereafter. Given what we now know aboutContinue reading “Oremus for Friday, August 6, 2021”

John Mason NealeJohn Mason Neale was born in 1818 and, whilst an undergraduate at Cambridge, was influenced by the ideas of the Tractarians. He was a founder of the Cambridge Camden Society, which stimulated interest in ecclesiastical art and which played a part in the revival of Catholic ritual in the Church of England. WhilstContinue reading “Oremus for Thursday, August 5, 2021”

Enrique AngelelliEnrique Ángel Angelelli Carletti was a bishop of the Catholic Church in Argentina who was assassinated during the Dirty War for his involvement with social issues. Angelelli, whose commitment to the “Church of the Poor” offered a model for the future Pope Francis, was murdered two months after U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger gaveContinue reading “Oremus for Wednesday, August 4, 2021”

Flannery O’ConnorFlannery O’Connor is considered one of America’s greatest fiction writers and one of the strongest apologists for Roman Catholicism in the twentieth century. Born of the marriage of two of Georgia’s oldest Catholic families, O’Connor was a devout believer whose small but impressive body of fiction presents the soul’s struggle with what she called the “stinkingContinue reading “Oremus for Tuesday, August 3, 2021”

LydiaLydia was Paul’s first European convert. She was a Gentile woman in Philippi who, like many others, was attracted to Judaism. As what the Jewish community called a “God-fearer” she was undoubtedly accorded respect by the Jewish community, but still would have been marginalized. Paul encountered her on a riverbank where she and a groupContinue reading “Oremus for Monday, August 2, 2021”

Israelites Gathering Manna, Woodcut from the Nuremberg Bible, German, 15th Century Antiphon 1 Ant. You gave us bread from heaven, O Lord, having in it all that is delicious, and the sweetness of every taste.V. Give ear, my people, to my teaching; *incline your ear to the words of my mouth.I will open my mouth in aContinue reading “Oremus for Sunday, August 1, 2021”

Ignatius of LoyolaBorn in 1491, the son of a Basque nobleman, Ignatius served as a soldier and was wounded at the siege of Pamplona in 1521. During his convalescence he read a Life of Christ, was converted and lived a life of prayer and penance, during which he wrote the first draft of his SpiritualContinue reading “Oremus for Saturday, July 31, 2021”

William WilberforceWilliam Wilberforce was born in 1759 in Hull. Converted to an Evangelical piety within the Church of England, Wilberforce decided to serve the faith in Parliament instead of being ordained, becoming a Member of Parliament at the age of twenty-one. He was a supporter of missionary initiatives and helped found The Bible Society. SettlingContinue reading “Oremus for Friday, July 30, 2021”

Mary, Martha, and Lazarus of Bethany The gospels describe how Mary, Martha and their brother Lazarus gave Jesus hospitality in their home at Bethany outside Jerusalem. Jesus is said to have loved all three. After Lazarus’ death, he wept and was moved by the sisters’ grief to bring Lazarus back from the dead. Martha recognisedContinue reading “Oremus for Thursday, July 29, 2021”