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The Legend of the True Cross: The Story of St. Helena's Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

In 326 AD, St. Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine, made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land to visit the sites of Christ's Passion. From this pilgrimage, she brought back to Rome important relics, one of which was a fragment of the 'True Cross of Jesus'.

The relics are located in the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem. Join us as we explore the fascinating history of these relics and their journey from the Holy Land to Rome. We'll hear from Olof Brandt, a Professor at the Pontifical Institute of Christian Archaeology, about the relics' authenticity and how the basilica was transformed from an imperial residence to a basilica church.

EWTN - 4:41 mins

The Blessedness of Mourning: A Reflection for the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows

You yourself a sword will pierce so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. (Lk 2:35)

My mother grew up in a devout Catholic home, the third of six children. To escape the hardship of a country under dictatorship rule, all six, along with their mother, emigrated to the United States in the hopes of a better life. In terms of freedom from tyranny and poverty, those hopes came to fruition for my mother.

But it wasn’t long before she started suffering in another way: as a young adult, she developed rheumatoid arthritis which caused debilitating pain throughout her body. Later she suffered cardiovascular disease, requiring her to undergo open heart surgery, and eventually, an amputation, which finally led to her death. She was always considered the “sick” and “frail” one in our family. Poor Ma...

M.C. Holbrook

Catholic Exchange

Feast of Sts. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael

Although Scripture itself does not furnish systematic or comprehensive information regarding the exact nature of angels, the names of these three archangels (meaning chief angel in Greek) appear in the Bible and offer us some fascinating clues about them. Most of what we know about angels in general is scattered and sometimes simply “hinted” at throughout the Bible, but 2000 years of Church theology helps clarify what is there.

Angels are pure angelic spirit, so they are immortal (Luke 20:36) but not eternal (because angels are created beings). According to St. Thomas Aquinas, angelic power is superior to human power in its abilities because it is exclusively spirit, without any need for a body (Summa 61.4)...

Ascension Press