Blog

    Stories of saints, biblical events, angels, and sacred places.

    Our Lady of Mount Carmel presenting the brown scapular to Saint Simon Stock, painting in the manner of Arcangelo Salimbeni
    The Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel: History and Meaning
    The origin and meaning of the Brown Scapular, its traditional roots in a 1251 vision to Saint Simon Stock, and how Catholics wear and understand it today.
    Caravaggio's The Seven Works of Mercy, depicting the corporal works of mercy in a single dramatic scene
    The Seven Corporal Works of Mercy, Rooted in Matthew 25
    A guide to the seven Corporal Works of Mercy — feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, visiting the imprisoned, and more — and their basis in Matthew 25:31-46.
    Titian's painting of the Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, symbol of the fruits of the Holy Spirit
    The Twelve Fruits of the Holy Spirit, and How They Differ From the Seven Gifts
    A guide to the twelve traditional fruits of the Holy Spirit in Catholic teaching, rooted in Galatians 5:22-23, and how they differ from the seven gifts.
    19th-century reverse-glass painting of the Virgin Mary's apparition to Saint Catherine Laboure in Paris, 1830
    The Miraculous Medal: Origin and Meaning of a Marian Devotion
    The story of the Miraculous Medal, born from Saint Catherine Labouré's 1830 apparition at Rue du Bac in Paris, and what its symbols mean.
    18th-century icon depicting the bishops assembled at the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD
    The Nicene Creed — Origins and Meaning of the Church's Central Profession of Faith
    The story of the Nicene Creed, written at the Councils of Nicaea and Constantinople, and why it remains the Catholic Church's central statement of belief.
    Caravaggio's Madonna of the Rosary, showing the Virgin Mary presenting the rosary to the faithful
    The Mysteries of the Rosary — Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious, and Luminous
    A guide to the four sets of Rosary mysteries, including the Luminous Mysteries added by Pope John Paul II in 2002, and what each meditates on.
    Hieronymus Bosch's The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things, a tabletop painting of the vices and final judgment
    The Seven Deadly Sins and Their Opposing Virtues
    A guide to the seven deadly (capital) sins — pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth — their history, and the virtues traditionally opposed to them.
    The Seven Sacraments Altarpiece by Rogier van der Weyden, depicting the seven sacraments of the Church
    The Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church, Explained
    A clear guide to the seven Catholic sacraments — Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Reconciliation, Anointing, Holy Orders, Matrimony — and how they're grouped.
    Secondo Pia's 1898 photographic negative of the Shroud of Turin, revealing the positive facial image
    The Shroud of Turin: History, Science, and What the Church Actually Says
    The story of the Shroud of Turin, the 1988 carbon dating controversy and its critics, and why the Church has never dogmatically ruled on its authenticity.
    Russian icon depicting the Council of the Seven Holy Archangels together
    The Seven Archangels in Catholic Tradition
    Why the Church officially names only three archangels — Michael, Gabriel, Raphael — while a wider tradition of seven comes from non-canonical sources.
    King David dancing before the Ark of the Covenant, pen-and-ink drawing by Simeon Solomon
    David Dancing Before the Ark of the Covenant
    Why King David danced through the streets of Jerusalem before the Ark of the Covenant, what his wife Michal thought of it, and what the scene means in 2 Samuel 6.
    Ezekiel's vision of the valley of dry bones, engraving by Gustave Doré
    Ezekiel's Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones
    What Ezekiel saw in a valley full of dry bones, what the vision meant to a people in exile, and why it remains one of the Bible's most striking images of hope.
    Moses holding the tablets of the Ten Commandments, by Rembrandt
    Moses — Leader of the Exodus, Receiver of the Law
    How a fugitive shepherd became the man who confronted Pharaoh, led Israel out of Egypt, and carried the Ten Commandments down from Sinai.
    Icon of the prophets Solomon and Isaiah from the prophets tier of an iconostasis
    Old Testament Prophets Every Catholic Should Know
    A roundup of the major and minor Old Testament prophets — Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and the twelve minor prophets — and what each one is remembered for.
    The Virgin Mary presenting the rosary to Saint Dominic, painting by Caravaggio
    Our Lady Gives the Rosary to Saint Dominic
    The traditional account of Mary appearing to Saint Dominic and entrusting him with the rosary — a cherished legend, not a documented historical event.
    The betrothal of Mary and Joseph before the high priest, painting by Raphael
    The Betrothal of Mary and Joseph
    What Mary and Joseph's betrothal actually meant under first-century Jewish law, what the Gospels say about it, and the later legend of Joseph's flowering staff.
    God separating light from darkness, fresco by Michelangelo on the Sistine Chapel ceiling
    The Creation of Light — "Let There Be Light"
    What Genesis 1:1-5 actually says about the first divine command, why light comes before the sun, and what "Let there be light" means as an act of speech.
    God separating the waters and dividing the earth, fresco by Michelangelo on the Sistine Chapel ceiling
    The Creation of the Sea and Sky
    What Genesis 1:6-8 means by the "dome" that becomes the sky, how ancient cosmology shaped the verse, and why day two is the only day God doesn't call "good."
    God creating the sun, moon, and stars, fresco by Michelangelo on the Sistine Chapel ceiling
    The Creation of the Stars and Moon
    What Genesis 1:14-19 says about the creation of the sun, moon, and stars on the fourth day, and why the passage was a quiet argument against worshiping them.
    The wise and foolish virgins from the parable, watercolor by William Blake
    The Parable of the Ten Virgins
    Why five bridesmaids were locked out of a wedding feast in one of Jesus's most unsettling parables, and what "keep your lamp full" has meant to readers ever since.