Being alone. It’s that all-too-familiar human experience. It lies at the root of our fears, ultimately making the vast wilderness frightening and the dark so haunting. The unnerving experience of being alone often descends upon men and women and has the power to paralyze them or otherwise entrap them in illusions of helpless desperation or worse, despair.

The second of a series of three interviews with Fr. Nageeb Michael, OP, this video focuses on the current suffering of Iraqi Christians. Fr. Nageeb speaks at length about the current persecution of the Christian community in his homeland and even introduces his viewers to priests he knows personally who were killed for the Christian faith. The interview concludes with a plea for solidarity with and prayers for the Christian community of Iraq.

Now take Francis and take Poverty
to be the lovers meant in my recounting.
Their harmony and their glad looks, their love
and wonder and their gentle contemplation,
served others as a source of holy thoughts.

So sings Saint Thomas Aquinas in Dante’s Paradiso. The great Dominican theologian lauds the virtue of the holy and beloved Saint Francis of Assisi in Dante’s epic poem. Perhaps surprising to some, Dante, writing less than a century after the death of Saint Francis, chooses a Dominican to give his eulogy. And in the next canto, it is none other than the great Franciscan theo­­­logian Saint Bonaventure who sings the praises of Saint Dominic. By thus arranging his poem, Dante immortalizes the profound bond between the Dominican and Franciscan orders.

During his recent visit to the Dominican House of Studies, the Student Brothers were privileged to speak at length with patristic scholar Fr. Nageeb Michael, O.P., Director of the Digital Center for Eastern Manuscripts. Fr. Nageeb explained his current work which focuses on the preservation of ancient Christian manuscripts in the Middle East.  In this, the first of three interviews with Fr. Nageeb produced by Dominicana, he discusses the beauty of praying in his native language, and then prays the Our Father and Hail Mary in Aramaic.

Disturbed by the way the teen seated next to him on the Metro was talking about Pope Benedict, an old man began speaking to the teen. At one point in their ensuing conversation, the elderly man began to tell a story.

“As every true musician knows,” the old man began, “rock is more than just a collection of notes and rhythms.” “Rock transports the soul and carries rock-stars and concert-goers alike to the very limits of existence. Inspired by this experience there was once a group of musicians who decided they would make the ultimate commitment to pursuing the very limits of music. They set off, having abandoned the chains of twenty-first century American society to found a new city. Their purpose was clear: the establishment of the new world order of music.

O Key of David and sceptre of the House of Israel; you open and no one can shut; you shut and no one can open: Come and lead the prisoners from the prison house, those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.

When the news reports first broke broadcasting the horrific events of Friday, December 14th at Sandy Hook Elementary School, much of the tragedy remained hidden. As the hours passed, with millions watching the major news networks and countless others reading online, the true depth of the tragedy became more and more apparent. The names of the victims were released, and of the twenty-six persons murdered twenty of them were children, ages six to seven. Considering the sorrow and pain of so many, perhaps it would be best to remain silent.

J.R.R. Tolkien imbued meaning and purpose into his literary work. The world of The Hobbit is not a world of random chance where anything goes; in fact nothing could be further from the truth. The Hobbit tells the classic adventure story, the kind of story ordinary people naturally crave. The trademark of such a tale—a story which appeals to every person’s desire for truth, goodness, and beauty—is the dramatic difference between good and evil. In such a story good vanquishes evil, beauty conquers the repulsive, and characters rise to the challenges placed before them to fulfill their destinies. Within such a story, the hobbit Bilbo Baggins does not have to grapple with an existentialist crisis, nor carry the burden of creating his own meaning in light of the perceived absurdity of the world. Far from being an isolated and angst-ridden protagonist from Sartre’s Nausea, Bilbo joins Gandalf and the dwarves on a quest that has every appearance of being directed by providence itself.

What if the pagans of Ancient Babylon took the traditions of the Enuma Elish and compiled and edited their teaching for the instruction of their youth? I imagine the results would be something like the following:

BabylCat

The Most Sacred Catechism of the Third Plenary Council of Babylon
With references and notes for today’s youth
©1891 B.C.

1. Who made the world?

The highly acclaimed television series Downton Abbey has taken Britain and the United States by storm in its first two seasons, and many fans anxiously await the premiere of its third season (coming to the U.K. this fall and to the U.S. in January). Set in the early twentieth century—the first episode begins with the sinking of the Titanic—the show deals with the triumphs and conflicts both of England’s wealthy elite and of the men and women who serve their households. It chronicles the lives of the fictional Crawley family, the aristocratic residents of the Yorkshire estate called Downton Abbey, whose abiding concern is to confirm an heir to their name and fortune.

The night before a big trip is often fraught with preparations. Searching for tickets, laying out maps and directions, checking and double-checking bags—not to mention worrying about keys or a wallet—all take time. Journeying for an outdoor adventure only requires more equipment, and frequently more preparation. Often I sleep very little during these nights preceding a journey or an adventure. Even after the preparations are made, the night, which ought to be restful, can become a time of watching and waiting. Marked by readiness and anticipation, the night before a big day passes slowly, and eventually morning comes.