Books, Spears, and Socks
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Daniel Mitsui
Artist - Ink drawing, religious iconography, and lettering
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Christ in Majesty
Are you a bookworm? Ever wonder if there are certain books you should read before you die? Here's a list!
Dr. Peter Kreeft, co-author of the renowned Handbook of Catholic Apologetics gives his list of must-reads and why they're worth your time:
St. Pedro Calungsod
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Michael R. Heinlein
Editor of Simply Catholic
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Although born in the Philippines, St. Pedro Calungsod is loosely considered an American saint because he was martyred in the United States territory of Guam.
History tells us he was one of the young volunteers who joined the Spanish Jesuit missionaries who left the Philippines to go on mission to neighboring islands.Not long into their missionary experience, a Chinese immigrant named Choco decided to make life difficult for Pedro and his companions. He was envious of their prestige among the natives and began spreading rumors that the natives could be poisoned by the holy water used for baptism. Such claims were compounded by the fact that many infants were baptized in danger of death and subsequently died. An angry mob rose up against the holy missionaries, and their persecution ensued.
The worst of it occurred on April 2, 1672, when Pedro and a priest companion arrived at Guam that morning. Once there, they heard of a baby girl recently born. They offered baptism for her, but Matapang, the girl’s father, who had left the Faith due to the false accusations leveled by Choco, stoutly refused.
Pedro and Padre Diego went into his hut and baptized his newborn daughter with the consent of his Christian wife. Learning of this, his fury increased, and he reacted by casting spears at Pedro. With the agility of his youth, Pedro dodged them, but didn’t want to leave Padre Diego behind. Many believed if Pedro only had weapons, he could have defeated Matapang, but Padre Diego never allowed the missionaries to carry them.
Eventually, a spear pierced Pedro’s chest, and he collapsed to the ground. Before his own death, Padre Diego provided him with absolution. The naked bodies of the martyrs were dragged to the sea and, after stones were tied to their feet, were disposed of in the water.
(3 Minute Read)
Fan of fun socks? Want your clothing to glorify God? Look at these 🧦
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Sock Religious
Starting conversations through joyful products
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“Some in the crowd who heard these words of Jesus said, “This is truly the Prophet.” Others said, “This is the Christ.” But others said, “The Christ will not come from Galilee, will he? Does not Scripture say that the Christ will be of David’s family and come from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?” So a division occurred in the crowd because of him. Some of them even wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.”
– Jn 7:40-44
"The only real sadness, the only real failure, the only great tragedy in life, is not to become a saint."
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Chesterton Academy of the Holy Family - From the Headmaster
Academy in Lisle, IL
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This quotation by the French Catholic novelist Leon Bloy (from La Femme Pauvre) is more than simply a pious thought; it speaks of the deepest desire of our hearts for God and for human excellence. To put it differently, "the desire of our hearts" (Ps 37) is to be a saint, and to fail to obtain this blessedness is to live a life of sadness.
In this vein, C.S. Lewis offers us some challenging remarks: "It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures ... when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased" (The Weight of Glory).
Let us seek to awaken in ourselves this desire for sanctity, for greatness, and not allow ourselves to settle for anything less than this... for that would be a tragedy.
(1 Minute Read)
See ya Monday 👋
A.M.D.G.