Fr. Felipe de Azevedo Ramos, EP

The parable of the unfaithful steward can cause a certain degree of consternation because of the master’s praise for the cleverness of this bad steward, as well as Jesus’ recommendation that we use dishonest wealth to make friends who will welcome us into eternal dwellings (cf. Lk 16:1-9). How can …

The building that illustrates these pages, built at the end of the Middle Ages in a polychrome flamboyant Gothic style, is a clear example of the spirit that permeated its time. The striking and truly artistic roof allows the viewer to estimate the height of the ceiling in the interior …

Tradition has coined the saying “Per crucem ad lucem – Through the cross to the light,” to denote that through our daily labours and struggles we rise to the divine light. But can we say that the opposite expression, “Per lucem ad crucem – By the light to the cross,” …

Faced with the apparent banality of the initial question, the most intuitive answer would certainly be “blue”. In fact, the name of this colour in Latin is cæruleus, whose etymology goes back to the sky itself – cœlum – as if to define: blue equals celestial. However, the solution to …

The Cusco School of painting is characterized by the application of bright colours, vibrant design and plurality of ornament. To portray the Prince of Scholasticism, the method was no different: the panel is full of allegories, the meaning of which requires careful analysis. Moreover, the Latin inscriptions are truncated. Such …

The title of this article hearkens back to an old proverb1, referring to the need to care for a sapling from the start, directing its growth with stakes and removing undesirable shoots with pruning. Applied to man, the maxim correlates with the biblical dictum: “Train up a child in the …

Just as Holy Scripture lends itself to various levels of interpretation, it is also possible view great works of art through different lenses. Caravaggio’s The Calling of St. Matthew is a case in point. In this oil painting, two scenes can be distinguished: on the right, Jesus and Peter call …

A stroll through the winding alleys of Rome can sometimes feel like a visit to a necropolis. In the ancient Campus Martius, for example, the imposing mausoleum of Augustus stands out, preserving the spoils of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Beyond the Roman walls are the catacombs, filled with the relics of …

If beauty is what pleases the eye, as St. Thomas Aquinas says,1 we can say that Brazil has been graced with an immense treasure of natural wonders. In fact, Brazilian territory is home to unparalleled riches. Under the symbolic aegis of the Southern Cross, there are forests, grasslands and hinterlands, …

Fraud has been a part of human life ever since the Fall in Paradise: original sin arose precisely through a deception of the Serpent, and its ravages did not end there… After Sarah laughed at the divine promise that she would bear a son in her old age, she lied …