Advent Reed
Our Blessed Lady is meek, but in a way that inherits the earth; a humility that is exalted, a simplicity that reigns,like the gleam of star over seaand the lullaby over a child. Our Blessed…
Tag: Avellina Balestri
Make Them Remember: A Robin Hood Excerpt
~ by Avellina Balestri It was late on a spring day, and the sun was beginning to dip into the depths of the evening. The last of the winter chill was still in the air,…
Fallen Faith: A Movie Review of “Silence”
~ by Avellina Balestri The movie Silence, based on the book by the same name which chronicles the persecution against Christians in 17th century Japan, has been pretty controversial in religious circles. In summary, it’s…
Shadow of the Cross: A Movie Review of Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ
The Last Temptation of Christ, directed by Martin Scorsese, and based on the novel by Nikos Kazantzakis, is one of the most controversial religious films ever made. There is no way of covering all of…
God is Greater
Kashif gazed out over the wind-sifted sands, making out the hazy silhouette of the city against the glowing red of the sunset sky. He felt both exhausted and stimulated, too tired to keep his eyes…
Picking a Fight: A Movie Review of “Braveheart”
Earlier this year, I watched “Braveheart” fully through for the second time. Random assembled notes: 1. The beginning was fair because it was in touch with deeper emotions. The end was fair because it was…
Lovescape: Meditatations on the Saints of October
October is a month of many saints who have especially touched my spiritual journey and put me into contact, in a more profound way, with the Person of Jesus Christ. Perhaps one of the deepest…
Annunciation Day: A Robin Hood Excerpt
~ by Avellina Balestri Marian dreamed deeply that night, penetrating the past and feeling it singing through her subconscious. So many memories, so very alive, and the sense of it all slipping away, somehow, into…
Creating Reality: A Christian Perspective
A thought about "creating our own reality." I hear this phrase a lot and feel that there is both truth and untruth present within it, or perhaps a promising half-truth that never fully delivers, at…
Ashura: Day of Destiny
We are currently in the first month of the Islamic calendar, Muharram, and the 10th day of that month is known as Ashura. Some Muslims celebrate it as the day that the prophet Mussa (Moses)…