 Poetry has simply vanished from popular culture — and from church hymn books...
In an earlier column, I asked why we could not sing hymns from the Christian treasury, which is nearly two thousand years old, and which features composers with names like Bach and Handel and poets from Prudentius to Thomas Aquinas to Isaac Watts, the Wesleys, and John Henry Newman, rather than silly, sloppy, banally sentimental...
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Who was Garamond, anyway? The history behind 5 classic typefaces.....
Typefaces create pictures of words. Like images, each typeface communicates an idea, emotion, and point of view. Helvetica might speak to neutrality and information; Garamond can read as literary and classic; Bodoni feels sophisticated, urbane, and crisp. The choice of typeface communicates a subtle message to the viewer. The typeface choice...
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The problem of evil — actually, it's complicated...
"God had to take her," says a grieving father at a bereavement support group in the 2010 film Rabbit Hole, starring Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart. "He needed another angel. He needed another angel." I would be very reluctant to take issue with a thought or sentiment that a person in grief found helpful. But I couldn't imagine saying something like this to a person in grief — and I can well understand the waspish response from Kidman's character...
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Disability rights activists protest assisted suicide bills as dangerous, discriminatory...
As multiple states consider assisted suicide legislation, disability activists are speaking out, saying the bills are slippery slopes that put the lives of people with disabilities at risk. Connecticut lawmakers are now considering HB 5898, "An Act Concerning Aid In Dying For Terminally Ill Patients," which would permit doctors to prescribe lethal medication to people with less than six months to live...
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A little dose of eschatology at the airport...
I'm on the road today to speak at the Youngstown Diocesan Men's Conference. I'm wearing my clericals and as I'm going through the ritual public humiliation we call "airport security" one of the rather stern looking guards-thin, bald headed with an aquiline look to him leans over and says to me, "What's your eschatology...
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How Jane Austen played baseball...
Never mind Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, not to mention tales of Jane Austen as an espionage agent during the Napoleonic Wars or a Miss Marple avant la lettre. Why traffic in such fantasies when, without stretching the truth at all, we can marvel at Austen's mention of baseball! It occurs in Northanger Abbey, where Austen says of her protagonist...
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A rock and roll journalist opens her ears to God...
Dawn Eden Goldstein's latest book, Sunday Will Never Be the Same: A Rock and Roll Journalist Opens Her Ears to God (Catholic Answers, 2019), chronicles her spiritual journey from a Jewish upbringing to Protestantism, and then to the Catholic Church, where she found healing and happiness. In 2016, she was the first woman to earn a doctorate in sacred theology from the University of St...
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A wretched 'tell-all' Vatican exposé that tells us only one thing...
"I don't often talk about my own life in my books," writes Frederic Martel, near the close of his sensationalistic In the Closet of the Vatican. Reading that phrase, I laughed out loud. The humor was unintentional; Martel takes himself very seriously. Still in light of the spectacular self-promotion on display in the preceding 300+ pages...
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Lessons from Churchill's walk with destiny...
The first lesson of Churchill's life is that serious parental failures do not necessarily destroy our potential for greatness. Winston's father, Randolph, treated his son with disdain, repeatedly telling the young boy and later the young man that he would never amount to anything. Winston's mother, Jennie, had numerous extramarital affairs and spent much more time and energy as a social butterfly than as a caring mother...
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Priest stabbed during Mass at St. Joseph's Oratory in Montreal...
The rector at St. Joseph's Oratory in Montreal was stabbed as he said Mass in the church on Friday morning. The 8:30 a.m. Mass was being broadcast on a Catholic television network. Footage from the mass showed a man dressed in dark clothing and wearing a white baseball cap walking toward the altar, where Father Claude Grou was saying Mass...
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Arguments against a germ-line editing moratorium fail...
Last week it came out that many scientists want a 5-year moratorium on gene-line editing. This means no editing DNA that might be passed down to your kids. However, a recent piece argued against this. I will dissect the arguments against this to point out why we should have a moratorium. Stat ran a story titled, "Leading scientists...
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Who will be the next archbishop of Washington? Arch Madness returns.....
If only this scribe had a dime for every time one of this readership asked about the ongoing vacancy in Washington over these weeks, Whispers would be solvent into the next Holy Year - that is, 2025. To be sure, that's a figurative line. Still, almost six months into the singular move that'll define Pope Francis' stewardship of the Stateside Church...
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3 tips to reaching modern culture for Catholic evangelists...
A few years ago, my family and I went to Yellowstone National Park. It was amazing because we absolutely marveled in the majesty of God's creation. But, we also saw the results of natural disaster - in this case, forest fires. There were some sections of the park when all you could see were burned down forests. It was a reminder that God wastes nothing and even in seasons of struggle...
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The 3rd Sunday of Lent: Bearing the fruit of repentance...
The fig tree is, in the first instance, a symbol of the City of Jerusalem, which Jesus is about to visit. When he comes, he will not find the fruit of repentance there. As a result, the city will ultimately be destroyed (in a sense, destroy itself) in AD 70. On the other hand, the fig tree is a type of each one of us, and a warning to us...
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4 women in Tolkien's Middle-Earth who reflect the beauty of the Virgin Mary...
J.R.R. Tolkien, being a devout Catholic, was well acquainted with the indispensable role of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Christianity and had a deep devotion to her. He saw her importance in being the "Mother of God" and venerated her as the "Queen Mother" who sits enthroned with her Son in Heaven. This devotion to the "Morning Star" would find its way into four women in the realm of Middle-Earth...
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Learning the lessons of Lazarus and the rich man...
The well-known story of Lazarus and the rich man was read at Mass this morning (Thursday of the Second Week of Lent). On one level the message of the story seems plain enough: neglecting the poor is a damnable sin. However, there are other important teachings: about death, judgment, Heaven, and Hell. Those teachings are hidden in the details...
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Pell case reminds the world why cardinals wear red...
Lent is a time in which we relive spiritually the events of Jesus' sham trials for the crimes of blasphemy and sedition and his crucifixion. It's also a time in which we ponder his words from the Last Supper, "No slave is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you" (John 15:20). Jesus sends us out "like sheep in the midst of wolves" promising that people...
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Hell is real, you have a real chance of going there, and it will hurt like hell when you do...
He doesn't like the idea of Hell, this voice of urbane secular liberalism, of people who pity the poor yokels who not only believe in God but think he has standards. "What modern believer wouldn't want to cast off this old, sadistic barrier to faith in a loving God?" writes Vinson Cunningham in The New Yorker. "What kind of deity draws such a hard line between his friends and his enemies...
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'We're in a very different time now': Montreal officials oust crucifix from City Hall...
Montreal's City Hall doesn't need Christ, officials have said. A crucifix that has hung on the wall of Montreal's City Hall since 1937, reminding city officials to let God guide their decisions, will be taken down for a renovation project, never to be put back, local sources have reported. City councilor Laurence Lavigne-Lalonde made the announcement at an executive council meeting this week...
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True humility means using the gifts God gave you to serve His people...
Do you know what annoys a writer? A professional writer, I mean, someone like me who takes writing as his calling and his craft? When a reader says something like "It's so easy for you" or "It must be great to have so much talent. The rest of us have to work at writing." I will thank you, and look at you with what my wife says is an obviously insincere smile...
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Saving eggs before blocking puberty: Why “transition” if still uncertain?
A recent report came out about a young woman who thinks she is a man so will be blocking puberty. However, her parents decided to wait until her first period before blocking puberty, and collect her eggs to freeze at that moment. I want to examine this and the moral consequences. This whole article implies, but barely states, the reality that most forms of hormonal or surgical gender reassignment render the patient sterile...
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See this movie. It matters.....
A friend of mine, a mother and teacher, has spent the last 40 years caring for young people: her hundreds of grade-school students, her children, and her many grandchildren. She's spent those same 40 years volunteering in the cause of life. Over the decades she's helped open 11 prolife clinics; led and served on the boards of prolife organizations; marched and picketed; given public talks; and spent hundreds of hours on the phone and in person listening to and trying to help women faced with...
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Amid continued Midwest flooding, Catholic groups step up to help...
As devastating flood waters continue to rise in parts of the Midwest, Catholics are working to raise funds for both short-term aid and long-term rebuilding efforts. "Please join Archbishop [George] Lucas in praying for all those displaced or otherwise affected by the ongoing flooding," said the Archdiocese of Omaha, Nebraska...
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A tale of two Georges...
When a pope is elected, the cardinals who have just chosen him make their way to the Hall of Benedictions atop the narthex of St. Peter's Basilica. It's a challenging journey for some: In 2005, the frail, 79-year old Cardinal William Baum was carried out of the Sistine Chapel, through the basilica, and up to the Hall of Benedictions by his conclavist-secretary...
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Suicide is contagious. Don't let it spread by supporting assisted suicide.....
The Maryland physician-assisted suicide bill has been passed by the House of Delegates and is now being considered by the state Senate. The House bill is numbered HB 399, and the bill cross-filed in the Senate is SB 311. We have every reason to be very alarmed by these developments. Other states are considering similar legislation designed to advance...
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The Charlie Brown cartoon that haunted Ronald Reagan...
Somerset House in London has put on an exhibition on the work of Charles Schulz, the American cartoonist famous for Peanuts - the story of Charlie Brown, his friends and his dog called Snoopy, a beagle with a taste for ice-skating and root beer. The show commences unpromisingly: "This exhibition explores the ways in which Peanuts has touched us all on so many different levels...
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When Native Americans backed the Jacobite cause...
It was 1715 and a tribal people were preparing to assist in restoring Britain's exiled Royal House of Stuart, sharpening tomahawks, covering themselves in war paint and raising sails on ships built to the highest technical standards of the day. No, I haven't been drinking too much Bourbon. Nor am I confusing Scottish highlanders...
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What Cardinal Newman can tell us about the Cardinal Pell verdict...
The scene in the London courtroom in 1852 might have been out of a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, with the defendant in simple clerical black standing in the dock before the bewigged representatives of ancient justice. But one of the judges, John Coleridge, a great-nephew of the poet, saw behind the stooped figure of John Henry Newman the shade of the Armada and the ghosts of spies from Douai...
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Get your spouse to Heaven! Five tips for growing holier as a Catholic couple this Lent.....
Imagine you and your spouse driving down an open road and all you see out the window is an endless body of water, a beautiful beach and captivating sunset. What is your first thought? Is it the beauty of God's creation? Is it the thought of how the water came to be? Does your husband want to go fishing? Or do you wish you could lie down and relax on the beach...
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3 ways to get over your discomfort and become an effective spreader of the Gospel...
Want to effectively evangelize? Get uncomfortable. It goes without saying that one of the greatest modern evangelizers is the Ven. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. It is unquestionable that he maintained an unquenchable zeal for souls during his entire priesthood. Here's what Ven. Sheen wrote in a letter while he was a professor at Catholic University of America: "During the past year letters demanding personal attention have run between 75 and a 100 a day...
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What will happen to the planet at the end of the world?
In his message for Lent 2019, Pope Francis connects the Lenten campaign for spiritual renewal to the teaching of St. Paul: "the whole of creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God" (Romans 8:19). The Holy Father explains that just as sin has a corruptive power, which even blemishes creation, the grace of Jesus' death and resurrection is restorative...
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Cardinal Pell trial observer calls guilty verdict 'incomprehensible'...
Peter Westmore, who was present at the first mistrial last September and the later retrial in November, told EWTN's News Nightly on March 13 that having heard "all the evidence" he wondered "how a jury was able to reach this verdict is utterly incomprehensible." "A lot of other Australians are saying the same thing," said Westmore...
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10 things to know about death, judgment, heaven and hell...
Converting to Catholicism was like being wooed. It was like a courtship, and I fell in love. Among other delights during that courtship, I especially enjoyed learning about (and committing to memory) various Catholic lists - like the seven sacraments, the seven cardinal sins, the seven virtues, stuff like that. In a previous post...
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Pope Francis joins worldwide mourning after New Zealand mosque attacks...
Pope Francis mourned "senseless acts of violence" against innocent life after the New Zealand mosque attacks. On Friday, at least 49 people were killed in attacks on two mosques in the city of Christchurch. The Pope assured all New Zealanders, in particular the Muslim community, of "his heartfelt solidarity in the wake of these attacks" in a telegram sent on his behalf by the Vatican secretary of state March 15...
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Leaving the foot of the cross leaves the world unravelled. But Mary stays.....
My daughter is drawing at church. She handily sketches in a crucifix: Top, bottom, one arm, then the other. She's drawn it many times, over and over. Lately, she's adding more detail, and at first I didn't know what it was- some kind of ghost, a formless lump. Then I saw it was Mary, swathed with robes and veils. Jesus on the cross is sharp and angular...
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Analysis: What's next for George Cardinal Pell?
On Wednesday, Cardinal George Pell was sentenced to six years in prison following his conviction on five charges of sexual abuse of minors. He will be eligible for parole in three years and eight months. While the passing of sentence normally marks the end of a case, Pell's situation is far from resolved. Although he remains in prison...
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New Zealand, radicalization and degeneration...
One of the biggest lies we hear whenever there is a mass terror attack, such as the one against New Zealand's Muslims, is that the killing was "senseless." It's not without reason when ISIS does it, and it's not without reason when people like Brenton Tarrant, the alleged NZ shooter, do it. The acts are evil, but not senseless; there is a rationale for what they do...
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Sunday Angelus Address: On Christ's Transfiguration and the Christian perspective of suffering...
In this Second Sunday of Lent, the liturgy has us contemplate the event of the Transfiguration, in which Jesus grants the disciples Peter, James, and John to taste the glory of the Resurrection: a bit of Heaven on earth. The evangelist Luke shows us Jesus transfigured on the mountain, which is the place of light, fascinating symbol of the singular experience reserved to the three disciples...
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Here's a concise description of what it means to be a “mature Christian”...
As a kind of follow-up to yesterday's Gospel of the Transfiguration, we do well to reflect a little further on the Lord's intention in leading Peter, James, and John up a high mountain. The Church teaches us His purpose in the Preface for the Second Sunday of Lent: For after he had told the disciples of his coming Death, on the holy mountain he manifested to them his glory...
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2nd Sunday of Lent — The Cross is a fruit-bearing tree...
The Second Sunday of Lent always features the Transfiguration. The first reason for this is that the trek up Mt. Tabor was one of the stops Jesus made with Peter, James, and John on His final journey to Jerusalem. It is commonly held that He did this to prepare His apostles for the difficult days ahead. There's a line from an old spiritual that says...
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What were Moses and Elijah doing at the Transfiguration of Our Lord?
The Transfiguration, the singular event in which Jesus appears radiant in glory upon the mountain, accompanied by Moses and Elijah, is minutely described in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), mentioned in the second Epistle of Peter and, according to some, discreetly alluded to in John's Gospel ("We have seen his glory...
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Polish bishops release 'tragic' report on sexual abuse...
Nearly 400 Polish priests were accused of sexual abuse of minors from 1990 until 2018, a study commissioned by the Episcopal Conference of Poland revealed on Thursday. The study covered data collected from the more than 10,000 parishes in Poland, and included religious orders. According to the report, 382 priests were accused of abuse during the time covered...
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Supreme Court rejects appeal of Hawaii B&B owner who denied room to same-sex couple...
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday left in place Hawaii court rulings that found a bed and breakfast owner violated the state's anti-discrimination law by refusing to rent a room to a lesbian couple. The justices rejected an appeal from Aloha Bed and Breakfast owner Phyllis Young, who argued that she should be allowed to turn away gay couples because of her religious beliefs...
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California lawmakers threaten the Seal of Confession...
On February 20, California Democratic State Senator Jerry Hill, whose affluent, liberal-leaning district encompasses the San Francisco Peninsula and portions of Silicon Valley, introduced a bill to abolish legal protection for the Catholic Church's sacramental seal of confession, at least as regards confessions of child abuse...
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West Virginia diocese sued by state attorney general for “knowingly employing pedophiles”...
The Diocese of Wheeling Charleston is the target of civil litigation by the office of Attorney General Patrick Morrisey. The suit blames the Diocese and its Bishops for allowing those who had a record of child sexual abuse to continue to hold positions of power within the church, especially in areas with access to children. "The suit alleges the Diocese and their Bishops knowingly employed pedophiles and failed to conduct adequate background checks for those working at school and camps...
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For the first time since 2010, the number of priests worldwide has decreased...
There is one striking figure in the 2017 Church Stats presented to the Pope on March 6: for the first time since 2010, the number of priests decreases, while bishops and deacons are more. This clue must not be underestimated. It means there are no vocations. Old bishops retire, other priests are appointed to replace them, and this is the reason why the number of bishops increases...
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The New Exodus: Readings for the Second Sunday of Lent...
No one wants to be a slave. Yet many have fallen into slavery in the course of human history, and too often by their own choice. Jesus tells us, "Everyone who commits a sin is a slave to sin" (John 8:34). How do we escape the slavery of sin? Although loosely related, the Readings for this Sunday are linked by the theme of the Exodus...
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German bishops announce 'synodal process' on celibacy, sexual morality...
Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising has announced that the Catholic Church in Germany is embarking on a "binding synodal process" to tackle what he says are the three key issues arising from the clerical abuse crisis: priestly celibacy, the Church's teaching on sexual morality, and a reduction of clerical power. Speaking at the conclusion of the plenary session of the German bishops' conference on Thursday...
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The unfathomable immensity of the Father's love...
Christ Jesus, the radiant splendor of the Father's love, entered into our condition to infuse into human history a gentle blessing that was long ago misunderstood and rejected. This uncommon benevolence toward us in our present plight comes from the hidden depths of God's very Being. In those same depths, the Father conceived each one us us in His Word by an unfathomable ecstasy of goodness and truth...
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What's the closest planet to Earth? Surprise — most of the time, it's Mercury...
What's the closest planet to our own? Common sense would say the answer is either Mars or Venus, our next door neighbors. Of the two, Venus comes closer to the Earth than any other planet and its orbit is closest to ours. But as an article in Physics Today points out, over half the time Venus is not the nearest planet; Mercury is...
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Bent on evil: How do we explain human culture run amok?
The other evening on our (almost) daily walk, my wife mentioned a recent talk given by a public librarian who was expert on fiction for teens. One of the points made by the speaker was that the overwhelming majority of the books that came across her desk featured gender-confused young people who needed to be encouraged to find themselves so they could be happy...
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Houston library brings in registered child molester as part of “Drag Queen” story hour for kids...
A photo of Garza in drag appears with this blog post. Despite this hiccup, the American Library Association isn't dropping the idea of drag queen stories any time soon. See the ALA site's resource page for libraries facing "challenges" with staging these events. As this NBC-TV story points out, these story hours bring "pride and glamor" to libraries and have spread like wildfire across the nation in three short years...
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This 8-year-old chess champion will make you smile...
In a homeless shelter in Manhattan, an 8-year-old boy is walking to his room, carrying an awkward load in his arms, unfazed by screams from a troubled resident. The boy is a Nigerian refugee with an uncertain future, but he is beaming. He can't stop grinning because the awkward load is a huge trophy, almost as big as he is. This homeless third grader has just won his category at the New York State chess championship...
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How to avoid despair at our crumbling culture...
Ever since the Senate rejected the "Born-Alive Survivors Protection Act," which assures that babies who survive abortion are given medical attention, I have found myself uniquely in despair about our culture. The feelings run deep. Our culture is at the point where we are failing to protect the most vulnerable among us. And we even celebrate their destruction...
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St. Joseph socks on the Solemnity of Saint Joseph...
If you have been reading my blog/website for a few years, you will know that I have written on Saint Joseph many times. I think the exact number of blog posts is around twelve. I've always had a devotion to the foster-father of Jesus and continue to have one this day. I've always had a close connection with Saint Joseph because my middle is Joseph...
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Why the saints turn to St. Joseph...
The first challenge is getting to the point of silence, where we can come to hear God's voice and know His will for us. The next challenge is faithfulness, especially when it seems that no one understands what we are doing when we are doing what we believe to be God's will. The most unappreciated saint for these and all challenges may be St...
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What's the closest planet to Earth? Surprise — most of the time, it's Mercury...
What's the closest planet to our own? Common sense would say the answer is either Mars or Venus, our next door neighbors. Of the two, Venus comes closer to the Earth than any other planet and its orbit is closest to ours. But as an article in Physics Today points out, over half the time Venus is not the nearest planet; Mercury is...
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California lawmakers threaten the Seal of Confession...
On February 20, California Democratic State Senator Jerry Hill, whose affluent, liberal-leaning district encompasses the San Francisco Peninsula and portions of Silicon Valley, introduced a bill to abolish legal protection for the Catholic Church's sacramental seal of confession, at least as regards confessions of child abuse...
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The unfathomable immensity of the Father's love...
Christ Jesus, the radiant splendor of the Father's love, entered into our condition to infuse into human history a gentle blessing that was long ago misunderstood and rejected. This uncommon benevolence toward us in our present plight comes from the hidden depths of God's very Being. In those same depths, the Father conceived each one us us in His Word by an unfathomable ecstasy of goodness and truth...
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|
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For the first time since 2010, the number of priests worldwide has decreased...
There is one striking figure in the 2017 Church Stats presented to the Pope on March 6: for the first time since 2010, the number of priests decreases, while bishops and deacons are more. This clue must not be underestimated. It means there are no vocations. Old bishops retire, other priests are appointed to replace them, and this is the reason why the number of bishops increases...
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|
|
Here's a concise description of what it means to be a “mature Christian”...
As a kind of follow-up to yesterday's Gospel of the Transfiguration, we do well to reflect a little further on the Lord's intention in leading Peter, James, and John up a high mountain. The Church teaches us His purpose in the Preface for the Second Sunday of Lent: For after he had told the disciples of his coming Death, on the holy mountain he manifested to them his glory...
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Marble steps of Rome's historic 'Holy Stairs' to be revealed to public for first time in 300 years...
For the first time in 300 years, the marble steps of the Holy Stairs will be free from the thick wooden panels installed in 1723 to protect the stairs and left uncovered for the public. For at least 40 days, people will be able to touch and climb the bare stones that, according to tradition, are the ones Jesus climbed when Pontius Pilate brought him before the crowd and handed him over to be crucified...
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This 8-year-old chess champion will make you smile...
In a homeless shelter in Manhattan, an 8-year-old boy is walking to his room, carrying an awkward load in his arms, unfazed by screams from a troubled resident. The boy is a Nigerian refugee with an uncertain future, but he is beaming. He can't stop grinning because the awkward load is a huge trophy, almost as big as he is. This homeless third grader has just won his category at the New York State chess championship...
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Sunday Angelus Address: On Christ's Transfiguration and the Christian perspective of suffering...
In this Second Sunday of Lent, the liturgy has us contemplate the event of the Transfiguration, in which Jesus grants the disciples Peter, James, and John to taste the glory of the Resurrection: a bit of Heaven on earth. The evangelist Luke shows us Jesus transfigured on the mountain, which is the place of light, fascinating symbol of the singular experience reserved to the three disciples...
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|
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How to avoid despair at our crumbling culture...
Ever since the Senate rejected the "Born-Alive Survivors Protection Act," which assures that babies who survive abortion are given medical attention, I have found myself uniquely in despair about our culture. The feelings run deep. Our culture is at the point where we are failing to protect the most vulnerable among us. And we even celebrate their destruction...
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German bishops announce 'synodal process' on celibacy, sexual morality...
Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising has announced that the Catholic Church in Germany is embarking on a "binding synodal process" to tackle what he says are the three key issues arising from the clerical abuse crisis: priestly celibacy, the Church's teaching on sexual morality, and a reduction of clerical power. Speaking at the conclusion of the plenary session of the German bishops' conference on Thursday...
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What St. Patrick can still teach the world...
It's terribly unfortunate when Catholic feast days and holy days become secularized and disconnected from any Christian meaning. Saint Valentine's Day becomes just "Valentine's Day," Easter is somehow about bunnies, and Christmas is about new electronics. And though March 17 is still known to the world as Saint Patrick's Day...
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What were Moses and Elijah doing at the Transfiguration of Our Lord?
The Transfiguration, the singular event in which Jesus appears radiant in glory upon the mountain, accompanied by Moses and Elijah, is minutely described in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), mentioned in the second Epistle of Peter and, according to some, discreetly alluded to in John's Gospel ("We have seen his glory...
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|
3 ways to get over your discomfort and become an effective spreader of the Gospel...
Want to effectively evangelize? Get uncomfortable. It goes without saying that one of the greatest modern evangelizers is the Ven. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. It is unquestionable that he maintained an unquenchable zeal for souls during his entire priesthood. Here's what Ven. Sheen wrote in a letter while he was a professor at Catholic University of America: "During the past year letters demanding personal attention have run between 75 and a 100 a day...
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2nd Sunday of Lent — The Cross is a fruit-bearing tree...
The Second Sunday of Lent always features the Transfiguration. The first reason for this is that the trek up Mt. Tabor was one of the stops Jesus made with Peter, James, and John on His final journey to Jerusalem. It is commonly held that He did this to prepare His apostles for the difficult days ahead. There's a line from an old spiritual that says...
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|
|
10 things to know about death, judgment, heaven and hell...
Converting to Catholicism was like being wooed. It was like a courtship, and I fell in love. Among other delights during that courtship, I especially enjoyed learning about (and committing to memory) various Catholic lists - like the seven sacraments, the seven cardinal sins, the seven virtues, stuff like that. In a previous post...
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Leaving the foot of the cross leaves the world unravelled. But Mary stays.....
My daughter is drawing at church. She handily sketches in a crucifix: Top, bottom, one arm, then the other. She's drawn it many times, over and over. Lately, she's adding more detail, and at first I didn't know what it was- some kind of ghost, a formless lump. Then I saw it was Mary, swathed with robes and veils. Jesus on the cross is sharp and angular...
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Polish bishops release 'tragic' report on sexual abuse...
Nearly 400 Polish priests were accused of sexual abuse of minors from 1990 until 2018, a study commissioned by the Episcopal Conference of Poland revealed on Thursday. The study covered data collected from the more than 10,000 parishes in Poland, and included religious orders. According to the report, 382 priests were accused of abuse during the time covered...
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What will happen to the planet at the end of the world?
In his message for Lent 2019, Pope Francis connects the Lenten campaign for spiritual renewal to the teaching of St. Paul: "the whole of creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God" (Romans 8:19). The Holy Father explains that just as sin has a corruptive power, which even blemishes creation, the grace of Jesus' death and resurrection is restorative...
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The New Exodus: Readings for the Second Sunday of Lent...
No one wants to be a slave. Yet many have fallen into slavery in the course of human history, and too often by their own choice. Jesus tells us, "Everyone who commits a sin is a slave to sin" (John 8:34). How do we escape the slavery of sin? Although loosely related, the Readings for this Sunday are linked by the theme of the Exodus...
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Get your spouse to Heaven! Five tips for growing holier as a Catholic couple this Lent.....
Imagine you and your spouse driving down an open road and all you see out the window is an endless body of water, a beautiful beach and captivating sunset. What is your first thought? Is it the beauty of God's creation? Is it the thought of how the water came to be? Does your husband want to go fishing? Or do you wish you could lie down and relax on the beach...
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