“Convert us, O God: and show us Your face, and we shall be saved” (Psalm 80:3). Over and above all else, Holy Writ teaches the sovereignty of God. God’s mercy and judgment operate irresistibly throughout the pages of Scripture. “The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the thoughts of His heart to all generations” (Psalm […]
“The Church is a place of refuge and a sign of hope for the people.” With these words, a bishop in East Congo drew attention to the growing significance of the Church in this crisis region. Vincent de Paul Kwanga Njubu, Bishop of Manono in the south-east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo made […]
Manic: affected with, relating to, characterized by, or resulting from mania There is no other word that better defines man’s desire to perfect man than the mania that drives so many to eliminate human imperfection by killing human beings. This craving has gripped the very core of those we have come to identify as the […]
This year, Advent bears a unique treasure for Catholics, who have the rare opportunity to experience the Holy Mass with newly translated prayers. The revised Missal is aesthetically rich and spiritually dignified. Much like a compelling piece of art, the Mass can be enjoyed over and over again, but there is only one first encounter. […]
While necessity is the mother of invention, sloth and envy beget mediocrity and upheaval – the twin siblings of secular-socialism. It is in this vein that a rebellious and increasingly violent spirit of incoherent anarchy continues to fester in urban centers across the nation. This is most evident in the form of the envy-driven “Occupy […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Isaiah 40:1-5,9-11; Psalm 85:9-14; 2 Peter 3:8-14; Mark 1:1-8) Advent, A Time to Experience the Lord’s Comfort, Peace, and Joy “Comfort, give comfort to my people.” (Isaiah 40:1) The people of Israel were in crisis. Their Temple in Jerusalem had been burned to the ground. Their king […]
Readers on my Facebook page got into a discussion one day recently about the CNN “Belief Blog.” The general consensus was that it’s actually more of an “UN-Belief Blog”: The point of the feature seems to be to identify a particular teaching or practice of the Catholic Church that is unpopular this week, then pontificate […]
Come What May As the tree line on a prairie Rises on a darkened river, Human souls along the way Planted sparsely in forever Deep and welcome is that shade On a mountain stands a cross, The shadow is the flow of time, Who lies there, and who is lost If there is nowhere left […]
I have to admit that it really didn’t impress me very favorably the first time I read it: “Silence and Word: Path of Evangelization”—that will be the theme of next May’s World Day for Social Communications, the Vatican announcement said. That’s really strange, I thought. After all, even as it stands World Communications Day isn’t […]
When Gemma Andre submitted photos of her young daughter, Taya, to a UK modeling agency at the urging of a family member, she didn’t say anything about the fact that Taya was born with Down syndrome. “No one asked the question, ‘Is your child disabled?’ So I didn’t mention it,” Gemma told the Daily Mail […]
“O give thanks unto the God of gods: for His mercy endures forever” (Psalm 136:2). I often ponder the Scriptural phrase “God of gods.” It refers, naturally, to the Lord’s creative powers and sovereign prerogatives. God is the Maker and the Ruler of all things, “doing whatever He pleases” (Psalm 115:3). He is the Source […]
The memory of the Holocaust should inspire Christians to greater vigilance on behalf of the unborn and the vulnerable, remarked a U.K. bishop at an address commemorating Holocaust Memorial Day on Nov. 24th. Warning that “no Christian can pass by the Holocaust without profound reflection,” Bishop Mark Davies of Shrewsbury observed that mass crimes and […]
I know that some people don’t allow their children to believe in the Santa myth for a variety of reasons. My parents fell into this category. But, when my children were little, I decided to allow them to enjoy that magic while making sure that they were truly aware that the true reason for Christmas […]
The Wait November ends Winter pretends She’s harsher than We think. She blows us to Mass Where ringed in green grass Are purple And one candle pink. Purple is lit We kneel then we sit The waiting has now Just begun. Four weeks we will fast ‘Till waiting is past And winter will Dress for […]
Celebrating Mass together is the most important activity we do in our lives, and yet it is the most misunderstood and under-appreciated. From the moment we wake up we have a list of things that fill our calendars and day planners, leaving the Mass barely surviving on Sunday mornings. When we finally get there, we […]
A Canadian court is considering a challenge to the nation’s law prohibiting assisted suicide and euthanasia. Consequently the topic is in the news. I received an email from a woman who doesn’t know what to think as the assisted suicide camp is pulling out all their compassionate sounding euphemisms to promote death. She wanted my […]
This week hunters across America storm the woods loaded for deer. For yet another indication of how times have changed, consider this account of Deer Season a half century ago: My mother’s family lived in Emporium, Pennsylvania, as did dozens of their relatives. Emporium is a tiny town nestled in the mountains near the north/central […]
Dear Anthony, I just got engaged to a great guy. I love him a lot, but my sisters both think I am making a mistake. It bothers me a lot that they don’t approve of him and I am afraid this is going to cause problems both now as well as after we are married. […]
Permission The paper which I carried said that I Was qualified to board the plane and fly, But at the boarding station what I heard, Was: Monsieur would request of you a word: I tell you frankly, said and laughed Monsieur, I really don’t know what you’re doing here, You have not been so authorized […]
The experience of many Catholics at Mass reminds me of my cousin Stefano’s first time at an American football game. Coming from Italy, Stefano knew football very well—but his “football” is our soccer! So when he first visited the States, and our family took him to see the Chicago Bears, he failed to fully grasp […]
The Thanking Day With prayer, I start the Thanking Day, At dawn, I kneel, Te Deum, pray. I dress for Mass then wake a son. He’ll serve the priest, a chosen one. A hushed low Mass right after Matins, Our Lord above all sons’ gold patens. He’ll lay upon my wicked tongue, I pray, forgive, […]
Have you ever had one of those days when you just wish God would show up, snap his fingers and work miracles? The people of Israel had about 500 years worth of days like that, groaning under the oppression of one tyrant after another. The book of Isaiah gives voice to these sentiments: “O that […]
Children have a way of reaching into your heart to find love you didn’t even know was there. I was working away in the kitchen, trying to cook dinner and get the dishes done at the same time, when my daughters came in looking for Daddy. “What are you doing, Daddy?” Liz, our older daughter […]
All That’s True I saw two trees that grew entwined, The pine tree and the beech tree twinned, As night and day are of one mind Though separate they grew as kin Roots the arms around each other, The pine tree growing evergreen, Close as if the two were brothers, The beech tree fallen autumn […]
