By Eva-Maria Kolmann NEW YORK—A bishop from Malawi has expressed concern about the growing trend towards Islamization in his Mangochi Diocese, in the south of the country. Speaking with international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, Bishop Stima Monfort stressed that traditional Islam in Malawi has been moderate and that Christians and Muslims […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Genesis 14:18-20 2nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 Responsorial: Psalm 110:1-4 Gospel: Luke 9:11-175 The Transforming Power of Receiving Christ in the Eucharist They all ate and were satisfied. And when the leftover fragments were picked up, they filled twelve wicker baskets. (Luke […]
I dreamt of sailing a grand tall ship. Initially gentle billows swelled beneath her massive hull. Gradually the wind began to pick up and filled the ship’s enormous sails. Silently the large ship started to move as though being pushed by an invisible hand. At first, the bow gently sliced through the water as we […]
I Recognize You, Lord When we walk together, discussing scripture as though we’re on the Emmaus Road. I recognize You in the breaking of communal bread at communion, family suppers, and potluck dinners when we talk of You around the table. Your peace, I recognize within – and without as trouble stirs when I forgot […]
Find a Real Friend in Jesus: Ten Amazingly Easy Steps by Gary Zimak could as easily have been titled “The Catholic Guide to a Personal Relationship with Jesus.” Catholics often think of a personal relationship with Jesus as a Protestant idea, but Jesus wants to be close to all of us and not just in […]
The most terrifying aspect of living out Catholic sexuality is that it requires us to unflinchingly kill an entire world of potentials. In this world of dreamers, it can be very difficult to commit oneself to a given way of life simply because it entails giving up all other ways of life. It can be […]
William Shakespeare famously wrote “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players,” and so it is with us. Each of us “performs” each day on the world’s stage before the spectacle of our fellow man and before the saints and angels in heaven, under the watchful eyes of God. We […]
Hope in the midst of hopelessness “Christ revealed Himself to Sister Faustina between the two World Wars” reflects Fr. Stanislaw. “At a moment of deep hopelessness, when people were afflicted with tragedy after an evil that was done, exactly in this very moment, out of the deepest hopelessness when everything was lost, ruined, God revealed […]
Keep Me Not From the Battlefield O my Lord of Wisdom and Grace, Take hold of me and set me in my place. Therein I shall be for You, All that You wanted from me. Take me now and do me this service, That You may begin Your work in me. Let me be the […]
The Walls Are Talking: Former Abortion Clinic Workers Tell Their Stories, is Abby Johnson’s second powerful exposé of the abortion industry. A collection of personal testimonies from those who have left the abortion industry, it is a book of woe: broken hearts, dead children, mistreated women and abortion workers whose consciences were systematically seared and […]
The Holy Trinity is the one true God in three Persons, equal in all things and co-eternal. The Father gives being to the Son, and the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son. St. Anselm has endeavored to explain this most impenetrable of mysteries, and proceeding from a single point of view only, […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Proverbs 8:22-31 2nd Reading: Romans 5:1-5 Responsorial: Psalm 8:4-9 Gospel: John 16:12-15 Placing Our Trust in the Love of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit I have much more to tell you. (John 16:12) Imagine you’re deep in conversation with a close […]
Many are ready to give a polite nod of some sort to Jesus of Nazareth. Most honor him as a great moral teacher. Many even confess him as Savior. But the Incarnation of the Eternal God? Second person of the Holy Trinity? God can’t be one and three at the same time. Such a notion […]
None of us is promised happiness in this life. All of us are guaranteed sorrow. Indeed, sorrow is the classroom where we often learn our most valuable lessons and through which we can climb ever closer to heaven – where we are promised happiness. Perhaps that’s why I am so drawn to praying the Sorrowful Mysteries […]
It’s easy to fall into the habit of praying in too small a circle. We pray for our personal intentions, for our families and closest friends, our parish, but we sometimes forget to open the lens a bit and commit to intercessory prayer for those who may have no one praying for them at all. […]
Note: This is taken from a time when I was going through a spell of severe spiritual dryness. However, playing my bodhran drum for a studio recording helped me remember the Divine Order that is all around me, as exemplified by the rhythm of the drum beats. Bodhran I feel the skin of the drum […]
The legal battle will continue for Catholic colleges and other religious nonprofits and institutions challenging the Obama administration’s contraception mandate following a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to send the issue back to lower courts. “We are nearing what seems to be a very happy ending to a terrible chapter in America’s […]
[Editor’s note: Originally published June, 2006] Mary and mercy came to our house this May. After years of chasing an illusive dream of someday organizing our entire home, I finally managed, with God’s assistance, to do just that. It was a ruthless and exhaustive endeavor. Closets, cabinets, drawers, shelves and rooms were systematically purged of […]
Today the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously protected the Little Sisters of the Poor from draconian government fines and recognized that the government does not need the Little Sisters to provide services such as the week after pill. The Court also noted the government finally admitted it could indeed meet its goals without involving the Little […]
I’ll be in DC this week for a bunch of meetings, mostly speaking with people about a bill that provides $3.4 billion in additional care for vets. I am involved because the bill currently includes an amendment to provide IVF benefits to wounded vets. These sorts of policy battles always start out with a rough […]
As a teen, I thought the clergy were supposed to do everything. We laity were just called to pray, pay, and obey. Oh yes, and keep the commandments, of course. The original 10 seemed overwhelming enough. Then I discovered the Sermon on the Mount and nearly passed out. Perhaps this is why many inactive Catholics […]
Your Will I reach For Your Will But I only wave my will instead I seek Your Answers But my answers are the ones I choose I ask For Your Help Yet I insist on telling You what that help should be I decide Your credit Yet I only credit You when […]
Fifty days after Easter the apostles and disciples of Jesus were assembled in an upper chamber, engaged in prayer, according to the recommendation of the divine Master. They awaited the accomplishment of the promise He had made to them, of sending them a Comforting Spirit, the Paraclete, Who should teach them all things. Lo! a […]
