Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. […]
“But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.” (Matthew 6: 1-6) I begin most mornings working out on a treadmill at the local gym where sixteen television screens flash before my eyes. Each channel […]
In my work as a journalist, I try to personalize what is otherwise an ‘issue’ and apply universal principles of human rights to policies that impact human lives. That’s the case for many national and global news stories, breaking and current or ongoing. When President Donald Trump issued the Executive Order on immigration and refugees […]
By Archbishop Samir Nassar An apocalypse In six years of war the face of Syria has been completely transformed. A large wasteland of ruins, pulverized buildings, burned out homes, neighborhoods turned into ghost towns, villages razed to the ground … and more than 12 million Syrians (half the population) don’t have roofs over their heads […]
How ironic that Pontius Pilate who sentenced Jesus Christ to death, should give testimony to the existence of Jesus 2,0000 years later through a stone bearing Pilot’s name. The decision of the prefect of Judea to crucify Jesus, clinched salvation history and was both the greatest good and the greatest evil—killing God and saving mankind. […]
The Pontifical Academy for Science distanced itself from population control theories at the end of a controversial conference about biological extinction featuring renown population control advocates. “It isn’t population that produces carbon dioxide. It’s human activity which uses up energy and thereby contaminates the environment” said Monsignor Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo, longtime chancellor and spokesperson for […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7 2nd Reading: Romans 5:12-19 Responsorial: Psalm 51:3-6, 12-13, 17 Gospel: Matthew 4:1-11 Overcoming Temptation by Turning to the Lord Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. (Matthew 4:1) Today’s readings show us […]
The UN bureaucracy is once again trying to fast track the adoption of hundreds of statistical indicators to measure progress on the UN development goals, without giving time for the UN’s political organs to review them. The UN Statistical Commission may adopt a global set of indicators, that among other disputed measurements included social acceptance […]
On February 25, 2004, I was teaching English at the University of Central Florida in the Diocese of Disney, lecturing on “Ash Wednesday,” T.S. Eliot’s famous poem. There before me in the lecture hall sat several students with ashes smudged across their foreheads in the shape of a cross. Ash Wednesday. How apropos. T.S. Eliot […]
By Jacques Berset WHEN the Missionary Sisters of Jesus, Verbo y Víctima from Peru arrived toward the end of the 20th century, it caused a veritable sensation in the rural enclaves of Virgen del Carmelo de Villa Ygatimy, a sprawling community northeast of Paraguay’s capital of Asunción. Today, the sisters serve some 20,000 faithful through […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Isaiah 49:14-15 2nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 Responsorial: Psalm 62:2-3, 6-9 Gospel: Matthew 6:24-34 Knowing and Experiencing God’s Great Love and Faithfulness Even should she forget, I will never forget you. (Isaiah 49:15) What a spectacular word from God! How did Isaiah come […]
John Henry Newman’s longest poem, The Dream of Gerontius, is a spiritual work rich in theology. Composed at the time in which he had the presentiment of an impending death, the reality of Last Things was very present to the author. The poem, written in 1865 when Newman had been a Roman Catholic for twenty […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Leviticus 19:1-2, 17-18 2nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:16-23 Responsorial: Psalm 103:1-4, 8, 10, 12-13-34 Gospel: Matthew 5:38-48 Godly Perfection, Loving and Forgiving our Enemies Love your enemies. (Matthew 5:44) Can you picture getting to heaven, and the first person you meet is the […]
Once, love was too heavy a word to be uttered casually at random people and objects. Once, love was the object of contemplation by the wisest and keenest philosophers. Once, the subject of love was tread upon very carefully lest it would catch fire. Nowadays the word and the concept of love have been reduced […]
The European Parliament has launched a campaign to promote abortion among the continent’s adolescents. At a recent interactive conference, “My Body, My Rights”, a campaign entitled “#AllofUs” sought to indoctrinate future European leaders. The Socialist and Democrats’ Progressive Alliance Group and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats organized the event for Europe Group (ALDE), the […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Sirach 15:15-20 2nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 2:6-10 Responsorial: Psalm 119:1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34 Gospel: Matthew 5:17-37 Responding to God’s Plan for Our Lives We speak God’s wisdom . . . for our glory. (1 Corinthians 2:7) St. Paul had a special talent for […]
As I read Benedict’s Daughter, by Philip C. Kolin, I was treated to the talent of a veteran author who has already published several books of poetry. With poetic rhythm and stunning imagery, Kolin’s poems manage to get to the heart of the matter. With his gift of poetic sight, he is able to bring the reader […]
she: robed and wordless I opened this jewel of a book, hoping beyond hope that it would be filled with the type of poems that would inspire my prayers. I was not disappointed. After reading through the poems in Sister Lou Ella Hickman’s new collection, I am pleased to say she has done a wonderful job. […]
By Maria Lozano NEW YORK—“Hope is coming back to the Nineveh plains!” That is the verdict of the Middle East expert of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the international Catholic charity. Just back from a fact-finding mission to the region in northern Iraq recently liberated from the grip of ISIS, Father Andrzej Halemba […]
Christmas has always been a season of Hope, especially for children and most especially for young children. We invest so much in our children, trying to make them happy, secure and successful. But new statistics have shown how our secular lifestyles are threatening their future, the future of society. As Christians we are not supposed […]
Every Feb. 2, Punxsutawney Phil, a groundhog, is pulled from a tree stump in Punxsutawney, PA. If he sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter. If he doesn’t, spring is just ahead. In a 2010 interview, I asked Phil about a request made by the People for the Ethical Treatment of […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Isaiah 58:7-10 2nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 Responsorial: Psalm 112:4-9 Gospel: Matthew 5:13-16 The Importance of Letting Your Light Shine before Others Your light must shine before others. (Matthew 5:16) Mahatma Gandhi once told a Christian friend, “I like your Christ, but I […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13 2nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 Responsorial: Psalm 146:6-10 Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12 Rejoicing in the Lord’s Great Love and Faithfulness Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. (Matthew 5:12) Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount has been […]
