Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Zechariah 12:10-11; 13:1 2nd Reading: Galatians 3:26-29 Responsorial: Psalm 63:2-6, 8-9 Gospel: Luke 9:18-24 Saying Yes to Jesus’ Call to Follow Him Follow me. (Luke 9:23) Did you ever go off on adventures when you were a child? Perhaps you journeyed into the […]
WARNING: I TELL YOU THE END OF THE FILM IN THE NEXT SENTENCE. Due to the serious subject matter of the film Me Before You (euthanasia), and the fact that most people already know how the movie ends (euthanasia), combined with the fact that the film is based on a novel by the same name […]
He would know.
The Obama State Department is putting enormous pressure on traditional countries to regularize, promote, and protect what many consider to be disordered, even psychotic behavior, specifically related to those who think they are the wrong sex. The Global Equity Fund, founded in 2011 by the US State Department, is inviting applications for groups that want […]
The greatest kindness will not bind the ungrateful.
For me, the cliché “I can read you like a book,” means I understand a person very well, that I can tell what they’re thinking without having to ask. Indeed, we’re all living and breathing books. I have believed that since I began my professional writing career more than 30 years ago. Most of that […]
I fancy myself a Christian. I was baptized Catholic and have practiced the faith over fifty years. I’m convinced I will need a lifetime of practice to make any noteworthy progress. My love for the Lord is deep. Teaching, writing, and talking about God, His love for humanity, and the necessity to be authentic witnesses, […]
By Eva-Maria Kolmann NEW YORK—On June 1, thousands of Christian children of all denominations gathered in several Syrian cities to celebrate “International Children’s Day” as a day of prayer for peace. In Homs, the occasion marked the first public event held with children since the liberation of the city by the Syrian regime. Christian television […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: 2 Samuel 12:7-10, 13 2nd Reading: Galatians 2:16, 19-21 Responsorial: Psalm 32:1-2, 5, 7, 11 Gospel: Luke 7:36–8:3 Receiving the Lord’s Overwhelming Mercy and Forgiveness I have sinned against the Lord. (2 Samuel 12:13) Sometimes our decision making is bad, and sometimes it’s […]
The Diocese of Phoenix is joining with Arizona’s Catholic colleges to form a unique partnership in higher education that stresses an integral human formation at both Catholic and secular universities in the Grand Canyon State, according to school superintendent MaryBeth Mueller. “It is important for the Diocese to support Catholic colleges as an alternative to […]
The Vatican reminded world leaders there is no international right to abortion at a global summit in Istanbul last month. The Holy See rejected European proposals to create a new right to abortion under the Geneva Conventions, also known as international humanitarian law or the laws of war. The “Holy See emphasizes that there is […]
It was a first in the United States. A woman, only identified as Lindsey, received a uterus from a deceased woman. Lindsey was born without a uterus, and she was hoping this transplant would enable her to get pregnant. At a press conference at the end of February, Cleveland doctors announced it was the first […]
By Oliver Maksan NEW YORK—Pope Francis’ upcoming visit to Armenia is boosting spirits and creating high expectations: “The Holy Father is coming to strengthen us Armenians in our faith. We Armenians, no matter whether Catholic or Orthodox, love him. After all, he recognized the genocide of our people. We will always remember him for that.” […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: 1 Kings 17:17-24 2nd Reading: Galatians 1:11-19 Responsorial: Psalm 30:2; 4-6; 11-13 Gospel: Luke 7:11-17 Seeking and Experiencing Revelation from God It came through a revelation. (Galatians 1:12) One of the great joys in life is receiving what St. Paul called “revelation” from […]
Saint Anthony of Padua said: “Among all things that are lovable, there is one that is more lovable than the rest, and that most lovable thing is life.” Amen. It is in life that love and joy are possible, not death. The Apostle John tells us that Christ is source of life.[1] Christ came that […]
When God created us, He inserted a heart within our chest, the mechanism that He made to pump blood and oxygen throughout our bodies. We all have one. Most of us rarely take notice of its rhythmic beats. It’s there but we pay little or no conscious attention to it – much like many of […]
I am an outspoken critic of gestational surrogacy, in which the gestational mother carries a child to term for another person or couple. I have noticed that many people do not understand the stakes in this issue. Pro-life people think, “Gosh, surrogacy makes babies, how can that be bad?” Feminists think, “Gosh, surrogacy allows people […]
Two radically different strains of Americans emerged over the weekend in response to the Cincinnati Zoo killing a gorilla in order to save the life of a four year-old boy who tumbled into his enclosure. After viewing videos of the gorilla dragging the boy haplessly through the water at great speed, and climbing with the […]
Sometimes movie spoilers are a welcome thing. Several months ago I saw a trailer for the movie Me Before You and got a little excited. A modern romance featuring a disabled main character. It looked so positive and promising. I should have known better. Apparently Me Before You, which hits theaters this weekend, was a […]
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 […]
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 […]
