I want to reflect upon the election of our new Vicar of Christ, Francis from a view of application to our own lives. What is the raison d’être of a person being a witness, a living testimony? Is it to cause admiration, or is it primarily to inspire others to emulate him or her for […]
Clara Lejeune Gaymard has a “servant of God” as a father: Jerome Lejeune, the French geneticist who discovered the cause of Down syndrome. Lejeune, who died in 1994 at age 67, was outspoken against legal abortion. He was named the first president of the Pontifical Academy for Life shortly before his death by Pope John […]
In addition to sharing in Christ’s priesthood in baptism, the Catechism also tells us that we share in Christ’s prophetic office. The purpose of a Prophet (and hence Christ’s Office of Prophet) is something that is frequently misunderstood within Christianity today. The average answer will be that a prophet is essentially a divine fortune teller […]
Yesterday a new pontificate officially began. The essential message in the homily given by Pope Francis to open his pontificate draws on the work and image of St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, head of the Holy Family. And that message is to “protect.” This message is important at a time when the figure of the […]
Today is the first day of spring because it is the day of the vernal (spring) equinox. Okay, just a quick review of your high school astronomy. In summer and winter we have solstices — the summer solstice is the longest day of the year and the winter solstice is the shortest day of the year. […]
Television is discovering the Bible makes for good viewing. In addition to The History Channel’s airing an epic 5-part Bible series, the second season of The American Bible Challenge game show begins this Thursday, March 21 at 9 pm EST on GNS. Hosted by Jeff Foxworthy, this fast-paced, one-hour game show pits Bible loving groups […]
“You have put into my heart more joy than they have in abundance of corn and new wine.” –Psalm 4:7 I pray this psalm once a week for night prayer and each time it strikes my heart in a profound way. I am not quite sure I identify with the joy that come from new wine […]
“As they continued their journey he entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left […]
On February 17, 2013 — the First Sunday of Lent — I was enrolled in the Rite of Election to come into full communion with the Catholic Church. It was not a decision I entered into lightly; after all, as a Protestant minister, this decision amounts to essentially walking away from my career up to […]
Palm Sunday Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Luke 19:28-40; Isaiah 50:4-7; Psalm 22:8-9,17-20,23-24; Philippians 2:6-11; Luke 22:14–23:56) Allowing the Power of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus to Transform Us It is you who have stood by me in my trials; and I confer a kingdom on you. (Luke 22:28-29) Today […]
Congratulations to the former Cardinal Bergoglio of Argentina, who is now Pope Francis. He deserves our best wishes, but even more than that, our prayers. He will have a difficult task in a world that clamors for change, while God’s truth and the gospel never change. I am very happy at the name Cardinal Bergoglio […]
He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothersor your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, […]
March 14, 2013, Thursday — To Mary Today Pope Francis, on the first day after his election, did four remarkable things, and did not do a fifth. 1. Mary. At about 8 a.m., he slipped out of the Vatican in a single, unmarked black car — a Volkswagen, not a Mercedes — without an escort, and […]
Pope Francis in his initial remarks following his papal election led those gathered at the Vatican and those watching on television or online, and listening via radio in a prayer for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, asking the Lord to bless him and Our Lady to protect him. The prayers he led were traditional prayers, the […]
It was a nice sunny day in Buenos Aires, but a little cold for the season since it is still summer here down under. I told many friends the night before that I was expecting the Pope to be elected on the 13th since that day of the month was chosen by Our Blessed Mother […]
Like the rest of the world, I sat stunned by the revelation that our new Holy Father was almost completely unknown. We didn’t recognize the name; we scrambled for reference points; we watched transfixed as an older man was brought out on the loggia to meet his spiritual children. He also looked somewhat stunned, standing […]
A very wise priest is fond of starting all his discussions on the sacraments with the following fundamental truth. When teaching on the sacraments, we must remember that nobody encounters God without being fundamentally changed. In the Old Testament the names of individuals were changed. Moses’ face became as bright as the sun, and Elijah […]
If there is one thing about the Holy Spirit, he loves to throw a curveball. When white smoke appeared, Fox News’ Megyn Kelly and some wannabe pundit (whose name escapes me) were spending their time talking about how we were going to get a pope who was younger to help appeal to the masses. Or […]
At 7:08 pm Rome time, white smoke began billowing from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel indicating that the 115 cardinal electors of the Catholic Church have chosen a new Pope. The new Pope succeeds Benedict XVI, who resigned the papacy February 28. This election comes on the fifth ballot since the cardinals were first […]
Today is an historic day in the life of the Church and the world; all eyes are on Rome, and in a particular way on a little chimney fixed atop the most famous chapel in the world. Today, or tomorrow, or perhaps the next day, a new shepherd of the one billion plus Catholics scattered […]
“Abraham you called to me, I am ready, Lord, what do you want of me? Take your son, your only son, your joy above all things, you shall journey up the mountain to the place of which I speak, you shall lay him on the altar, you shall give him back to me.” I have […]
Some things come as a surprise and others do not. My family and I watched the first episode of The Bible, the History channel’s 5-part series, so it was no surprise to us that it premiered as the #1 cable telecast of the year and the #1 trend on Twitter. It was spectacular; just the […]
The media and pundits, as well as churchmen, use a lot of jargon that many ordinary readers, unaccustomed to romanità, the carefully encoded diplomatic language used by the Vatican and its cadre of experts, will not be familiar with. A lot of the writing leading up to the conclave is about the “priorities” of the new pope. […]
Warriors, monks, Christians: the Knights Templar were all these things, but according to the pope they were also heretics. These knights for Christ had once been some of the most respected people in Europe and known as models of Christian virtue. But as the world began changing they incurred the wrath of kings and priests […]
