On the final Sunday in the liturgical year, it is time to remember things that we’d prefer to forget. For starters, we recall that there is an infinite qualitative difference between God and us. He is immortal and infinite. We are not. Each one of us will come to our individual end. But so will […]
On December the 25th, we celebrate the big one—the birthday of Jesus, the Word of God made flesh. The Church actually does not celebrate the birthday of the saints, except that of Jesus’ mother. Generally, their special day in the calendar is the date of their death, their entry into eternal life. But there is […]
Terrorism is nothing new. It’s probably as old as the human race. In fact the cradle of civilization, now Iraq, was the home of the most infamous terrorists of antiquity, the Assyrians. Their goal was to conquer their neighbors in a way that would minimize initial resistance and subsequent rebellion. To do this, they knew […]
Surely, the Blessed Mother would have taken on the suffering of her Son, Jesus Christ if it were possible. That is what loving mothers always wish they could do. Instead, Mary suffered alongside her Son, because that too is what mothers do. We go to Mary to get closer to Jesus for that very reason. […]
Hundreds of millions of people around the world today will celebrate Masses to honor an appearance of the Blessed Mother made 481 year ago. December 12, 1531 Our Lady of Guadalupe put an end to the Mayan culture of death. Mary was the woman, clothed in the sun, with the moon at her feet, who […]
Dear Wounded Fathers, Of course on this brokenhearted day your minds should turn to Ars, that small and despairing French town. The response to this swallowing red-tide of Church evil can be found in there. There, in the secret of its wavy countryside, your comeback lay. Every answer to this omnibus of hierarchical and priestly […]
On this the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul I will speak on the varieties of Revelation that each Apostle received from Jesus Christ, and what said Revelation means to us and to our Church today. There really is only one great Revelation—the Word made Flesh—but each of us receives it differently, in the amount […]
“You did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time” (Luke 1:20). Faith assures us that anything is possible with God, and The Catechism teaches us that, “God, who created everything also rules everything and can do everything. God’s power is loving, for He is our Father, and mysterious, for only faith […]
To the secular world, our celebration of Easter Sunday is an odd event. In their eyes, we celebrate a corpse rising from the dead, and they really can’t figure out why.
I rise today with the strength of the sky, with the light of the sun, with the splendor of the moon, with the brilliance of fire, with the blaze of lightening, with the swiftness of wind, with the depth of the ocean, with the firmness of earth, with the firmness of rock. — From the […]
It is fitting to celebrate Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. We rejoice to see the holy city roll out the red carpet and hail Jesus as the promised Messiah. The problem is, however, that the only crown they gave their king was a crown of thorns. This week the Church recalls a […]
The serpent’s bite was a deadly one. The venom had worked its way deep into the heart of the entire human race, doing its gruesome work. The anti-venom was unavailable until He appeared. One drop was all that was needed, so potent was this antidote. Yet it was not like Him to be stingy. He […]
Rome is known as the Eternal City for good reason. One of the city’s ancient marvels is the Egyptian obelisk in Saint Peter’s Square, a block of marble as tall as a tree that weighs 330 tons. Erected as a monument to Pharaoh in 1850 BC, it stood watch over the whole of Egyptian history, […]
“I am the Immaculate Conception.” These are the words our Blessed Mother spoke to young Bernadette Soubirous when she appeared at Lourdes in 1858. On December 8th, we celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, yet it often seems to leave many people confused. What exactly are we celebrating on this holy day? Contrary to […]
I was talking to my Dad one Sunday evening while I stood in the backyard flipping burgers on the grill. “How was your weekend?” Dad asked. “Fine,” I said. “We didn’t do much; the lake yesterday in the morning then cooked out some steaks in the evening. Today it was church in the morning, then […]
It really is, just think about it. By defining the dogma of Mary’s Assumption and celebrating it as a Holy Day of Obligation, the Church draws together all the most magnificent elements of our Faith: The Trinity – into whose life Mary was bodily inserted Jesus’ Resurrection – shared with His Blessed Mother, and eventually with all […]
By M.Z. de la Morena GYUMR?, Armenia—Sister Arousiag proudly points out the dormitory of the convent of Our Lady of Armenia here: it is where Pope Francis will rest for a few hours on the second day of his June 24-26, 2016 visit to Armenia. “It is the best room we have,” she assures a […]
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 […]
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 […]
Finding the hidden meanings. Unraveling mysteries. Deciphering symbols. The thrill inherent in all this is partly why Dan Brown’s book, the Da Vinci Code, sold so well. But Brown’s secret code, the 2000 year chain of clues supposedly leading to the true identity of Jesus and his holy grail, is simply a parody of the […]
Lots of perks come with being the boss, whether you are the boss of a church, company, or nation. You get to call the shots, for starters. Then there is good food, good drink. Travel. Parties. Expense accounts. Pomp and circumstance. Bodyguards. Technology has changed a lot, but people haven’t. In ancient times as in […]
Everybody likes free gifts. Advertisers know that a campaign will have much better results if there are free samples or a free gift with every purchase. A friend of mine lived by this motto: when it’s free, take two. But when we receive a favor, we’re wise enough to know there has got to be […]
Over the last two Sundays, the gospel of Mark has been making it abundantly clear that Jesus is indeed God Almighty, ruler of the world and lord over life and death. But this week we come to a story that leaves us scratching our heads. Jesus goes to his own native place, and receives less […]
