“The family is a community of life with its own consistency. It is not the sum of the persons by whom it is constituted, but rather a ‘community of persons’”, said Pope Francis, quoting Blessed John Paul II’s encyclical “Familiaris consortio,” in an address to participants in the twenty-first plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council […]
I remember during my dating days wanting to start a Bible study with a girl I was dating. She liked the idea, but asked “which commentary are we going to use in studying the Bible?” Puzzled, I said we wouldn’t be. We would just talk over the phone/in person about various Bible verses, what they […]
Mary as a model of the Church “in the order of faith, charity and the perfect union with Christ”, according to the definition offered by the Vatican Council II, was the theme of Pope Francis’ catechesis during this Wednesday’s general audience in St. Peter’s Square, attended by over ninety thousand people. Mary is a model […]
At midday on Sunday the Pope appeared at the window of his study to recite the Angelus with the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square and, before the Marian prayer, he commented on today’s Gospel reading in which Jesus tells a parable on the need to pray, always and incessantly. “The protagonist is a widow […]
“I’m delighted that Pope Francis has been garnering a great deal of news coverage,” Bishop David Kagan of the Diocese of Bismarck, ND said during a recent media day conference, “but his candor can be disarming to some. It is generating media coverage that often takes words out of context, then misleads people.” Kagan cautioned […]
After considering the unity, holiness and catholicity of the Church, as defined by the Creed, the Holy Father today addressed her apostolic nature. During the catechesis of the Pope’s general audience in St. Peter’s Square, he stated that “to profess that the Church is apostolic means underlining her constitutive bond with the Apostles, with that […]
The Pope celebrated mass in St Peter’s square this morning in honour of the Marian Day, an event organized as part of the Year of Faith on the anniversary of the final apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima (13th of October 1917). He also consecrated the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. […]
There’s a great line in the book: Ten Dates Every Catholic Should Know, by Diane Moczar. In writing about the downfall of Rome, she quotes an historian’s description of the Roman Empire before its demise: “a terrifying sluggishness of the whole population.” For me, this phrase denotes aimlessness, a lack of motivation and initiative, a […]
Pope Francis: Rupture vs. Change Pope Francis: Ongoing Fallout (Part I) Building on what has been said in the first two posts, we continue with the fallout from the pope’s interview with atheist publisher Eugenio Scalfari. If the pope’s refusal to take the bait on preaching specific moral norms didn’t make many tear their hair out in […]
Where did Francis’ journey to Christ begin? It began with the gaze of the crucified Jesus. With letting Jesus look at us at the very moment that he gives his life for us and draws us to himself. If I read only those three lines from Pope Francis’ homily for the feast of St. Francis […]
I have a confession. I’m having a tough time adjusting to Pope Francis. I admit that I’m a B16 fan girl and I’m still getting over Pape Bene’s understandable departure. It’s like when your best friend moves far away and no matter how hard you try, you can’t help but compare all your other friends […]
The blows continue raining down on Francis over his interview with an atheist, and with an intense scorn that is simply breathtaking. This may take a few posts to cover in its entirety, but here goes… In my last article I defended Francis: He. Is. Peter. This pope has barely begun to cast his net and […]
In my previous column, we examined how the words of Pope Francis found echo in Pope Leo XIII. A lot of Catholics were also “scandalized” by another statement from Pope Francis. When an atheist asked if the point of their meeting was to convert him, the Holy Father Stated: Proselytism is solemn nonsense, it makes […]
“That’s not what he really meant to say…” These are increasingly common words spoken on behalf of Pope Francis. Increasingly, Catholic bloggers are having to compile montages of quotes to show the strain of orthodox continuity in the Pope’s interviews. For many traditionalists, it is the frightful spectre of a Jesuit pope ascending the throne […]
Dear Brothers and Sisters, In the Creed, we confess our faith that the Church is “holy”. But how can we say that the Church is holy when she is all too evidently made up of sinners? Saint Paul helps us to see things aright when he tells us that “Christ loved the Church and gave […]
Here we go again. Pope Francis gave another interview and already everyone is screaming. Other people have written about various aspects of it, but there’s one thing in particular I found interesting that I would like to talk about. This is the following statement everyone seems to be freaking out about: The most serious of the […]
For a pontiff who is so big on emphasizing mercy, Pope Francis knows how to make me squirm. His witness for Christ turns the tables on my tendency to make my faith all about me. With a steady stream of up-ending spiritual remarks, the Holy Father has a way of capsizing my comfort zone. His […]
As the Director of Priests for Life, known worldwide as a ministry within the Catholic Church that urges more preaching, teaching, and action against abortion, I was asked by many alarmed and confused people these past few days about the reported comments of the Pope that the Church should not be “obsessed” with this issue, […]
The Pope commented on Sunday’s Gospel reading which contained the three parables of mercy: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the story of the prodigal son. “All these three parables,” he said, “speak of the joy of God. God is joyful! The joy of God is the joy of forgiveness. … It is the […]
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Today I wish to continue our catechesis on the Church by reflecting on an image used by the early Fathers and the Second Vatican Council: the Church as our Mother. By reflecting on the human experience of maternity, we understand that the Church is like our own Mothers. First, like our […]
During a conversation with my 23-year-old son, he told me that a lot of his friends like our new pope. This isn’t the measure of the greatness of the man, but it is good to see some of Pope Francis’ major themes resonating with the young. Among the most prominent of these themes, something that […]
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good Morning! In the Gospel for today, Jesus reiterates the conditions for being his disciples: not putting anything before your love for Him, carrying your cross, and following Him. Many people came up to Jesus, wanted to be one of His followers; and this would happen especially in the wake of […]
Here is the schedule for the papal prayer vigil [as of Friday evening]. 5:45 pm (Rome time) — About 50 priests will begin hearing confession in designated areas under the Bernini colonnades. Pope Francis has asked that the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) be made available throughout the evening because “true peace springs from a heart that […]
Catholics are supposed to be the champions of human rights. We are 25 percent of the U.S. population, yet Barack Obama was twice elected president and he wages numerous kinds of war both here and abroad. As Congress weighs Obama’s plan to bomb the Syrian people, Catholics and all Americans need to understand what’s at […]
