Wine and Water Old Noah he had an ostrich farm and fowls on the largest scale, He ate his egg with a ladle in a egg-cup big as a pail, And the soup he took was Elephant Soup and fish he took was Whale, But they all were small to the cellar he took when […]
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 […]
Precious Child If we wants the child, The precious, Get it from mommy and daddy, How can we does it? We hides us, We sneaks around, Near the ground, And we calls us, “Village”. We means “steal,” but we says “raise”. “Village” is good, “raise” is good. Takes a village to raise a child! We gets […]
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 […]
Hanger Shirts Each year before school started, mother led him to the store, through the men’s department, past the boys’ clothing to the back room with the faded cardboard sign that said: Irregulars. He didn’t know what made him irregular— perhaps it was the birthmark on his left leg or the cowlick of hair he […]
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 […]
Calm My Childish Fear Here I am, Lord, sitting at your feet, Awaiting Your command; Lord, what is it you seek? Am I to do a major thing or something oh so small? Whatever it is you ask, Lord, I will do it all. For I know no matter what the task, I do not […]
