Category: The Shepherd’s Voice

No Vacation from Sunday Mass
0

No Vacation from Sunday Mass

by

When I was a young seminarian, the rector, before dismissing us for our summer break, would admonish us: remember, guys, there’s no vacation from a vocation. This was certainly wise advice — we were after all still seminarians even when away from the structured environment of the seminary with its fixed times for prayer and […]

Church Principles in the Public Square
2

Church Principles in the Public Square

by

Summer is a time when many things slow down, including politics and governmental activities. Yet, at the same time, it is also a patriotic season when we remember with gratitude the great legacy of a democratic republic given to us by our Founding Fathers. In this time of relative calm, I would like to address […]

Catholic Identity and Catholic Social Ministry
0

Catholic Identity and Catholic Social Ministry

by

This column is condensed and adapted from Archbishop Chaput’s June 21 remarks to the Catholic Social Workers National Association meeting in Denver. Click here to read the full text. Everything in Catholic social ministry begins and ends with Jesus Christ.  If it doesn’t, it isn’t Catholic.  And if our social work isn’t deeply, confidently and explicitly […]

Homily at the Mass for the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul
0

Homily at the Mass for the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul

by

Pope Benedict XVI, Homily, Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, Rome, June 29, 2011 Dear Brothers and Sisters, “Non iam dicam servos, sed amicos” — “I no longer call you servants, but friends” (cf. Jn 15:15). Sixty years on from the day of my priestly ordination, I hear once again deep within me these words […]

Technology Must Help Nature Blossom
0

Technology Must Help Nature Blossom

by

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI TO SIX NEW AMBASSADORS ACCREDITED TO THE HOLY SEE Thursday, 9 June 2011 Your Excellencies, I receive you with joy at the Apostolic Palace this morning for the presentation of the Letters accrediting you as Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of your respective countries to the Holy See: Moldova, Equatorial […]

Wednesday Audience: The Psalms Teach Us How to Pray
0

Wednesday Audience: The Psalms Teach Us How to Pray

by

? Dear Brothers and Sisters, In our catechesis on Christian prayer, we have looked to a number of Old Testament figures who represent models of prayer. We now turn to the great “prayerbook” of sacred Scripture: the Book of Psalms. These inspired songs teach us how to speak to God, expressing ourselves and the whole […]

On Immigration, an Abdication of Responsibility
0

On Immigration, an Abdication of Responsibility

by

When most Americans enter the voting booth, they are looking for candidates — and future public servants — who will show leadership in tackling the nation’s toughest challenges. On the issue of immigration, they continue to be disappointed. Despite nationwide polls which show majority support for comprehensive immigration reform and a path to citizenship for […]

The Importance of Fathers in Our Search for God: Part III
0

The Importance of Fathers in Our Search for God: Part III

by

Editor’s Note: The following address was delivered by Archbishop Chaput on May 1, 1999, to the pastoral workers of the Diocese of Cheyenne. Catholic Lane offers the address to our readers in three parts this week, presenting the final installment today. There’s an old saying that the greatest gift a father can give his children is to […]

The Importance of Fathers in Our Search for God: Part II
0

The Importance of Fathers in Our Search for God: Part II

by

Editor’s Note: The following address was delivered by Archbishop Chaput on May 1, 1999, to the pastoral workers of the Diocese of Cheyenne. Catholic Lane offers the address to our readers in three parts this week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. These have been a tough couple of decades for fathers in particular, and men in […]

The Importance of Fathers in Our Search for God: Part I
0

The Importance of Fathers in Our Search for God: Part I

by

Editor’s Note: The following address was delivered by Archbishop Chaput on May 1, 1999, to the pastoral workers of the Diocese of Cheyenne. Catholic Lane offers the address to its readers in three parts this week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Let’s begin with a simple question: What do women want? I said it was simple, […]

CL91 - bratton notxt web
0

We Cling to a Loving God for a Very Good Reason

by

And to be short, when all the world dissolves, And every creature shall be purifi’d, All places shall be hell that are not heaven. —Christopher Marlowe, “Doctor Faustus” Anthony Hopkins is one of those few, extraordinary actors who can make even a mediocre role interesting.  As a result, he’s probably the best thing about “The […]

CL86 - bratton notxt web
0

Being Catholic Requires a Lot of Practice

by

Homily delivered by Archbishop Thomas Wenski during the annual Mass for neophytes celebrated June 5, 2011 at St. Mary Cathedral. Neophytes are those who received the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Communion during the Easter Vigil in their parishes. Today, we welcome to the Cathedral, the mother church of this Archdiocese, our neophytes – those […]

Wednesday Audience: Moses, Model of Intercessory Prayer
0

Wednesday Audience: Moses, Model of Intercessory Prayer

by

Dear Brothers and Sisters, Continuing our catechesis on Christian prayer, we now turn to the great prophetic figure of Moses. As the mediator between God and Israel, Moses is a model of intercessory prayer. We see this clearly in the episode of the golden calf (Ex 32). As Moses descends from Mount Sinai where he […]

Wednesday Audience: Jacob and the Long Night of Prayer
0

Wednesday Audience: Jacob and the Long Night of Prayer

by

Dear Brothers and Sisters, Today I would like to reflect with you on a text from the Book of Genesis which recounts a rather curious incident in the narrative of the Patriarch Jacob. It is a passage that is not easy to interpret, but it is important for our life of faith and prayer; we […]

Wednesday Audience: Abraham's Example of Prayer
0

Wednesday Audience: Abraham’s Example of Prayer

by

Dear Brothers and Sisters, In the last two Catecheses [one, two] we have reflected on prayer as a universal phenomenon which — although in different forms — is present in the cultures of all times. Today instead I would like to start out on a biblical path on this topic which will guide us to […]

On Prayer – Second Audience in New Series
0

On Prayer – Second Audience in New Series

by

Dear Brothers and Sisters, Today I wish to continue my reflection on how prayer and the sense of religion have been part of man throughout his history. We live in an age in which the signs of secularism are glaringly obvious. God seems to have disappeared from the horizon of some people or to have […]

<em>Universae Ecclesiae</em>: Document on How to Implement <em>Summorum Pontificum</em>
1

Universae Ecclesiae: Document on How to Implement Summorum Pontificum

by

PONTIFICAL COMMISSION ECCLESIA DEI INSTRUCTION on the application of the Apostolic Letter Summorum Pontificum of HIS HOLINESS POPE BENEDICT XVI given Motu Proprio I. Introduction 1. The Apostolic Letter Summorum Pontificum of the Sovereign Pontiff Benedict XVI given Motu Proprio on 7 July 2007, which came into effect on 14 September 2007, has made the […]

We Make the Future, Not the Other Way Around
0

We Make the Future, Not the Other Way Around

by

“How bad are expert predictions? Almost predictably bad.  In 2005, Philip Tetlock, a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, published the results of a magisterial 20-year analysis of 27,450 judgments about the future from 284 experts.  He discovered that the experts, in aggregate, did little better, and sometimes considerably worse, than ‘a dart-throwing […]

On Prayer – First Audience in New Series
0

On Prayer – First Audience in New Series

by

 Dear Brothers and Sisters, Today I would like to begin a new series of catecheses. After the catecheses on fathers of the Church, on great theologians of the Middle Ages, on great women, I would now like to choose a subject that we all have very much at heart: It is the subject of prayer, […]

The Beatification of John Paul: The Homily of Pope Benedict XVI
0

The Beatification of John Paul: The Homily of Pope Benedict XVI

by

HOMILY OF POPE BENEDICT XVI BEATIFICATION OF POPE JOHN PAUL II ST PETER’S SQUARE 1 MAY 2011 Dear Brothers and Sisters, Six years ago we gathered in this Square to celebrate the funeral of Pope John Paul II. Our grief at his loss was deep, but even greater was our sense of an immense grace […]

Palm Sunday of the Passion of Our Lord, Homily of Pope Benedict XVI
0

Palm Sunday of the Passion of Our Lord, Homily of Pope Benedict XVI

by

CELEBRATION OF PALM SUNDAY OF THE PASSION OF OUR LORD HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI St Peter’s Square 26th World Youth Day Sunday, 17 April 2011 Dear Brothers and Sisters, Dear young people! It is a moving experience each year on Palm Sunday as we go up the mountain with Jesus, towards the Temple, […]

Pastoral Care of Couples Who are Cohabitating
0

Pastoral Care of Couples Who are Cohabitating

by

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, We are all painfully aware that there are many Catholics today who are living in cohabitation. The Church must make it clear to the faithful that these unions are not in accord with the Gospel, and to help Catholics who find themselves in these situations to do whatever they […]

CL333 - hbratton notxt
0

Living by Example

by

As Lent progresses, we may find ourselves concentrated inward, often reflecting on the sacrifices or commitments that we have made on our Lenten journey thus far. We think about abstaining from meat on Fridays, about skipping dessert and about increasing our prayer life. All of these practices are an important part of maintaining discipline during […]

CL8 -heidibratton notxt
0

The Altar and the Confessional: A Pastoral Letter on the Sacrament of Penance

by

My dear friends in Christ: On this Feast of Saint Patrick, I wish the entire Archdiocese of New York an abundance of God’s blessings. May our great patron saint intercede for us, obtaining from the Almighty Father all the graces that we need as disciples of His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ! Is there one […]