Reflections for Sunday, October 21, 2012 Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Isaiah 53:10-11; Psalm 33:4-5,18-20,22; Hebrews 4:14-16; Mark 10:35-45) Walking Through God’s Open Door of Faith “We have a great high priest.” (Hebrews 4:14) During this Year of Faith, Pope Benedict XVI is inviting all of us to pass through the “door […]
“About this we have much to say which is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of God’s Word. You need milk, not solid food; for everyone who lives on milk is […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Wisdom 7:7-11; Psalm 90:12-17; Hebrews 4:12-13; Mark 10:17-30) Seeing Ourselves as Jesus Sees Us “The word of God is … sharper than any two-edged sword.” (Hebrews 4:12) What a vivid image! God’s word is razor sharp, able to cut through our innermost thoughts. It can expose the […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Genesis 2:18-24; Psalm 128:1-6; Hebrews 2:9-11; Mark 10:2-16) Learning from Our Mistakes “Let the children come to me.” (Mark 10:14) In his apostolic letter introducing the coming Year of Faith, Pope Benedict XVI wrote that “faith commits every one of us to become a living sign of […]
When I converted, I was overjoyed to be part of the One Body, but soon after discovering Catholic media, I was shocked by the criticisms — even condemnations — of some of the bishops. To a newcomer, that looks about as smart as poking your finger in your eye. Usually the justifications are that we […]
“Let us rejoice then and give thanks that we have become not only Christians, but Christ Himself. Do you understand and grasp, brethren, God’s grace toward us? Marvel and rejoice: we have become Christ.” This exuberant declaration, bold bordering on outrageous, comes not from some starry-eyed New Age huckster, but from a pillar of Catholic […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Numbers 11:25-29; Psalm 19:8,10,12-14; James 5:1-6; Mark 9:38-43,45,47-48) Being Prophetic, Speaking God’s Word to a Broken World “Would that all the LORD’s people were prophets!” (Numbers 11:29) Moses had it right. Joshua was upset that Eldad and Medad were prophesying in the Israelite camp, but Moses couldn’t […]
Listen to Archbishop Rino Fisichella and at first you might suppose that the new evangelization was a pretty simple affair. Declaring the “path” of evangelization to be clear in Scripture and tradition, he puts it like this: “We are called to renew the proclamation of Jesus Christ, of the mystery of his death and resurrection, […]
This past summer, I spent eight weeks in Guatemala as part of a Spanish language immersion program where I joined twelve other seminarians for this summer adventure. Not surprisingly, one of the religious devotional sights we saw during our stay in Guatemala was the rosary being worn around the neck. Several individuals questioned me regarding […]
Just what is Magisterial teaching? It is teaching that comes from the Magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church. Magisterium is a Latin term meaning “teaching”. The Magisterium has three levels: 1) papal, 2) ecumenical councils, and 3) various synods of bishops. These three are the official interpreters of Sacred Scripture (writings) and of Apostolic Tradition […]
Elizabeth Ficocelli, an adult convert to the Catholic faith, is a woman in love with the sacraments. That love shines forth in her latest book, Seven from Heaven: How the Sacraments Can Heal, Nurture, and Protect Your Family Today. She believes that teaching about the sacraments is “the perfect catechetical tool . . . to […]
A woman asked me how to start a Bible study for her friends in her parish. After that a young college girl inquired about starting a Bible study in her sorority. That was followed by a mother wanting to begin one, in her home, with her friends. It got me thinking…How many women would like […]
This is the fourth of six articles relating the writer’s journey into the bosom of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. Having succumbed to spiritual desolation following the rejection of his Adventist heritage, the young seeker investigates various Christian traditions, hoping to discover the Truth. Part I may be found here; Part II here; Part III […]
In light of the now well-publicized Al Smith Dinner, a number of Catholic commentators, me included, were moved to question Cardinal Dolan’s resolve relative to his handling of politicians who are hostile to the Church. I now feel duty bound in conscience to repent of my presumptuousness. You see, to suggest that His Eminence lacks […]
This is the third of six articles relating the writer’s journey into the bosom of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. Having succumbed to spiritual desolation following the rejection of his Adventist heritage, the young seeker investigates various Christian traditions, hoping to discover the Truth. Part I may be found here; Part II here. […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Deuteronomy 4:1-2,6-8; Psalm 15:2-5; James 1:17-18,21-22,27; Mark 7:1-8,14-15,21-23) Allowing the Word of God to Transform Our Lives “Be doers of the word and not hearers only.” (James 1:22) Words, words, words! We live in a very verbal world. Televisions, radios, iPods, tablet computers, newspapers, billboards, books, magazines—they […]
In the English translation of the Marian Antiphon, the Salve Regina, the word vale is used to indicate our current situation—our existence within a vale of tears. The pronunciation of this word differs between priests, seminarians, consecrated men and women, and the laity throughout the country. I have heard it pronounced similar to the word […]
According to the Compendium issued by the Holy See in 2004, “the primary and fundamental” core principles of Catholic social doctrine are “the dignity of the human person, the common good, subsidiarity and solidarity.” All other authentic expressions of Catholic social justice stem from these “permanent and universal” principles. Simple enough, right? And yet, the […]
This is the second of six articles relating the writer’s journey into the bosom of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. Having succumbed to spiritual desolation following the rejection of his Adventist heritage, the young seeker investigates various Christian traditions, hoping to discover the Truth. Part I may be found here. “If I was […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Joshua 24:1-2,15-18; Psalm 34:2-3,16-21; Ephesians 5:21-32; John 6:60-69) Letting Go and Receiving from God “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” (John 6:60) What was “this saying” that the people could not accept? It was Jesus’ words that we needed to eat his flesh and drink […]
“Receive the Word of God not as the word of men, but as it truly is: the Word of God” (1 Thessalonians 2:13). Here it comes: a Bible-thumping sermon from a Spirit-filled preacher. On my most recent vacation, I drove through the Midwest—Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, and Indiana. I love radio, and as I traveled through the […]
The year was 1967. The Summer of Love. Across America young people adopted a new way of living: “turning on, tuning in, and dropping out.” Love, or something like it, was in the air. But the counter-cultural movement of the Sixties caused much pain and confusion in the Roman Catholic Church. Today we suffer from the hangover: sex and drugs […]
We’ve all had that “ah-ha” moment, right, men? The one where you’re baking a meringue, blaring J-Lo, and you suddenly ask yourself, “Does love really not cost a thing?”. Or, ladies, when you’re working out to The Beatles and, right as you reach your personal chin-up record, it hits you that indeed, money CAN’T buy […]
The first written catechism of the Catholic Church, known as the Didache, and dated somewhere in the first century A.D., begins with a sentence of great clarity. It should be memorized: “There are two ways, one of life and one of death, but a great difference between the two ways.” Discussions of the recent mass murders, […]
