This Sunday, the Church Universal celebrates Mission Sunday whose theme this year is, “Through Youth To The World: Voices for Mission.” Our Holy Father, Pope Francis addresses his message for this year’s celebration to young people saying to them, “In speaking to you, I also address all Christians who live out in the Church the adventure of their lives as children of God. What leads me to speak to everyone through this conversation with you is the certainty that the Christian faith remains ever young when it is open to the mission that Christ entrusts to us.”
Author: settinger
Bravo, Papa!
Dear Editor: It was refreshing, and reassuring, to read in this week’s Tablet of our Holy Father’s reaction to the recent charges leveled against him by Archbishop Vigano.
We Share in a Rich History
Dear Editor: Thank you, Ms. Powell (Why Am I Still A Catholic?, The Tablet, Sep. 19). Your rhetoric on this subject is excellent. As members of the Church, the laity have the same potential as clergy to live the Gospel and be a light for others. We need not think of ourselves as holy in the sight of God, but if we strive to practice living the Beatitudes and Commandments, including loving our neighbor as ourselves and maintaining a humble and honest life we can continue to deepen our faith and enjoy a deep connection with the Triune God while experiencing true spiritual joy.
Church and Media
Dear Editor: Well, Mr. Lancucki, that was quite a letter! (“An Anti-Catholic Bias.” Readers’ Forum, Sept. 26) I hope no one agrees with you regarding the media’s attention to criminal activity within the Church as a cover for Democratic politicians and the party itself.
The Conversion Experience
Dear Editor: While writing my current novel, I arrived at a crossroad when trying to describe a ‘conversion experience’ (Father Lauder’s column, Sept. 26), not from an evangelical point of view, but from a metaphysical one. The protagonist in my work experiences it in these words….’It was the presence of something deeply intimate beyond the bounds of his mortal self, like a crack in the unreachable understanding of all that is, and which rose uncalled for from within.’… Father Lonergan has clearly helped me understand the intellectual, moral, and spiritual stages of this transcendence of the human spirit.
Laudato Si’ in Brooklyn
Dear Editor: Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament and Sacred Heart Green Teams were happy to read about the initiative that Bishop DiMarzio has undertaken to develop a 100 unit affordable senior housing with solar panels, sustainable technologies, rooftop gardens, and the use of environmentally sustainable materials in our own Brooklyn Diocese.
To Know Right from Wrong
Dear Editor: People never miss a chance to throw stones at St. Peter. They constantly forget that St. Peter would have died that day with Jesus. It was Jesus who took the sword away and told Peter that is not the way. So, Peter stood as close as he could and had to deny Jesus, so he could live to carry on the work Jesus wanted him and the other Apostles to do.
The Only Treasure Worth Possessing
ONE OF THE most tragic stories in the Bible is that of Solomon, who started off wise, but ended up being foolish and broken. He wasn’t born with the extraordinary wisdom for which he became famous, but rather, he asked God to give him that wisdom so that he could be, above all, a wise, just and good king for the people of Israel.
Offering Not a Wish or Vow, But a God-Directed Prayer
Legs, arms, eyes, hearts, heads, genitalia, breasts and lungs were among the body parts. Made of wax, wood, silver, clay, cloth, or painted on canvas, the ex-votos covered the walls and display cabinets on three floors of the Bard Graduate Center Gallery on West 86th Street, off Central Park West. The exhibit, recently opened, is titled “Agents of Faith: Votive Objects in Time and Place.”
A Reason for Hope
This past week, the Vatican’s Synod on Youth began and there have already been several interventions made by prelates. In particular, some of the English-speaking Bishops have made some excellent points.