The trouble with Christianity is that it’s never been tried. So quipped G. K. Chesterton. More precisely, he wrote, “Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried.” Or maybe it’s that most of the time we are only trying it on – without letting the Lord really […]
Editorials
Way of the Cross Begins
Even before the inauguration of the Petrine ministry of the Bishop of Rome on March 18, the tremendous groundswell of hope and good will attending the election of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio on March 13 as the 266th successor of St. Peter is itself testimony to the truth of the Gospel. As Pope Francis reminded […]
Reconciliation Monday
Lent summons all of us to give everything over to Jesus, making Him the very center of our lives. It means letting go of whatever “idols” usurp his role by occupying the thrones of our hearts. The usual suspects, so to speak, are the three eternal temptations – sex or sensuosity, preoccupation with material possessions, […]
Beyond White Smoke
As we go to press, no one knows what all may now know: the identity of the our next pope. Yet even to have seen the white smoke, to have learned which cardinal has been elected and what name he will take is not yet to know him. We will shortly learn the details of […]
Church and Money
The Church is always asking for money! And with good reason. Jesus keeps bringing the subject up. Sometimes He is approached by someone with an urgent moral question. The rich young man: What do I need to be perfect? Peter: How often must I forgive my brother who sins against me, seven times? Jesus responds […]
A Clear Vision
With great emotion His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI celebrated his final Sunday prayers in St. Peter’s Square, restating his conscientious conviction that his decision to retire is from the Lord. “If God is asking me to do this, it is precisely so I can continue to serve with the same dedication and love as before […]
Reconstructing Marriage
Once we knew it simply as “Confession.” In post-conciliar years, it’s been referenced as the Sacrament of “Reconciliation” or of “Peace.” Now we are back (officially) to Penance. All these descriptors reveal aspects of a great healing sacrament. Whatever name we call it by, it remains the same sacrament with the same four elements: contrition, […]
The Pope Resigns
We find no good reason for honoring the decision of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to resign the Petrine office at the end of this month with anything less than the gratitude and prayerful best wishes one would offer any good servant of the Lord who has labored long and hard in the vineyard. Though […]
Real Communication
Lent always seems to take us by surprise. Maybe that is how it should be: a jolt in the arm of “Ordinary Time” that wakes us up to the realities of what really matters so that we do not get too locked up in routine. It is time for something extraordinary. So much of our […]
Sacrament of Peace
The American Bishops have just issued a Pastoral Exhortation of the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation (“God’s Gift of Forgiveness”), urging all Catholics to take advantage of this extraordinary gift of the Risen Lord during Lent. This sacrament is so full of opportunities of grace that it is no wonder it has been known under […]