What if “the” Church really became “our” Church? What if each of us took personal responsibility not only for some of the great works accomplished by the Church but also in the face of the corruption that, during its pilgrimage throughout history, has tarnished the Church, its purity and sometimes its reputation? Catholics have much […]
Editorials
The State of Marriage
No one ever asked Jesus to define marriage. At least, we have no specific scriptural reference. One man united with one woman for life in mutual support and cooperating in the procreation and rearing of children was essentially normative even in pagan circles throughout the Jewish diaspora of Christ’s time. We do, however, have a […]
Spiritual v. Religious
Research shows the number of Americans not identifying with any religion is rising rapidly. The 2012 Pew Research Center Survey finds that this large and growing group (32 percent of “under 30s”) mostly believe in God (68 percent) and often feel a deep connection with the earth and nature (58 percent). One in five say […]
Courageous Witness
Jesus prepared His disciples for the inevitability of persecution once He ascended to His heavenly Father. We have been reading John’s account of these warnings in recent days. The experience of the early Christian community, as St. Luke narrates in the Acts of the Apostles, amply confirms both the oppression of the Christians and their […]
No One Is Worthy
Much of the news about Church teachings tends to emphasize not what we are for but what we are against. Typically, it has to do with issues of moral conduct in relational or more intimate matters, such as marriage and sexuality. These are important issues, and so are the ongoing concerns about the role of […]
Questions About Suffering
Suddenly and devastatingly, last week’s explosions shattered the lives of innocent people and raised serious questions that are not easily answered. Four much-loved persons, one a young child, were killed in the Boston incident and, as currently accounted for, 14 in the heart of Texas, 11 of whom were emergency responders (three in training!), as […]
Confronting the Problems
Do we worship the Lord? Last Sunday, visiting the Basilica of St. Paul Outside-the-Walls (the site of the Apostle’s tomb), Pope Francis posed that question during his homily. The topic of his message was: fearless and joyful witness to Jesus as Lord. Reflecting on the sudden transformation of the Apostles after encountering personally the risen […]
Fire from Heaven
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 […]
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, […]