Pope Leo XIV renewed his appeal for peace in the Middle East on July 26, after a week that saw deadly Israeli settler violence in the West Bank, Israeli military strikes in Gaza, and intensified US operations against Iran. The pope’s new appeal came in remarks following the Angelus prayer on Sunday at the papal…
A nun who was taken into immigration custody last month in Texas said on July 23 that she went into a cold sweat as two armed men approached her while she walked to Sunday Mass in her habit, thinking about the day’s Bible readings and carrying little more than her rosary and cellphone. “Honestly, in…
The Vatican will study the conditions needed for a possible trip by Pope Leo XIV to Ukraine, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher said following a six-day pastoral and diplomatic mission to the war-torn country. Gallagher, the Holy See’s secretary for relations with states and international organisations, said the possibility of a papal visit was among the…
“God has no favourites, except that every one of us is God’s particular favourite,” John Muir once asked, “Why are Christians so reluctant to let animals into their stingy heaven?” The same might be said of us as Churches: why are we so reluctant sometimes to welcome others into God’s mercy and to our communion…
As the Church in Ireland approaches the National Synodal Assembly this October, one of the seven priorities that will be discussed and discerned will be ‘Formation and Catechesis’. According to the synodal preparatory document ‘Baptised and Sent’, the hope of renewal in this area of the life of the Irish Church, is to “deepen faith…that…
Q: I recently attended an ordination, and that got me wondering: Hypothetically, what would happen if the bishop accidentally left out the part of the ordination Mass where the future priest promises celibacy? That wouldn’t mean that the new priest was actually free to marry, would it? A: The short answer is no, if for…
Mass Readings: * Isaiah 55:1-3 * Romans 8:35, 37-39 * Matthew 14:13-21 *** Modern advertising has an uncanny ability to appeal to our deepest anxieties. “Don’t leave your family unprotected,” one life insurance advertisement urges. “Take out a policy today.” There is, of course, wisdom in making sensible provision for those we love. Yet there…
Isaiah 55:1-3; Psalm 145 (144); Romans 8:35, 37-49; Matthew 14:13-21 The Gospel *** Matt. 14:13 Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. Matt. 14:14 When he went ashore, he saw…
Isaiah 55:1-3; Psalm 145 (144); Romans 8:35, 37-49; Matthew 14:13-21 Readings 1 and 3 In the first reading, the prophet alerts people to their unrecognised hungers of the heart. In the Gospel, the disciples point to the unrecognised ordinary hungers of the people. The responsorial Psalm Psalm 145 (144) is an alphabetical psalm, uniquely carrying…
There are moments in summer when creation itself becomes a gentle teacher. Light streamed through the window, the trees swayed in the breeze, birds sang their morning hymns, and the world seemed to slow down. The words of the Psalmist came to mind: “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). In that…
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Fr Dominik Domagala