Gospel realism does not try to sand away the hard edges of life says Fr Chris Hayden On May 10, 1940, Winston Churchill became Prime Minister of Britain. Three days later he told his cabinet that he had “nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.” Later the same day, he repeated those…
In July 15 each year, the Church celebrates the Feast of St Bonaventure, the Franciscan Bishop and Doctor of the Church. Bonaventure was born in 1217 in the Italian town of Bagnoregio. As a young man he came in contact with a new community gathered by a certain Francis of Assisi who died shortly after…
History has not been kind to the valiant daughter of Magdala. Dismissed, tarnished and relegated as an afterthought in Christ’s journey by individuals within the secular world, this is a travesty for the memory of Mary Magdalene, whose loyalty to Jesus in his direst time of need was only eclipsed by that of Our Lady…
Q: I’m divorced and remarried, and have recently felt called to return to the Catholic faith. I just submitted my annulment paperwork to the tribunal, but they said the whole process can take at least a year. My parish priest said I could do something called the “brother-sister process” in the meantime to start receiving Communion again right…
I generally try to be sensitive to using politically correct language, though sometimes that can be exasperating because of various hyper-sensitivities where people are too easily offended. Simply put, someone can take offense at almost any word. However, despite our occasional exasperation with those who are too easily offended, we must admit that in the…
St Augustine uses the image of two cities to define the central conflict that runs throughout history between the self-love that constitutes the City of Man and the divine love that forms the City of God. Unsurprisingly, the first Augustinian Pope, Leo XIV, shapes Magnifica Humanitas, his first encyclical, around this image: “Humanity, created by…
In this season, we spend a lot of time congratulating others on their graduations, or their upcoming jobs or their new marriages. That’s all lovely, but there are times when, while genuinely glad for others, we feel a bit mired in our daily muck, wondering if there is anything new and exciting in store for…
A sower went out to sow… Let anyone with ears listen! The Gospel Matt 13:1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Matt 13:2 Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. Matt…
During the Palm Sunday Passion this year, one seemingly incidental detail caught my attention. As Jesus stands before Pontius Pilate, Matthew inserts an unexpected interruption: “Now as he was seated in the chair of judgement, his wife sent him a message: ‘Have nothing to do with that innocent man. I have been greatly troubled today…
Jesus, ‘remember’ me when you come into your kingdom (Lk 23:42). The prayer of the Good Thief on Calvary is one of the most profound expressions of the human longing for remembrance. Facing death, he does not ask for power, privilege, or earthly consolation. He asks to be remembered. Human existence is inseparable from memory.…
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Fr Barry White