In the days of apartheid in South Africa, Christians there used to light candles and place them in their windows as a sign to themselves and others that they believed that someday this injustice would end. A candle burning in a window was a sign of hope and a political statement. The government didn’t miss…
Jem Sullivan Is 61:1-2a, 10-11 Lk 1:46-48, 49-50, 53-54 1 Thes 5:16-24 Jn 1:6-8, 19-28 “Rejoice in the Lord!” is the invitation we hear this Third Sunday of Advent, when God’s word calls us, once again, to enter into the mystery of the Incarnation, soon to be celebrated in the great feast of Christmas.…
It’s important to understand God’s will properly, writes Emily Stimpson Chapman Question: Which of the following events were God’s will? The Fall of man? The Crucifixion? The most recent car accident you were in? Last month’s breakup with your significant other? Answer: They were all God’s will … at least in a way. How’s that…
Silvio Cuéllar The air is now filled with Christmas music, special offers and sales. This materialistic culture invites us to buy and buy the latest, newest thing. However, this Advent season can also be a time to share our time, talents, and treasure with others. Helping the poor In his recent homily for the World…
Fr Patrick Briscoe OP “Human beings possess a great and readily observable weakness for which they need much support and comfort,” says the Italian priest philosopher Luigi Giussani. “They have an endemic fear engendered by a temptation to reduce the total image of their lives to what can be visibly and materially experienced.” How we…
Jenna Marie Cooper Q: Why do Catholics pray for the souls in purgatory to lessen their sufferings? Is it possible that the souls already in purgatory would even go to hell, so our prayers for them would save them from going to hell? A: We don’t pray that souls in purgatory won’t wind up in…
When all is said and done, our lives are not all that serene and peaceful. In a manner of speaking, we are always somewhat pathetic. That shouldn’t scare us. Pathetic is not a pejorative term. The word comes from the Greek, ‘pathos’, which means pain. To be pathetic is to live in pain, and we…
Deacon Greg Kandra Is 40:1-5, 9-11 Ps 85:9-10-11-12, 13-14 2 Pt 3:8-14 Mk 1:1-8 If nothing else, Advent should remind us of this inconvenient truth: We are people in a hurry. The other day, I was leaving Walmart and noticed a tent set up in the parking lot. I looked closer. They had drones…
Learning how to thank God is not only spiritually fruitful but necessary, writes Bill Dodds Most of us were toddlers when we learned to say “please” and “thank you”. We were a little older when we fell into the habit of asking, begging, nagging, whining, “Please, please, please, please, ple-e-e-e-e-e-ease!” Older still when we began…
Deacon Dominic Cerrato In recent years, the Catholic Church in Germany embarked on an ambitious and controversial project known as the “German Synodal Way”. This initiative, which sought to address various issues within the Church, including governance, the role of women, and the Church’s teaching on sexuality, has stirred significant attention and debate within…
Fr Ronald Rolheiser