Bishop Donald J. Hying During the Sacred Triduum — the days of Holy Thursday through to Easter Sunday — the strangest thing will occur. Millions of Christians throughout the world will gather to honour the humiliation, torture and crucifixion of Jesus Christ. In a global culture that usually celebrates power, strength and beauty, this public…
The Earth was dark twice. Once at the original creation before God first created light. But later there was an even deeper darkness, on Good Friday, between the sixth and ninth hour, when we were crucifying God, and as Jesus dying on the cross cried out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me!”.…
Jem Sullivan The discovery of the empty tomb is the biblical record of the historical event: Jesus’ bodily resurrection. No witnesses saw Jesus as he arose from the dead. But what they did see was Jesus’ passion, crucifixion, and the empty tomb. So, how did the disciples come to believe that God raised Jesus…
The liturgies of Holy Week invite us to engage with the words, actions and experiences that constituted Jesus’s way to the Father writes Fr Tony Nye SJ We are people of the Way, an ancient term for the first Christians which is found in the Acts of the Apostles. Jesus showed us that way throughout…
Faith in art One of the starkest images around the funeral rites for Pope Benedict XVI was the moment when his mortal remains were transferred from his residence at the Mater Ecclesia Monastery within the grounds of Vatican City State to the majestic St Peter’s Basilica. His cortege entered the basilica through a door that…
Saint of the week The life of this great servant of God appeared to be merely the unfolding and an ever-stronger exemplification of the virtues which he received in holy baptism. Born in 1390 of wealthy and devout parents at Valladolid in Spain, he lost his father at an early age; but he himself became…
Lorene Hanley Duquin Today, parishioners are expected to feel a true sense of ownership in their parish. That means looking at your parish as more than just a place where you go to Mass. A parish can be a sacred place where the human and the divine meet, where people of all ages grow in…
Renowned performer Andrea Bocelli invites us to join him on a unique pilgrimage, writes Andrew Petiprin In recent years, the Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli has enjoyed international success while frequently offering traditional Christian songs to a mass audience. Blind since the age of 12 and experiencing significant success as a singer while only in his…
“We only live, only suspire, consumed by either fire or fire.” T.S. Eliot wrote those words and, with them, suggests that our choice in this life is not between calm and storm, but between two kinds of storms. He is right, of course, but sometimes it is good to vary the metaphor: We live in…
As our Lenten journey edges towards Holy Week, Sr Anouska Robinson-Biggin FCJ identifies three invitations in the Triduum In the final days of Lent, the liturgies of Holy Week issue each of us with an invitation to ‘be with’ Jesus in a special way. This time, described by Pope Francis as “the heart of the…
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Michael Kelly