In the rapid turns of the news cycle, it is easy for some stories to be overlooked. Recently, the Catholic world has focused on the hospitalisation of Pope Francis—and rightly so. Yet amid these headlines, another message quietly emerged: a declaration of the Jubilee for Artists. In a homily written for the occasion, Pope Francis…
Praying for vocations usually means praying for more priests. That’s a good and necessary effort, of course, because without priests, there is no Eucharist. But there’s another vocation that may be even more endangered. And what’s been happening in the Church – and in our culture – over the past few decades should prompt us…
Bill Dodds How are you supposed to have a happy Lent, a liturgical season that, to quote the glossary of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “is the primary penitential season in the Church’s liturgical year, reflecting the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert in fasting and prayer”? The point is learning how…
I am Oman Ashraf, originally from Pakistan, and I am currently a novice with the Augustinian Order (OSA). My journey toward religious life has been one of faith, transformation, and a deep sense of calling—a path I never expected to take. Growing up in a strong Catholic family, I never imagined becoming a priest. It…
Religious life is something which should be primarily seen as a gift of God. It is a gift of grace which calls men and women to give their whole lives to the love and service of the Lord Jesus, through the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. I have been in religious life for over…
What are you looking forward to right now? What got you out of bed this morning? It’s undeniable: we need something to hope for as much as we need food and water. In his masterpiece encyclical on Christian Hope, Spe Salvi, Benedict XVI starts by comparing the plight of the pagans of St Paul’s time…
Last month, we all went into shock at the news that Willie Walsh had died suddenly while having a coffee with his son in a local cafe in Carrigaline, Co. Cork, his adopted town from his native Ballyphehane in Cork city. Willie, 74 years old, was loved in Carrigaline, in Ballyphehane, in the church community which…
Several years ago, a Presbyterian minister I know challenged his congregation to open its doors and its heart more fully to the poor. Initially the congregation responded with enthusiasm and a number of programs were introduced to invite people from the less-privileged economic areas of the city, including a number of street-people, to come to…
The Word became flesh for us to save us by reconciling us with God, who “loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins.” Our nature demanded to be healed. The Word became flesh so that thus we might know God’s love: “In this the love of God was made manifest…
For the last couple weeks, the Sunday scriptures have given us a healthy dose of what is commonly called ‘The Sermon on the Plain’ – Luke’s version of the more famous ‘Sermon on the Mount’ found in Matthew’s Gospel. The lessons have been familiar – but strikingly direct. What we hear is Jesus speaking directly…
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Renata Milán Morales