Pope Paul VI You are not hermits withdrawn from the world in order to better give yourselves to God. It is in the world, in action itself that you must sanctify yourselves. The spirituality which should inspire you will therefore have its own characteristics… Suffice it to say it in a word: only your…
Q: I’m a parish priest and recently, when I went to order hosts and sacramental wine for my parish, I noticed the company I usually shop from was offering something called “non-alcoholic church wine.” I told the lady on the phone that I imagine this isn’t valid matter for consecration at a Mass and advised…
Man and woman have been created, willed by God, in perfect equality as human persons. ‘Being man’ or being ‘woman’ is a reality which is good and willed by God. Man and woman possess a dignity which comes to them immediately from God and both have one and the same dignity “in the image of…
Theresa Bonapartis “We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures, we are the sum of the Father’s love for us and our real capacity to become the image of His Son Jesus”, St John Paul II. You can call me post-abortive. I am secure in both my healing and my relationship with God…
I grew up in a Catholic family in Sligo, but it wasn’t a faith-filled environment. We went to Mass only for special occasions like funerals, baptisms, and confirmations. I received my sacraments, but they didn’t feel connected to God. It was more like a formality, and the deeper aspects of the faith – who God…
As a boy, my favourite Old Testament heroes were the prophets Elijah and Jonah. Elijah’s story is like the ‘Die Hard’ of the Old Testament – instead of John McClane single handedly taking out a building full of terrorists, it’s Elijah singlehandedly overcoming the evil King Ahab and the 450 priests of the demon Baal,…
With the rise of the first universities, theology came more directly into contact with other forms of learning and scientific research. Although they insisted upon the organic link between theology and philosophy, St Albert the Great and St Thomas were the first to recognise the autonomy which philosophy and the sciences needed if they were…
The secret of renewal Lord, I see, in my life, that You refresh me each day, but I must also make the effort, I must be open to You in prayer and not lazy. You have mercy, so many times. You forgive so much. You are a faithful Friend to all who approach You, a…
What does it mean to be a consecrated virgin? What are the rights and duties of the designation? And what is the process of becoming a “consecrated virgin”? A: The Code of Canon Law defines consecrated virgins as chaste and never-married women who “through their pledge to follow Christ more closely… are consecrated to God,…
What is a sin? Is it a sin to not go to church on Sunday? Is it a sin to cheat on your taxes? Is it a sin to get drunk? Is holding a grudge a sin? Is masturbation a sin? Is infidelity in marriage a sin? For too long preachers, catechists, Sunday school teachers,…
Renata Milán Morales
Fr Ronald Rolheiser