In a section of her poem The Leaf and the Cloud, Mary Oliver describes her feelings as she stands by the gravesite of her father and mother. She reflects on how both their virtues and faults influenced her life. Then she ends the reflection with these words: I give them – one, two, three, four…
Q: I’ve heard that a Catholic who is involved in an abortion is automatically excommunicated. But where do you draw the line in terms of what makes a person involved? Like if a person drove a woman to the abortion clinic because he wanted to try to talk her out of it at the last minute, would…
The Sunday Gospel 1 Kgs 19:4-8 Ps 34:2-9 Eph 4:30—5:2 Jn 6:41-51 Food advertising is everywhere. From television to social media platforms, in grocery stores and restaurants, from food commercials to nutrition labels, we are surrounded with information about food. The marketing of food is a billion-dollar industry that encourages brand loyalty, even as consumers…
We each have a purpose given to us, writes Katie Fillion I was recently attending a formation course for catechists aimed at working with children between 6-9 years old. One theme that we focused on was the child’s growing capacity for understanding time and history. In the same way that they can remember events from…
Fr Patrick Briscoe I saw it. The Church in the United States has witnessed the defining moment of a generation. There’s no other way to describe it. I had high hopes for the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, but, to put it simply, Our Lord brought me to my knees in Indianapolis. In the months…
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less travelled by, And that has made all the difference. Most of us are familiar with these words from Robert Frost which have been used countless times in graduation and commencement addresses and other inspirational talks as a challenge to not just follow…
My 3-year-old granddaughter was on a beach weekend. When the ice cream wagon made its trek across the sand, her parents allowed her a treat. Later in the day, the family shared dinner with friends and the other mom brought – yep, more ice cream treats. When Alice saw the box being offered, she couldn’t…
The Sunday Gospel Ex 16:2-4, 12-15 Ps 78:3-4, 23-24, 25, 54 Eph 4:17, 20-24 Jn 6:24-35 When you think about it, we got our first clue at Christmas. It was there, in the very name of the town where Jesus was born: Bethlehem, a word which means in both Aramaic and Hebrew, ‘House of Bread’.…
Q: I wanted my aunt and uncle to be godparents for my new baby. Both my aunt and uncle went through 12 years of Catholic school. But the priest told us my uncle couldn’t be godfather to my baby because he never received Confirmation. This doesn’t make sense to me because I’m sure my uncle…
Interview by Wendy Grace for The Confession Box – Episode 24 Keeping a life of Faith is not always easy, sometimes we will find ourselves doubting the Church truth and living a secular life. But the way back to God is always there, it is just a matter of accepting Him back. The youth coordinator…
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Renata Steffens