Regular prayer has always been regarded as an essential part of Christian life. In capitalistic Psalms, the believer is compared to a tree planted by a stream that still bears fruit, even in times of drought, remaining full of sap and green, even in old age. Jesus is the one who can give us living…
According to the renowned mystic, John of the Cross, we have three essential struggles in life: to get our lives together, to give our lives away, and to give our deaths away. What is asked of us in the first two struggles is more obvious. But what does it mean to give our deaths away?…
What does it mean to listen to survivors of abuse? It’s something that the Church repeatedly and emphatically calls us to do. But the call to listen is in danger of becoming an empty slogan if we do not take the time to stop and think about what, exactly, this listening involves. To help us,…
Rohan Healy We are reminded daily of the many social ills that the internet, and social media in particular, perpetuate. The increased sense of social isolation, despite early promises to bring people closer together, the negative effects on self-worth as we are constantly bombarded with exaggerated examples of others success, the ever-present temptation to get…
Sr Hosea Rupprecht When I was a kid, my main form of media consumption was books. I used to go to the library and check out four or five ‘Hardy Boys’ books at a time. I don’t know why I never got into Nancy Drew (I am a girl, after all), but I think it’s…
Jayme Stuart Wolfe Every sincere Catholic hope for a revival of the faith – even if we don’t all agree about what that should look like. But now that the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage has begun, and the National Eucharistic Congress being held in Indianapolis is only six weeks away, I expect that the inside baseball…
In its calendar, the Church singles out special seasons to celebrate – Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter. But, outside of these special times, it invites us to live and celebrate Ordinary Time. Ordinary Time. For most of us, I suspect, that phrase conjures up images of something that is less than special – bland, flat,…
The Sunday Gospel Ez 17:22-24 Ps 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16 2 Cor 5:6-10 Mk 4:26-34 To walk by faith, and not by sight, is one of the challenges and joys of the spiritual journey. This is the invitation extended to all in God’s word this Sunday. As the Church returns to ordinary time, God’s word invites…
Notebook In recent weeks, I presided at the funeral of a young man who died by suicide. He was one of several who died in the same way in recent months here in the South-East. His tragic death was heart-breaking and devastating for his family. In preparing the homily for the funeral Mass, I was…
Q. Can you explain the Church’s teachings about yoga and reiki? Recently a priest gave a presentation in which he said that, to avoid the devil, Catholics should also avoid things like palm readers and ouija boards. He also mentioned yoga and reiki. I’ve practiced yoga on and off for many years and have found…
Fr Ronald Rolheiser