Deacon Greg Kandra Gn 9:8-15 Ps 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9 1 Pt 3:18-22 Mk 1:12-15 Was that it? This weekend, the first Sunday of Lent, we hear Mark’s account of Jesus going into the desert before he begins his earthly ministry. But Mark doesn’t tell us very much. He mentions Satan and angels, temptations and wild…
This American author ought to be on the Faithful’s radar, writes Russell Shaw Flannery O’Connor was not an evangelist. She was an artist, one of the most gifted American fiction writers of the 20th Century. But a profoundly Catholic theological vision informs her art, giving her stories resonance and depth that sound deep – and…
What happens to us when we experience a dark night of the soul? What’s happening and what’s to be our response? There are libraries of literature on this, each book or article making its own point, but here I want to share a rather unique and highly insightful take on this by Constance FitzGerald, a…
Walking through the park on a brisk winter morning, I glance at the car park near the playground and notice a colourful van. I see big letters on its side panel: “Worry First”. Wait a minute. I look again. Actually, it says “Worry Free,” the slogan of a utility company’s appliance service. I chuckle. I’ve…
Q. In watching The Chosen, I noted a couple of demoniac episodes were included, as are in fact depicted in Scripture. No CGI effects were done to show the demons either going in or coming out of the victims, making the healed person seem to simply be someone with personality disorders. What does the Church…
Silvio Cuellar This February, we celebrate Valentine’s Day, the day of love and friendship. February 14 is also Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. At first glance, many will think that we will not be able to celebrate with our partners, but there are interesting parallels between true love as a couple and Lent. During…
Sunday Gospel Jem Sullivan Most of us struggle to keep up with new year resolutions if we make them. I’ve fallen behind on my spiritual resolutions already! Thanks be to God that the Lenten season approaches. For in the coming weeks, the Church invites us to return to the Lord with our whole heart, mind…
There are good reasons behind why Lent begins as it does, writes D.D. Emmons Among the beautiful, meaningful and solemn ceremonies of the Catholic Church is the gathering of the Faithful on Ash Wednesday. This special day begins our Lenten journey. It is the start of 40 days of prayer, penance and almsgiving as we…
Is this new or are we just more aware of it? Hatred and contempt are everywhere. They are in our government houses, in our communities, in our churches and in our families. We are struggling, mostly without success, to be civil with each other, let alone to respect each other. Why? Why is this happening…
Is it legitimate to call Mary the ‘Mother of God’? Some Christians reject the title, saying it implies that God himself somehow has his origin in Mary. How could the Creator of all things, who depends on no one else for his existence, possibly have a ‘mother’? To understand why Christians have called Our Lady…
Fr Ronald Rolheiser