Sometimes there’s nothing as helpful as a good metaphor. In his book, The God Instinct, Tom Stella shares this story: A number of men who made their living as porters were hired one day to carry a huge load of supplies for a group on safari. Their loads were unusually heavy and the trek through…
Whatever else we may be thinking about in these last days of Lent, the readings for this fifth Sunday make it clear: Something’s coming. You can’t help but feel that the winds are shifting. The reading from Jeremiah promises, “The days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with…
For those who avoid meat anyway, is there another Friday penance? Catholics I know are doing ‘fish on Friday’ to conform to the fasting and abstinence requirement. But if I typically avoid meat or eat fish most days anyway, should I do something different for Lent, or just stay the same? I’ve heard some Catholics…
Laura Kelly Fanucci The first thing I noticed about our parish was the music. Everyone sang. From the moment the opening hymn began, the sanctuary was filled with a robust chorus. I looked around and couldn’t believe my eyes (or ears) – adults, children, women and men were all singing at full voice.I grew up…
Jesus keeps ‘left’ and ‘right’ in balance, writes Elizabeth Scalia A discussion among practicing Catholics occurred in a social media group, inevitably landing on current divisions between Catholics – those who would describe themselves as ‘orthodox’ vs the ‘more progressive;’ those who pronounce themselves ‘proudly cafeteria’ versus those who identify as ‘proudly traditionalist’.…
Phil Lenahan In word and deed, Pope Francis continues to encourage Catholics to reach out to the poor and not succumb to a consumerist mentality where what we have is deemed more important than who we are. The season of Lent provides a special opportunity to take the Holy Father’s words to heart and live…
My heart started beating faster and my face flushed when I glanced at the messages popping up in text bubbles on my phone one early morning last March. “Are you at work?” one asked. “Can you let me know when you are there?” another said. “Uh-oh,” I thought. “Someone died.” Stepping away from a conversation…
What is a monastery? How do monasteries work? St Benedict (480-547AD) who is considered the founder of Western monasticism, offered this counsel as an essential rule for his monks: Stay in your cell and it will teach all you need to know. Properly understood, this is a rich metaphor, not a literal counsel. When…
Q: My older sister told me that after age 80, you are relieved of the duty to attend Sunday Mass. I didn’t believe her until a friend who is 86 told me the same thing. I have never heard of this. Is it true? A: I have never heard of this either! The relevant citation…
Need a summary of the Christian faith? This Sunday’s Gospel offers one. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life” (Jn 3:16). The evangelist John leads us to the heart of the Gospel and the heart…
Fr Ronald Rolheiser