Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time—February 1, 2015 True Authority Purpose: In a world which struggles with authority, as people of faith, we know that Christ is the true model of authority. Calling for us to have faith in him, he reveals … [Read more...]
Archives for January 2015
Homilies for February 2015
Homilies for Sunday Liturgies and Holy Days, February 2015
January 29, 2015 by Fr. Joseph Scolaro
The Holy Land
January 29, 2015 by David Vincent Meconi
Spending the Christmas season in the Holy Land has made me much more sensitive to how communities are “ringing in” the New Year. As the date turned from 2014 to 2015, two very different calls for solidarity made the news. On the one hand, J … [Read more...]
Laying the Foundation for Forming Disciples in Our Parishes
January 29, 2015 by Fr. Matthew J. Albright
A recent mailing of the Franciscan University of Steubenville declares, “The age of casual Catholicism is over. The age of heroic Catholicism has begun.”[1. Fr. Terrence Henry, TOR, Franciscan University of Steubenville. ] Men and women sta … [Read more...]
Pope Benedict XVI’s Theology of Beauty and the New Evangelization
January 29, 2015 by Dr. Matthew J. Ramage, PhD
“I have often affirmed my conviction that the true apology of Christian faith, the most convincing demonstration of its truth…are the saints and the beauty that the faith has generated.”[1. Joseph Ratzinger, “The Feeling of Things, the Conte … [Read more...]
Accusations against Priests
The Need for More Justice and Psychological Science
January 29, 2015 by Dr. Richard P. Fitzgibbons, MD
The evaluation process of accusations against priests in regard to determining their suitability for priestly ministry would benefit from greater justice and knowledge of psychological science. There are presently severe weaknesses in this … [Read more...]
Liturgy in Bede’s World
January 29, 2015 by Daniel J. Heisey, OSB
Time-honored ritual; a space often ornate, if not opulent, used almost exclusively for this purpose; seating by hierarchy; candles; a prayer, perhaps in Latin, perhaps in English; ceremonial robes; a bevy of trained servers; wine; elegant, … [Read more...]
Winter Reading for January 2015
January 29, 2015 by Book Reviews
New Evangelization: Passing on the Catholic Faith Today. Cardinal Donald Wuerl. (Huntington, Indiana: Our Sunday Visitor, 2013) 91 pages. (Reviewed by Dr. Edward Peters) ______ A Future Built on Faith: Religious Life and the Legacy o … [Read more...]
Mary, Daughter of Zion
January 12, 2015 by Fr. James Swetnam, SJ
In the ancient Near East, a woman, often evoked as a virgin, was frequently used to symbolize a city or a country. For example, at Isaiah 47:1, the city of Babylon is called a “virgin daughter”: “Step down! Sit in the dust, virgin daughter o … [Read more...]
Breaking Free of Our Metaphysical Winter
On Why Christians Must Study Philosophy
January 12, 2015 by Brian Jones
In diagnosing the philosophical mentality of modernity, the Catholic novelist-physician-philosopher, Walker Percy, once wrote the following: The distinction which must be kept in mind is that between science and what can only be called … [Read more...]
Life-Giving Funerals
The Importance of Skill in Music Ministry
January 12, 2015 by Angela Biggs
It is exceedingly difficult to stand before mourners assembled for a funeral Mass, look them in the eye one at a time, and sing—with them, to them, and sometimes for them—of truth, love, and life. Still, this is a duty that must not be neg … [Read more...]
Religious Freedom, Slavery, and Usury
Three Challenges to the Hermeneutic of Continuity
January 12, 2015 by Dr. William Newton
Early on in his pontificate, Benedict XVI laid down the challenge of reading the Church’s teaching according to a hermeneutic of continuity, rather than according to what he characterized as a hermeneutic of rupture.[1. Benedict XVI, A … [Read more...]
Why Me?
January 12, 2015 by Rev. William J. Nessel, OSFS
“I am the potter, you are the clay.” An American couple who like to shop for antiques entered a store in England. They spotted an exceptional tea cup. As the clerk handed them the cup, it suddenly spoke up, “I haven’t always been a tea cup. … [Read more...]
To Listen to the Voice of God
January 12, 2015 by Brent Withers
We all have a desire to be listened to and taken seriously. There is nothing more frustrating than not being listened to, when someone does not either look at us when we talk to him, or let us finish our sentences. It leaves us feeling … [Read more...]
Questions Answered
January 12, 2015 by Fr. Brian Mullady, OP
Is there some Catholic teaching on the morality of the nanny state and its tendency to try to control all of life through federal law? Can you give me some guidance as to the use of the media? We used to have a Legion of Decency which … [Read more...]
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