We have no king Often, the readings from the Old Testament seem directed at us. Like last week’s daily Mass readings from The Book of Amos that overflow with Israel’s –read our own–infidelities against God. And this week’s from Hosea. Listen to the reading from the Christian liturgy for Wednesday:. Israel is a luxuriant vinewhose […]
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See? I told you! Celtics coach Joe Mazzula interrupted his conversation with interviewers about the Celtics win of the NBA basketball playoffs to grin at the off-camera shout, “We DID it!” and reply, “See, I told you!” “Joe, what did you tell Jayson?” Only then do we understand that the shouter was Jayson Tatum, the
Salvador Dali 1958 Ascension of Jesus- courtesy phillip chiripop Where did Jesus go: Come Holy Spirit! I became a new creation that Thursday evening in early September at Saint Benedict’s Abbey. The journey had been arduous and long, but I’d finally found home. After receiving the sacraments necessary for full communion in the Catholic Church,
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Death, Hope, Heaven, What are we here for, anyway? In my pre-Catholic ‘pagan’ years, I worried about death. Mostly because I feared standing before a God I did not think I believed in and explaining why I had wasted knowledge, understanding, and time. After twenty years as a Catholic, I would like to think that
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How do they do it? “You have two children, don’t you?” The casual question prompted an unnerving reply. “Yes, I had a son who died at thirty-seven and a daughter who died at forty-one.” Homilist, Pastor Eric Ritter at Tuesday’s six AM Saint Matthew’s Church question, “How do they do it?” was implicit. “How do
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Trust The Science: Bread Becomes Flesh “Give me bread, a Catholic priest and his prayer and I’ll show you the flesh of a human heart.” The audience of forensic scientists erupted into laughter, guffaws and mockery at the speaker’s bold claim. The commotion quieted when Dr. Ricardo Castanon Gomez mentioned the names of two attendees.
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Holy Saturday: the anguish of an absence The great silence Monastics proclaim a great silence after their last meal and prayers. No word will be spoken until the first prayer the following morning. Sleeping, the monks place their trust in the Lord. Father Steve Grunow writes: …the great silence is not just a time of
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The Real Spiritual Battle We’re approaching Holy Week, the days of silence, reflection and accounting we’re given by the Christian liturgy each year to reply to some questions and thoughts: The real spiritual battle is forgiveness, not of others, but of ourselves. Because always, an honest examination of ourselves reveals flaws, failures and weakness–sin. Annually
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Cabrini, the movie and radical goodness. Saint Francesca Cabrini was a force of nature. The actress portraying the first American saint, Francesca Dell ‘Anna makes Cabrini, the movie, a tour de force. Rarely does a film make use of all of its potential. In this one, however, the acting, screenplay and cinematography in Cabrini achieve
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The world doesn’t need theology, it needs God Halfway through Lent, I’m feeling extraordinarily grateful. Rather than my usual, panicked, “Only three weeks left!” Or: “These grace-filled days are half over and I’m still committing the same boring, banal sins!” Our warmer San Antonio very early mornings beg for reflection and prayer on our outside
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