Lenten penance and the synodal journey
The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke all recount the episode of the Transfiguration of Jesus.
The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke all recount the episode of the Transfiguration of Jesus.
More than a half-century ago, Flannery O’Connor wrote a short story, “A Good Man is Hard to Find.” One of the main characters in the story is an elderly woman who is a difficult, stubborn and not a particularly happy person.
Feb. 22 is Ash Wednesday, and for those who can, finding an Ash Wednesday service is a great way to mark the start of Lent. The ritual of receiving ashes on the forehead dates to the Middle Ages but contains symbolism rooted in the Old Testament, when ashes signified mourning, mortality and penance.
Wednesday, Jan. 25, is the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. It’s a day that marks a monumental moment in human history, when a man caught up in hatred and violence was stopped in his tracks and set on a path to make God’s way of peace and love known to people throughout the world.
On our way home from my 7-year-old son’s first Reconciliation retreat, he began to speak of the devil – with a young boy’s earnestness – about wanting to actually see that he exists, horns, fork and all.
Almost two years ago, a tribute article for the passing of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was put on my list of upcoming stories. I have thought about what to write several times, but I could never have known that reflecting on his legacy would coincide with that of my last living grandparent.
I’m one who finds long sermons difficult to sit through, so you might think I’d think twice about the following creative approach to celebrating a merry Christmas.
One of the most ancient problems in philosophy is the question of “the one and the many,” whether reality is ultimately a unity or a plurality and how these interrelate.
January opens with the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God, which serves as a joyous reminder that the Christmas season is still upon us.