24th
May 2013
I would like to reflect in particular on the meaning of the word “catholic,” a word which indicates an essential feature of the Church and her mission. The characteristic marks of the Church are in accordance with God’s plan, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us: “it is Christ who, through the Holy Spirit, makes his Church one, holy, catholic and apostolic, and it is he who calls her to realize each of these qualities” (no. 811). Specifi- cally, ... (Continue reading)
“The Church’s deepest nature is expressed in her threefold responsibility: of proclaiming the word of God, celebrating the sacraments and exercising the ministry of charity (diakonia). These duties presuppose each other and are inseparable” (Deus Caritas Est, 25). The service of charity is also a constitutive element of the Church’s mission and an indispensable expression of her very being (ibid.); all the faithful have the right and duty to devote themselves personally to living the new commandment that Christ left us ... (Continue reading)
He was sent by God the Father to save us above all from the evil deeply rooted in man and in history: the evil of separation from God, the prideful presumption of being self-sufficient, of trying to compete with God and to take his place, to decide what is good and evil, to be the master of life and death. This is the great evil, the great sin, from which we human beings cannot save ourselves unless we rely on God’s help, unless ... (Continue reading)
From the crisis of today the Church of tomorrow will emerge—a Church that has lost much. She will become small and will have to start afresh more or less from the beginning. She will no longer be able to inhabit many of the edifices she built in prosperity. As the number of her adherents diminishes, so will she lose many of her social privileges. In contrast to an earlier age, she will be seen much more as a voluntary society, ... (Continue reading)
Dear Brothers and Sisters, This Sunday’s Gospel (cf. Jn 6:51–58) is the concluding part and culmination of the discourse given by Jesus in the Synagogue of Capernaum after he had fed thousands of people with five loaves and two fishes the previous day. Jesus reveals the meaning of this miracle, namely that the promised time had come; God the Father, who had fed the Israelites in the desert with manna, now sent him, the Son, as the true Bread of life; ... (Continue reading)
When I was growing up, my immature self believed that the family rosary was something that had to ...
"I'm heartbroken to announce that last week, we discovered a crushed consecrated Host beneath one of the kneelers," ...
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. - ...
Several years ago, when I was working on a community theatre project, I overheard two little girls having ...
I would like to reflect in particular on the meaning of the word “catholic,” a ...
“The Church’s deepest nature is expressed in her threefold responsibility: of proclaiming the word of ...
He was sent by God the Father to save us above all from the evil ...
From the crisis of today the Church of tomorrow will emerge—a Church that has lost ...
Dear Brothers and Sisters, This Sunday’s Gospel (cf. Jn 6:51–58) is the concluding part and culmination ...
