It has no entry in the Catholic Encyclopedia; it is not mentioned in the Catechism; yet the popes talk about it in their encyclicals. What is "civilization?" Is Christianity responsible for it? Is Western civilization equal to Christian civilization? Do Catholics have a responsibility to maintain it?
Read more
The work of the reform of the liturgy entrusted to Pope St. Paul VI continued with the expansion of the Eucharistic Prayer available for the new Roman Missal. The sainted pope was very involved in the process, whether of adaptation or editing, as we saw with Prayer I and II. He encouraged Group X to consider writing an entirely new prayer, again, remaining involved in the whole process.
Read more
I have always loved the hymn "Amazing Grace," with its poetic acclaim for the goodness of God and the unmerited transforming power of grace. The fourth line of that hymn has been on my mind this week.
Read more
Everyone's life is filled with challenges. Our own reality may sometimes seem like an endless Good Friday, as we face perhaps the serious illness of a loved one, the loss of a job and financial difficulties, or simply the trials of daily living. Our hearts may long for peace.
Read more
God's ways of seeing are not our ways, we hear in today's First Reading. Jesus illustrates this in the Gospel as the blind man comes to see and the Pharisees are made blind. The blind man stands for all humanity. "Born totally in sin," he is made a new creation by the saving power of Christ.
Read more
1 Sm 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a Ps 23: 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6 Eph 5:8-14 Jn 9:1-41 "Now you know the rest of the story." For years, the broadcaster Paul Harvey signed off his daily radio show with that phrase. He would spend several minutes relating a true story that may have seemed, at the time, obscure.
Read more
Q: I've recently decided to return to my childhood Catholic faith after many years aways, and my priest told me I need to get an annulment. When I called the marriage tribunal, they said they needed to contact my ex-husband for this. But I don't see any need to drag him through this whole process. Does my ex absolutely have to be involved, or is there some way around this?
Read more
U.S. bishops are speaking up about the treatment of immigrants and the deportation strategy and tactics of the current administration, and their messaging has grown increasingly urgent and concerned.
Read more
Perhaps fear, after all, is at the root of all sin. I used to think it was selfishness, but it's not. Even selfishness is rooted in fear. We can see this in the early wreckage of our Lenten practices: We are afraid of material poverty, and so we selfishly hold back on our almsgiving. We are afraid of hunger, and so we selfishly reach for the bread and chocolate. We are afraid of what we might find within ourselves and our interior lives, and so we selfishly cut short our prayers, or abandon them, completely, for something that we tell ourselves is "more fun" or "more important."
Read moreFor the past dozen years, I have served as the Appeal coordinator for St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Dedham. When I first offered to step up as the Appeal coordinator, I did so because I wanted to learn more about the Archdiocese of Boston. I had been very active in other capacities within the parish, and I wanted to branch out. The pastor at the time agreed and, with the exception of one particular year, I've been the coordinator ever since!
Read more
Last week, we saw how the Second Eucharistic Prayer in the Roman Missal started in one format and, by careful editing, ended in the most familiar of the four Eucharistic Prayers. This week, let's take a closer look at the results of that editorial work.
Read moreLast month, the Vatican announced that they would continue pursuing the canonization of Archbishop Fulton Sheen. Archbishop Sheen is remembered for pioneering the use of television to preach to Catholics all over the country, especially through his television series "Life is Worth Living," for which he won an Emmy in 1953. The Venerable Fulton Sheen's example of embracing technology can be seen in the development of Catholic television in our own archdiocese.
Read more
One point of reflection over the course of my time as superintendent of schools in the Archdiocese of Boston has been to ask myself, "How did I get here?" This reflection has brought me to realize the two specific factors in each progressive leadership opportunity that paved my way from classroom teacher to superintendent. At each stage, there has been an invitation followed by engagement.
Read more
It's a good thing that God does not treat us the way we treat one another. If we are honest, we human beings are not very patient or forgiving. The Scriptures make clear that the Lord is long-suffering, patient, and forgiving.
Read more
My Dad was a pacifist. His firm belief in the need for a diplomatic solution to disagreements of all kinds was rock solid. It grew out of his time spent on the front lines of the Korean Conflict, where he earned, among other medals, a Purple Heart. When he passed away in 2010, I found a news clipping from 1980 tucked in a drawer. It was folded, yellowed, and dog-eared.
Read more
The Israelites' hearts were hardened by their hardships in the desert. Though they saw His mighty deeds, in their thirst they grumbled and put God to the test in today's First Reading -- a crisis point recalled also in today's Psalm.
Read moreThe 17th Annual Social Justice Convocation begins at 8 a.m. on March 14 at Boston College High School. This annual tradition began in 2009 under the leadership of Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley, Msgr. Bryan Hehir, the archdiocese's secretary of health and social services, and Pat Dineen, founder of the Social Justice Ministry. The first year's program was titled "In the Footsteps of Christ." This year's goals remain the same as then: educate the faithful on Catholic Social Teaching, celebrate and increase awareness of existing justice work within the archdiocese, and provide concrete ways for parishioners to connect their faith with social action.
Read more
If you're like me, you were impressed by the athletes of the Milan-Cortina Olympics. In them, we witnessed both the rewards of hard work and the traumatizing effects of extreme expectation. It's hard to believe that most of these athletes were just teens and young adults.
Read more
Q: In a recent homily, my parish priest suggested that we all "give up prayers of petition for Lent." He said we're not being good friends to God if all we do is ask him for things, and that "you've all said enough prayers of petition, it's time to say some other prayers." But I'm not sure exactly what he meant by this or how I should incorporate this guidance into my prayer life.
Read more
Not long ago, I was sorting through some of my Dad's old papers and I came across a candy wrapper and a Father's Day card tucked into an envelope that bore a March 2001 postmark from Rome. As soon as I saw it, it brought back happy memories of a sabbatical I spent living and working in Rome for several spring months.
Read more
Ex 17:3-7 Ps 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9 Rom 5:1-2, 5-8 Jn 4:5-42 Preaching on this story from John's Gospel, I like how St. Augustine put it. Describing the dialogue between Jesus and the Samaritan woman, he said that the Lord was "little by little finding a way into her heart."
Read more
Catholic schools are at their best when they help bring the Gospel to life -- not simply by teaching Scripture and what the Church believes, but by making the Gospel and Church teaching accessible. Each class, practice, game, service project, or other activity is an opportunity to see faith in action. True formation involves developing intellect while also engaging the heart. Our faith is alive and not just words on a page.
Read more
The task for implementing the liturgical reform decreed by the Second Vatican Council fell to Pope St. Paul VI. The same process had been followed by the Council of Trent, entrusting the reform to Pope St. Pius V. Each of the sainted popes, in turn, handed the work of the reform to various papally appointed groups of experts. After Vatican II, the general group was called the "Consilium ad Exsequendam Constitutionem de Sacra Liturgia" or the Council for the Implementation of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy. Usually shorthanded as the "Consilium," it was composed of several subcommittees, each called a coetus, and they were numbered.
Read moreAlmost 100 years ago, on Feb. 13, 1926, The Pilot published its weekly issue with the headline "Cardinal Condemns Principle of Universal Compulsory Prohibition." The accompanying article continues by summarizing an interview with Cardinal William H. O'Connell regarding "the true Catholic standpoint" on the issue of universal compulsory prohibition of alcohol use. Feeling that the position of the Church had been misrepresented, Cardinal O'Connell took this opportunity to set the record straight. Drawing from a contemporary article, "Catholics and the Prohibitionists," published in The London Tablet on Jan. 22, 1926, the cardinal espouses Catholic principles to state his case: "'Abusus non tollit usum' (The abuse of a thing does not destroy its use)."
Read more
Over the last 50 years, a number of interesting scientific studies have demonstrated that the capacity to exercise control over desires is a key element to living in a physically and emotionally healthy way. Some of these studies placed a food treat before young children, inviting them to consume the treat now or wait for a brief period and receive a larger or more attractive treat. In the follow-up with the children in later years, that capacity for self-restraint at its most basic level was frequently associated with better and longer-lasting relationships as well as achievement in academic and professional life.
Read more
Anyone who knows me will tell you that I have a very sensitive startle reflex. Loud noises or unexpected shoulder taps are known to make me jump. If "startle-jumping" were an Olympic sport, I'd be a gold medal contender. So, as I sit listening to the howling, almost hurricane-force winds of Winter Storm Hernando, I am getting in a lot of training. Tree branches and debris hit my windows regularly. Because the snowfall is so heavy, it's near whiteout conditions. Each thud is a surprise.
Read more
Today's Gospel portrays Jesus as a new and greater Moses. Moses also took three companions up a mountain and on the seventh day was overshadowed by the shining cloud of God's presence. He, too, spoke with God, and his face and clothing were made radiant in the encounter (see Exodus 24, 34).
Read more
Gn 12:1-4a Ps 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22 2 Tm 1:8b-10 Mt 17:1-9 So what are we doing on a mountaintop in the early days of Lent? Just last week, we were with Jesus in the desert, as he faced temptations from Satan. Recalling Christ's 40 days in the wilderness, amid hunger and insecurity and cravings for comfort, we began our own 40-day journey through the wilderness of Lent (though, frankly, for many of us the most challenging temptation is nothing more daunting than resisting a Big Mac on Friday.)
Read more
Q: I think the Catholic Church's Lenten discipline is kind of a joke. Specifically, Friday abstinence really isn't that tough since most people aren't going to suffer if they can't have meat for one day a week. Why doesn't the Church require something more demanding, like omitting all animal products on days of penance, or fasting on only bread and water?
Read moreThis last year, the world watched as the cardinals gathered in Rome for the election of a new pope, the 267th bishop of Rome. New York recently received a new archbishop, and Denver is preparing for one, as well. We are witnessing apostolic succession in action, extending an unbroken chain of bishops back to the apostles, who were appointed directly by Our Lord. Jesus established the Church, literally the "assembly," as a relational network to draw the nations to himself.
Read more
The thing about Mardi Gras in New Orleans is the scale of what happens here. Two weekends ago, I went to eight parades. I saw 277 floats from four different artistic design and construction companies, carrying nearly 10,000 thousand riders, throwing tens of thousands of trinkets to the crowds, flanked by dozens of marching bands and other costumed groups who dance, roller-skate or ride bicycles, motorcycles and even motorized recliners (I kid you not!) down the nearly five-mile route.
Read more
In English grammar class, did you dread getting your papers returned with so much red ink on them that you couldn't believe the teacher had that much ink? Well, if you look at the Roman Canon, you will see lots of red ink; it is also in a smaller type than the rest of the text, which is in black and a larger font. But these are not corrections but directions. For the most part, these are for the principal celebrant, but there are a few for the rest of the assembly.
Read more120 years ago, on Feb. 21, 1906, Bishop William H. O'Connell was named coadjutor bishop of Boston with the right to succeed Archbishop John J. Williams. Behind the scenes, there had been a years-long struggle for who would succeed Archbishop Williams. In his scholarly work on Cardinal O'Connell, the historian James O'Toole has noted that the system for the selection of bishops in the early 1900s was one that could be easily influenced. "Ambitious prelates could lobby for advancement and succeed, because they only needed to persuade a handful of officials in Rome to secure the prize," he wrote in a 2003 Boston Globe article. "O'Connell recognized the possibilities of this system early on. He spent his five years (1901-1906) as bishop of Portland, Maine, actively campaigning for promotion to Boston, funneling large contributions to numerous Vatican causes, and loudly protesting that he was more loyal to the papacy than anyone else."
Read more
Who among us would disagree? This truth is central to our lives as Christian disciples. I wonder, though, if this truth is so obvious that we sometimes forget the profound consequences of proclaiming it?
Read more
Most people who know me will tell you that I have a fascination with saints. I think of them as my friends in heaven and look to them for their intercession in matters large and small. Praying that thunder and lightning don't knock out the power? Saint Barbara is on the case -- her persecutor was killed by a lightning bolt. Needing guidance during a thorny family issue? Turn in prayer to Saint Eugene de Mazenod, who himself experienced the trouble. Experiencing writer's block? My go-to hero in heaven is Saint Francis de Sales, who helps to inspire patience during such times.
Read more
In today's Liturgy, the destiny of the human race is told as the tale of two "types" of men -- the first man, Adam, and the new Adam, Jesus (see 1 Corinthians 15:21-22; 45-59). Paul's argument in the Epistle is built on a series of contrasts between "one" or "one person" and "the many" or "all." By one person's disobedience, sin and condemnation entered the world, and death came to reign over all. By the obedience of another one, grace abounded, all were justified, and life came to reign for all.
Read more
Two days in early February, one beautiful and one tragic, forced me to think deeply on the meaning and nature of compassion. First, the beautiful. Feb. 11, the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, was also the 34th World Day of the Sick. For the occasion, Pope Leo XIV issued a message focusing on compassion.
Read more
In April 1963, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. sat in jail in Birmingham, Alabama. Famously committed to non-violence, Rev. King was arrested after leading a peaceful march of Black protesters who were urging a boycott of white-owned stores in the deeply segregated city.
Read more
Q: I've read a lot recently about how the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) is planning to ordain new bishops this summer, with or without the pope's permission. Why is this such a problem, if the SSPX are all validly ordained anyways?
Read more
1 Pet 5:1-4 Ps 23:1-3a, 4, 5, 6 Mt 16:18 Mt 16:13-19 Lent calls for a return to the basics. On Ash Wednesday, for instance, we are exhorted to give alms, to pray, to fast (Mt 6:1-6, 16-18). These simple commands come directly from the Lord, from the Sermon on the Mount.
Read more