Echoes - A forum of Catholic thought. The Opinion section of thebostonpilot.com

March 17, 2023Faith

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 ...

Faith & Family

Practicing 'Masika' this LentMaureen Crowley Heil

In Chipata, Zambia, the faithful of St. John the Baptist outstation gather midweek to hold a special "Masika" Mass. This special harvest celebration is held to give thanks -- zikomo in the local language ...

Faith & Family

Going withoutJaymie Stuart Wolfe

Fasting is everywhere, and it's trending. Intermittent fasting has become the single most popular approach to a healthy diet. Somehow, eating for only eight hours each day is making a difference for ...

Spirituality

The gift of friendship with our LordMichael Pakaluk

I wonder that Our Lord says on Holy Thursday, "No longer do I call you servants, ... I have called you friends" (Jn 15:15). He had spent three years with them. They went through many things together. ...

Faith & Family

'Annunciation': Salvation and the words of the airBishop Robert Reed

Perhaps you're like me -- I just love Christmas and though the liturgical calendar moves on as it must, I'm always sad to see it go. Like the reformed Ebenezer Scrooge, I try to hang on to it ...

Culture & Events

A somber anniversaryGeorge Weigel

March 13 ought to have been a happy day in Rome. But the mood in and around Vatican City before, during, and after the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis's election was more somber than festive -- and ...

Culture & Events

Can the Eucharist save civilization?Dr. R. Jared Staudt

We often repeat that the Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. What happens when this source and summit has been rejected by a majority of Catholics? We received a wakeup call from ...

Faith & Family

Praying for Pope FrancisFather Roger J. Landry

Ten years ago this Monday, March 13, at 8:22 p.m. Rome time, the 266th Peter walked out for the first time onto the Balcony of Blessing in the center of the faÇade of St. Peter's Basilica in ...

Faith & Family

Do we relax our Lenten fasts on Sunday?Jenna Marie Cooper

Q: I understand that the 40 days of Lent do not include Sundays, because every Sunday is a "little Easter" when we remember and celebrate Jesus' resurrection. I hear people say it is "cheating" if one ...