“At the heart of today’s Gospel (Mk 7, 31-37) there is a small but, very important word. A word that – in its deepest meaning- sums up the whole message and the whole work of Christ. The Evangelist Mark writes it in the same language that Jesus pronounced it in, so that it is even more alive to us. This word is “Ephphatha,” which means, “be opened.” Let us look at the context in which it is located. Jesus was... Read more
That’s how Dean Obeidallah begins this opinion piece, and he has a point: Attention white Anglo-Saxon Protestants: Your days of running things are over. You have jumped the shark. But there’s no need to feel bad for WASPs. They’ve had an amazing run. Every single president in our nation’s history, except for John F. Kennedy — a Catholic — and Barack Obama, has been a white Protestant. Except for a handful of exceptions, for over 200 years the presidential nominees... Read more
Details: Sue Paterno’s dream came to fruition Saturday morning while she was surrounded by close friends and family. The Suzanne Pohland Paterno Catholic Student Faith Center was dedicated and opened at 10 a.m. during a Eucharistic celebration and blessing ceremony. The Paternos helped to raise the money for the $6.5 million structure. Paterno’s children and grandchildren came to support her and watch the opening of the first Catholic student center at Penn State. “This will be a great place for... Read more
Last night was evidently the first time she’s performed this song in public: “Ronan” is dedicated to a 4-year-old boy who died last year of neuroblastoma. Swift, 22, wrote the song after reading the blog of Ronan’s mother, Maya Thompson, who is credited as a co-writer. According to a person familiar with the show, but who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak, the song has never been performed in public. After the telethon, it... Read more
A new report casts the question of artificial birth control into a new light—and suggests a leading problem isn’t dogma, but disinformation. Once again, bad catechesis rears its ugly head. Details: While the data indicates that most Catholic women do not fully support the Church’s teachings on contraception, the results also do not show the sweeping rejection of Church teaching the media portrays either. The picture is more nuanced. From the website, Women, Faith and Culture: Exploring What Catholic Women Think: Catholic Women... Read more
[Click here for readings] Reading this miracle story in Mark’s gospel this week, the first person I thought of was Sarah Churman. Sarah Churman was born 30 years ago completely deaf. All she could hear was something that sounded like a chain saw. Hearing aids didn’t help, but she was sensitive to vibrations. If someone wanted her attention, and she couldn’t see them, they’d have to stomp on the floor. In time, she managed to learn how to read lips,... Read more
You may remember I mentioned him recently in a homily. Now, at last, he’s out. The photo above shows him being reunited with his family outside the prison. Details: Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, who was originally sentenced to death in his native country for his Christian faith, was acquitted of apostasy charges and released from custody. Nadarkhani, 32, was imprisoned for three years and waiting execution for refusing to renounce his Christian faith. His charges were lowered to evangelizing to... Read more
As the anniversary approaches next week, the president has issued a proclamation and a call to prayer: President Barack Obama signed a proclamation released by the White House on Friday that the next three days (Friday through Sunday) will be National Days of Prayer and Remembrance in honor of the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks on U.S. soil. However, calling for three consecutive days of prayer is unusual from a historical and presidential perspective, says a National Day of... Read more
The Cardinal Archbishop of Washington has published a letter to men preparing for the priesthood that touches on a wide range of topics but stresses, first and foremost, fidelity. From the Archdiocesan vocation website, DC Priests: Your need to be well grounded in authentic Catholic teaching is important, first for your own participation in the great living, teaching tradition of the Church. One reason why you are required to take so many courses in Catholic teaching, history and philosophy is... Read more
I do a lot of this already… Read more
The Deacon's Bench
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In