From Rome Reports, the Holy Father is shown in this video washing the feet of 12 jailed teenagers —including two Muslims and two girls—and wearing the stole of a deacon. UPDATE: A couple readers have noted that it appears Pope Francis is actually wearing his priest’s stole, turned to one side. They suggest he did that to keep it out of the way and make the foot-washing easier. But it appears in the video that he is wearing a towel... Read more
From Vatican Radio: The Washing of the Feet, or Mandatum, is an integral part of the Holy Thursday liturgy, the Missa in Coena Domini, or Mass of Our Lord’s Supper, which opens the Easter Triduum The Washing of the Feet is a sign of service. Or as Pope Francis told about 40 young detainees gathered around him for Mass in an inner city detention center, it is “Christ’s caress, because Jesus came just for this, to serve us, to help... Read more
Patheos posed the question and asked for a 200-word answer. Okay. I’ll keep it simple. At bottom, it’s all about the stuff. Free stuff. Stuff like grace, inspiration, consolation, joy. Oh: and best of all, Jesus Christ himself, in the Eucharist. Old stuff. History. Tradition. Scripture. Latin. Mysterious stuff. Things I will spend a lifetime praying to understand, like the Eucharist, the Passion, the Trinity and, to top it all off, why God loves me in spite of myself. Beautiful... Read more
From the Vatican, the text of Pope Francis’ homily at today’s Chrism Mass: Dear Brothers and Sisters, This morning I have the joy of celebrating my first Chrism Mass as the Bishop of Rome. I greet all of you with affection, especially you, dear priests, who, like myself, today recall the day of your ordination. The readings of our Mass speak of God’s “anointed ones”: the suffering Servant of Isaiah, King David and Jesus our Lord. All three have this... Read more
A few people have commented on it, and I’ve noticed it, too: the new pope is getting to me. And in a good way. Something is happening. A man in my parish took communion to a homebound woman a few days ago, and all she could talk about was the new pope. “She told me she was so excited about him, she couldn’t sleep,” he said, amazed. “When was the last time anyone said that about a pope?” We’re struck... Read more
From the vault: my homily from Holy Thursday 2010: +++ Not long ago, The History Channel showed a documentary in which scientists attempted to create what may be the most realistic 3-D image of the face of Christ. They spent many months on the project, using sophisticated computer technology to craft the image from the Shroud of Turin. The result is the face of a young man with long hair, and a beard, and scars, and blood stains around his... Read more
CNS’s gifted producer Robert Duncan has put together this exceptional glimpse at the Franciscan spirituality that animates and inspires our new pope. Take a look. Among other things, it reminds me why I count among my favorite places in the world the tiny town of Assisi. Read more
A Cuban cardinal has shared Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio’s intervention during the pre-conclave General Congregation meetings: Cuba’s Catholic primate, Jaime Ortega, made public in Havana a manuscript with remarks made by Jorge Bergoglio about the mission of the church in a session before the conclave that elected him pope. The manuscript was presented “exclusively” to Cardinal Ortega by Bergoglio before the Argentine prelate became Pope Francis I, and the thinking it contains “could have guided the selection of the cardinals” on... Read more
A snapshot of our fractured world in 2013, from the Telegraph: British mourners are renting “professional sobbers” to blub at funerals to make people believe the deceased was really popular. For £45 an hour, the fake mourners can be rented to cry for the duration of a funeral service in order to swell the numbers at funerals. Ian Robertson, the founder of Rent-a-Mourner, in Braintree, Essex, admits the idea may be unfamiliar to the British, although the phenomenon is popular... Read more
From the vault: my homily from Holy Thursday 2010: +++ Not long ago, The History Channel showed a documentary in which scientists attempted to create what may be the most realistic 3-D image of the face of Christ. They spent many months on the project, using sophisticated computer technology to craft the image from the Shroud of Turin. The result is the face of a young man with long hair, and a beard, and scars, and blood stains around his... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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