In opening Mass of the ongoing Novena to the Mother of God for Our Nation, Bishop James D. Conley said, on the feast of the archangels: Our vocation is to join the angels in their spiritual battle against evil. Our call is to share in their work. St. Paul exhorted the Ephesians to remember, that “our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities and powers…against the spirits of wickedness in high places.” Our work to defend... Read more
Job provides some inspiration in today’s first reading: one day, while his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their eldest brother, a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were ploughing and the asses grazing beside them, and the Sabeans carried them off in a raid. They put the herdsmen to the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” While he was yet speaking, another came and said, “Lightning has... Read more
The theme of World Communications Day in May has been announced by the Pontifical Council of Social Communications: “Social Networks: portals of truth and faith; new spaces for evangelization.” In a statement, the Council provides a worthwhile, challenging reflection: During a time in which technology has emerged as part of the fabric of connectivity of human experiences, such as relationships and knowledge, we need to ask: can it help men and women meet Christ in faith? It is not enough... Read more
Catholic schools and Catholicism come up during my chats with Mike and Chip Flaherty, the execs at Walden Media behind the movie Won’t Back Down, out today. Read more
By remembering that “Jesus calls us to a unity of life — to a faith that embraces all of life,” Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles advises. In his most recent column for the archdiocesan paper, he writes: we owe God the duty of our sincere and true faith. That means we can never allow our beliefs to be watered-down. We can’t forget about the Church’s teachings and the demands of God’s law when we are engaged in our... Read more
Today’s Angelus message ought to make everyone feel a little less lost. Reflecting on Matthew’s gospels, Pope Benedict said: reading this part of the story of Mark, it is clear that between Jesus and the disciples there is a deep interior distance; they are, so to speak, on two different wavelengths, so that the discourses of the Master are not understood, or are understood only superficially. The apostle Peter, after having shown his faith in Jesus, was permitted to reprove... Read more
I was just on The Catholic Channel, Sirius XM Channel 129, to announce the new radio show I’ll be co-hosting this fall with Steve Bannon. It’s called Silent Radio — how’s that for counterintuitive? The title is inspired by B16’s World Communications Day message this year, where he talked about the importance of silence in communications, of prayer and reflection. In the message, the pope wrote: Silence is an integral element of communication; in its absence, words rich in content... Read more
Catholic Voices USA, a group I am working with my friend Kim Daniels (among others) on to help get more young, fresh, faithful Catholics making the case for the Catholic Church in the public square, will be hosting a series of evening discussions in October on soon-to-be canonized Saint Hildegard of Bingen at the Catholic Information Center in Washington, D.C. So I’m looking for fans and students of this Doctor of the Church to share with me some of their... Read more
From St. Therese of Lisieux: We have only short moments of this life to work for God’s glory. The devil knows this and this is why he tries to make us waste time in useless things. O, let us not waste our time! Let us save souls! Read more
From a homily at a Mass for families in 1986: To wed, for two Christians, is first and foremost an act of faith; it is a way to transfer their human love into the supernatural order, it is an entrusting of their love to God, so that God himself will take it into his care, guaranteeing it with his grace and his benediction. According to the very words of the divine Master, it is not so much that they are... Read more
Kathryn Lopez
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