La Cuaresma inicia todos los años con la lectura de dos pasajes del evangelio en la misa: el primer domingo de Cuaresma la tentación de Jesús en el desierto y el segundo domingo la transfiguración. El primer pasaje describe a Jesús en el desierto, hambriento y tentado.  Sentimos compasión por él y somos testigos de su humanidad. El segundo pasaje describe a Jesús en la cima de una montaña, radiante y glorioso. Sentimos entusiasmo por él y somos testigos de... Read more

I wonder if Saint Paul was meditating on the parable we just heard proclaimed when he wrote: “Whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.  And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ.” The son who was lost becomes a new creation by the power of the father’s unconditional, reconciling love. This parable may be the best known of the whole Bible, perhaps... Read more

Have you noticed an inconsistency in the news about how long it has been since a Pope resigned?  This is because a distinction must be made: the last one to resign freely and the last one to be forced to resign. The last Pope to resign freely was Celestine V in 1294. Gregory XII on the other hand was forced to resign in 1415.  I have written a brief history connecting both Popes since they are both connected by a... Read more

I will always remember the moment Pope Benedict XVI was elected Pope.  Right before noon Mass in college the priest announced white smoke had already been spotted coming from the Sistine Chapel, but that the new Pope had not been announced yet.  Immediately after Mass I went to the student center and sat in front of the television until the words came, “Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum Habemus Papam. Eminentissimum ac Reverendissimum Dominum, Dominum Josephum Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae Cardinalem Ratzinger qui... Read more

Here is the text of Pope Benedict XVI’s last Wednesday audience at Saint Peter Square.  An estimated 200,000 filled the square and the Via della Conciliazione.  More insightful passages are in bold. Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate and in the Priesthood! Distinguished Authorities! Dear brothers and sisters! Thank you for coming in such large numbers to this last General Audience of my pontificate. Like the Apostle Paul in the biblical text that we have heard, I feel in my heart... Read more

Today’s station church is named after the fourth bishop of Rome, Saint Clement, who lived in the late first century.  Clement is well known for having written a letter to the church of Corinth replying to their request for guidance in resolving internal affairs.  In the letter Clement mentions the “sudden and successive calamitous events” the church of Rome has lived, singling out the executions of Saints Peter and Paul.  Of interest also is his mention of Saint Paul traveling... Read more

  This is Pope Benedict XVI’s final Sunday Angelus address at Saint Peter Square, Vatican City. The final paragraph is a must read. On the second Sunday of Lent, the liturgy always presents us with the Gospel of the Transfiguration of the Lord. The evangelist Luke places particular emphasis on the fact that Jesus was transfigured as he prayed: his is a profound experience of relationship with the Father during a sort of spiritual retreat that Jesus lives on a... Read more

This beautiful church in a beautiful area of Rome not often visited by tourists, Santa Maria in Domnica has the distinction of being one of Rome’s ancient diaconias, a distribution center of food and assistance for the poor.  Each diaconia was overseen by one of Rome’s seven deacons. A tradition tells that on the location of the church once stood the house of the wealthy Roman Cyriaca from where Saint Lawrence, one of Rome’s martyred deacons, would distribute alms to... Read more

Last week, the Gospel passage placed Jesus in the desert, hungry and tempted.  We felt compassion for him; we experienced a glimpse of his humanity. Today’s Gospel passage places Jesus on a mountaintop, dazzling and glorious.  We feel excitement for him; we experience a glimpse of his divinity. What a contrast.  Is it contradictory?  Not at all.  Actually, you cannot have one without the other. These two Gospel passages together describe the Lenten experience.  Lent is a time to meditate... Read more

Last week, the Gospel passage placed Jesus in the desert, hungry and tempted.  We felt compassion for him; we experienced a glimpse of his humanity. Today’s Gospel passage places Jesus on a mountaintop, dazzling and glorious.  We feel excitement for him; we experience a glimpse of his divinity. What a contrast.  Is it contradictory?  Not at all.  Actually, you cannot have one without the other. These two Gospel passages together describe the Lenten experience.  Lent is a time to meditate... Read more