Divine Mercy Sunday
Today, the Second Sunday in the Octave of Easter, is also known as Divine Mercy Sunday. But what is the Divine Mercy? In short, it’s a scandal, perhaps best summed up by Christ’s teaching of the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). We are sinners and turn away from God, but God in His great mercy pours his love […]
» Read moreSailing to Byzantium
On this day in 1204, one of the worst atrocities against Christendom was perpetrated by … Christians. I refer, of course, to the sack of Constantinople. This atrocity was committed to satisfy Venetian commercial interests, who were owed a great deal of money by the Crusaders for transportation. In so doing, they destroyed one of the great bulwarks against the […]
» Read moreA Great Lake of Beer for the King of Kings
These quotes were published by St. Peter’s List. They’re too good not to share. The sense behind these is pervasive throughout much of Catholicism. God created the world, and it is good. The Catholic Church is like a thick steak, a glass of red wine, and a good cigar. (G.K. Chesterton) In Catholicism, the pint, the pipe and the Cross […]
» Read moreAlleluia!
Exsultet!
[audio:http://www.thomryng.com/amateurmonk/audio/exsultet.mp3] Exult, let them exult, the hosts of heaven, exult, let Angel ministers of God exult, let the trumpet of salvation sound aloud our mighty King’s triumph! Be glad, let earth be glad, as glory floods her, ablaze with light from her eternal King, let all corners of the earth be glad, knowing an end to gloom and darkness. Rejoice, […]
» Read moreGod is Dead
Today is Good Friday: the commemoration of the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ at Calvary. Ecce lignum Crucis, in quo salus mundi pepéndit. Veníte adorémus. Behold the wood of the Cross, on which hung the salvation of the world. Come let us adore. (Missale Romanum: Friday of the Passion of the Lord) He was condemned by his own people, […]
» Read moreWhy Is this Friday “Good”?
Cardinal Dolan answers the question in less than four minutes. He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; Upon Him was the chastisement that made us whole, And with His stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)
» Read moreHoly Thursday: Not Just Crackers
Our Lenten pilgrimage comes to its end this evening, as we celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. This celebration commemerates the institution of the Eucharist, the source and summit of Church life. Unlike most Protestants, the Catholic and Orthodox (and others of the Apostolic Tradition) believe that God is really there, wholly present in the consecrated bread and wine. […]
» Read moreA Great Cloud of Witnesses
On this anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I thought I’d tackle the question “are there non-Catholic saints?” Seems like a simple question. First off, what’s a saint exactly? We turn to our trusty Catechism once more and find the following: 823 “The Church . . . is held, as a matter of faith, to be […]
» Read moreStay Awake!
A copy of this icon, called “Christ the Bridegroom”, hangs in my office above my desk. In the Eastern Catholic (and Orthodox) tradition, this icon is associated with the Office known as Bridegroom Matins. Bridegroom Matins is a service held the first three or four evenings of Holy Week, and it commemorates the last days in the earthly life of […]
» Read moreHosanna!
This weekend, Holy Week begins with the Sunday of Lord’s triumphal entry into Jersusalem – Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion. Although Good Friday is coming – the Passion and Death are coming – for the moment, this moment, joy resounds as our King arrives in His city. In most parishes throughout the world, the principal Mass is celebrated by […]
» Read moreMother of Sorrows
Our Lenten pilgrimage is nearing its end; this is the last Friday before Good Friday, and we can see Palm Sunday just around the corner. On the old calendar, today is the Commemoration of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In this guise, Mary is known as the Mother of Sorrows (Mater Dolorosa, or just Dolorosa). Though this […]
» Read morePray for Unity
Via the inestimable Fr. Z comes a Communiqué from the SSPX asking for prayers: Communiqué from the General House of the Society of Saint Pius X Since the meeting on March 16, 2012, with Cardinal William Levada, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Bishop Bernard Fellay, Superior General of the Society of St. Pius X, has […]
» Read moreBasic Religious Freedom
This afternoon at Mass, the priest took the rather unusual step of preaching the Pope’s homily from his Mass in Cuba. He said that although it was intended as a call to arms for those suffering under the Cuban-Castro-Communist regime, it might just as well be a wake-up call to us here in the United States. Here’s the part he […]
» Read moreA Joke for a Tuesday Morning
Two men considering a religious vocation were having a conversation. “What is similar about the Jesuit and Dominican Orders?” the one asked. The second replied, “Well, they were both founded by Spaniards — St. Dominic for the Dominicans, and St. Ignatius of Loyola for the Jesuits. They were also both founded to combat heresy — the Dominicans to fight the […]
» Read moreYes
The mercy of God is a scandal – Christ offers His infinite mercy to every worst kind of sinner, excluding no one. This eternal upwelling of mercy overflows, cascading upon the whole of the human race. It extends to murderers. It extends to rapists. It extends to thieves, and liars, and stalkers, and vandals. It extends to tax collectors and […]
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