Photo Reuters THEY are words that, just a little under a year later, continue to echo throughout the Church and the world: “Who am I to judge?” They were Pope Francis’ response to a question posed to him regarding the “gay lobby” in the Church. Those words have become a battle cry: […]
NOW WORD ON MASS READINGSfor March 4th, 2014Opt. Memorial for St. Casimir Liturgical texts here THE fulfillment of God’s Covenant with His people, which will be fully realized in the Wedding Feast of the Lamb, has progressed throughout millennia like a spiral that becomes smaller and smaller as time goes on. […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for February 28th, 2014 Liturgical texts here No Compromise – Daniel in the Lions Den, Briton Rivière (1840-1920) FRANKLY, “ecumenism” is not a word that invokes a lot of positive connotations. It has often been associated with interdenominational Masses, watered down theology, and other abuses in the […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for February 27th, 2014 Liturgical texts here WE cannot speak of “evangelization”, we cannot utter the word “ecumenism”, we cannot move toward “unity” until the spirit of worldliness has been exorcised from the body of Christ. Worldliness is compromise; compromise is adultery; adultery is idolatry; and idolatry, […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for February 26th, 2014 Liturgical texts here I was in the grocery store the other day, and there was a Muslim woman at the till. I told her I was a Catholic, and was wondering what she thought of the magazine rack and all the immodesty in […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for February 25th, 2014 Liturgical texts here EVEN before the Church was conceived from the pierced Heart of Jesus and birthed at Pentecost, there was division and infighting. After 2000 years, not much has changed. Once again, in today’s Gospel, we see how the Apostles cannot comprehend […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for February 24th, 2014 Liturgical texts here ECUMENISM. Now there’s a word that, ironically, can start wars. Over the weekend, those subscribed to my weekly reflections received The Coming Wave of Unity. It speaks of the coming unity that Jesus prayed for—that we would “all be one”—and […]
ON THE FEAST OF THE CHAIR OF ST. PETER FOR two weeks, I have sensed the Lord repeatedly encouraging me to write about ecumenism, the movement toward Christian unity. At one point, I felt the Spirit prompt me to go back and read the “The Petals”, those four foundational writings from which everything else […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for February 20th, 2014 Liturgical texts here Peter’s Denial, by Michael D. O’Brien ONE of the greatest dangers to the Christian life is the desire to please people rather than God. It is a temptation that has followed Christians since the Apostles fled the garden and Peter […]
THE image above pretty much sums up how unbelievers today approach the central message of the Gospel in our contemporary culture. From Late Night talk shows to Saturday Night live to The Simpsons, Christianity is routinely mocked, the Scriptures belittled, and the central message of the Gospel, that “Jesus saves” or “God so loved […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for February 7th, 2014 Liturgical texts here SOMETHING strange and seemingly foreign began spreading through Catholic churches in the 1970’s. All of a sudden certain parishioners began raising their hands at Mass. And there were these meetings happening in the basement where people were singing songs, but […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for February 6th, 2014Memorial of Saint Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs Liturgical texts here O, to be at the bedside of King David, to hear what he would say in his dying moments. This was a man who lived and breathed a desire to walk with His […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for February 3rd, 2014 Liturgical texts here A “performance” at the 2014 Grammy Awards ST. Basil wrote that, Among the angels, some are set in charge of nations, others are companions of the faithful… —Adversus Eunomium, 3:1; The Angels and Their Missions, Jean Daniélou, S. J., p. […]
THE media continues to roll out its rather brutal comparisons between Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict. This time, Rolling Stone magazine has jumped into the fray, describing Francis’ pontificate as a ‘Gentle Revolution,’ whilst stating that Pope Benedict is… …a staunch traditionalist who looked like he should be wearing a striped shirt […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for January 31st, 201Memorial of St. John Bosco, Priest Liturgical texts here Rusty Crucifix, by Jeffrey Knight “WHEN the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” It’s a rather haunting question. What could possibly bring about such a condition whereby the greater part of […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for January 30th, 2014 Liturgical texts here SOMETIMES I look down the narrow, darkening road of the future, and I find myself crying out, “Jesus! Give me the courage to go down this path.” In times like these, I am tempted to tone down my message, taper […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for January 27th, 2014Opt. Memorial St. Angela Merici Liturgical texts here WHEN David marched on Jerusalem, the inhabitants at that time shouted: You cannot enter here: the blind and the lame will drive you away! David, of course, is an Old Testament type of Christ. And indeed, […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for January 25th, 2014Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle Liturgical texts here THERE is believed by many saints and mystics in the Church to be an event coming known as the “Illumination”: a moment when God will reveal to everyone in the world at once […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for January 24th, 2014Memorial of St. Francis de Sales Liturgical texts here WHAT the Church needs most today, said Pope Francis, “is the ability to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful… I see the church as a field hospital after battle.” [1]cf. americamagazine.org, […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for January 23rd, 2014 Liturgical texts here ONE of the giants of our time whose head has grown extraordinarily large is narcissism. In a word, it is self-absorption. One could even argue that this has now become self-worship, or what I call “iWorship.” St. Paul gives a […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for January 22th, 2014Memorial of St. Vincent Liturgical texts here HOW do we slay the giants in our day of atheism, individualism, narcissism, utilitarianism, Marxism and all the other “isms” that have brought humanity to the point of self-destructing? David answers in today’s first reading: It is […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for January 18th, 2014 Liturgical texts here WE are often unhappy because we are looking for fulfillment in all the wrong places. St. Justin searched in the philosophies, Augustine in materialism, Teresa of Avila in fictional books, Faustina in dancing, Bartolo Longo in satanism, Adam and Eve […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for January 17th, 2014Memorial of Abbot St. Anthony Liturgical texts here THROUGHOUT salvation history, what draws the disciplinary intervention of the Father is not sin, but a refusal to turn from it. So the idea that—if you step out of line, stumble and sin—it will draw down […]
FRANCIS, AND THE COMING PASSION OF THE CHURCHPART II by Ron DiCianni EIGHT years ago, I had a powerful experience before the Blessed Sacrament [1]cf. About Mark where I felt the Lord asked me to put my music ministry second and begin to “watch” and “speak” of the things He would show me. Under […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for January 11th, 2014 Liturgical texts here MOST of the time, when we witness for Christ, we are going to be confronted with having to love the unlovable. By this I mean that we all have our “moments,” occasions when we are not very lovable at all. […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for January 10th, 2014 Liturgical texts here Artist Unknown THERE has been a lot of teaching on evangelization in this week’s reflections, but it all comes down to this: letting the message of Christ’s love penetrate, challenge, change, and transform you. Otherwise, the imperative of evangelizing will […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for January 9th, 2014 Liturgical texts here JUST when you would perhaps expect God to send prophets wielding thunderbolts warning that this generation will be destroyed unless we repent… He instead raises up a young Polish nun to deliver a message, timed for this very hour:
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for January 8th, 2014 Liturgical texts here Christ Walking on Water, Julius von Klever PART of a reader’s response to yesterday’s Now Word, Love Beyond the Surface: What you said is very true… But I think the sole focus of the Church since Vatican II has been […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for January 7th, 2014 Liturgical texts here Photo by Claudia Peri, EPA/Landov RECENTLY, someone wrote asking advice for what to do in situations with people who reject the Faith: I know we are to be ministering and helping our family in Christ, but when people tell me […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for January 6th, 2014 Liturgical texts here “The Running Nuns”, Daughters of Mary Mother of Healing Love THERE is much talk among the “remnant” of refuges and safe havens—places where God will protect His people during coming persecutions. Such an idea is firmly rooted in the Scriptures […]
DEAR brothers, sisters, beloved priests, and friends in Christ. I want to take a moment at the beginning of this year to update you on this ministry and also take a moment to thank you. I have spent time over the holidays reading as many letters as I can that have been sent […]
THERE are many hopeful things developing in the Church, most of them quietly, still very much hidden from view. On the other hand, there are many troubling things on the horizon of humanity as we enter 2014. These too, though not as hidden, are lost on most people whose source of information remains […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for December 20th, 2013 Liturgical texts here SAME angel. Same news: beyond all possible odds, a baby is going to be born. In yesterday’s Gospel, it would be John the Baptist; in today’s, it is Jesus Christ. But how Zechariah and the Virgin Mary responded to the […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for December 19th, 2013 Liturgical texts here The attack on a group of men praying outside a Cathedral, St. Juan Argentina I recently watched the film Prisoners, a story about the abduction of two children and the attempts of the fathers and police to find them. As […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for December 17th, 2013 Liturgical texts here THERE is a powerful moment of drama in one of St. John’s visions in the Book of Revelation. After hearing the Lord chastise the seven churches, warning, exhorting, and preparing them for His coming, [1]cf. Rev 1:7 St. John is […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for December 16th, 2013 Liturgical texts here Christ in the Temple, by Heinrich Hoffman WHAT would you think if I could tell you who the President of the United States will be five hundred years from now, including what signs will precede his birth, where he will […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for December 14th, 2013Memorial of St. John of the Cross Liturgical texts here THE most difficult and painful thing any parent can face, aside from losing their child, is their child losing their faith. I have prayed with thousands of people over the years, and the most […]
First snow in Cairo, Egypt in 100 years, AFP-Getty Images SNOW in Cairo? Ice in Israel? Sleet in Syria? For several years now, the world has watched as natural earth events ravage various regions from place to place. But is there a link to what is also happening in society en masse: the […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for December 13th, 2013Memorial of St. Lucy Liturgical texts here SOMETIMES I find the comments beneath a news story as interesting as the story itself—they are a bit like a barometer indicating the advance of the Great Storm in our times (though weeding through the foul language, […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for December 9th, 2013Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Liturgical texts here IT would be easy to hear today’s Mass readings and, because it is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, apply them solely to Mary. But the Church has carefully chosen these […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for December 8th, 2013Second Sunday of Advent Liturgical texts here “YES, we should love our enemies and pray for their conversions,” she agreed. “But I am angry over those who destroy innocence and goodness.” As I finished up a meal I was sharing with my hosts after […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for December 7th, 2013Memorial of St. Ambrose Liturgical texts here All the Lonely People, by Emmanuel Borja IF there were ever a time when, as we read in the Gospel, people are “troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd,” it is our time, on so many levels. […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for December 5th, 2013 Liturgical texts here ISAIAH writes: A strong city have we; he sets up walls and ramparts to protect us. Open up the gates to let in a nation that is just, one that keeps faith. A nation of firm purpose you keep in […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for December 3rd, 2013Memorial of St. Francis Xavier Liturgical texts here ISAIAH gives such a consoling vision of the future that one could be forgiven for suggesting it is a mere “pipe dream.” After the purification of the earth by “the rod of [the Lord’s] mouth, and […]
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS for December 1st, 2013 First Sunday of Advent Liturgical texts here THE book of Isaiah—and this Advent—begins with a beautiful vision of a coming Day when “all nations” will stream to the Church to be fed from her hand the life-giving teachings of Jesus. According to the […]