Emmanuel, God with us, means that the Word of God, the love of God, has taken flesh in you and me.
Read moreCategory: Viewpoint
Viewpoint: Recovering the Notion of Original Sin
The transition from the Sin of Adam to the Grace of Christ is not a matter of a few minutes of ritual.
Read moreViewpoint: Rediscovering the Authentic Catholic Vision of Purgatory
The pain of purgatory, then, is not the pain of divine punishment and wrath, but the pain of growth and transformation, the pain of breaking out of the old self into the new.
Read moreViewpoint: On Praying the Psalms on Behalf of the World
What does it mean to pray this Psalm when life is experienced as positive, fulfilled, and happy, and the supplicant has a strong sense of the closeness of God? – M. Francis Mannion
Read moreViewpoint: By the Age of Ten, Young Catholics Are Losing Their Faith
Viewpoint: Should Mass Be Celebrated with the Priest Facing Away from the People?
It would be unwise to change the post-Vatican II practice now. It would cause confusion and irritation. So, I will not start celebrating Mass facing away from the people on the first Sunday of Advent.
Read moreViewpoint: Bishop Robert Barron a Great Gift to the Church
Barron has lamented what he calls the “beige Catholicism” that developed after Vatican II (not because of Vatican II!). By this he meant a watered-down understanding of Catholicism that lacked conviction and was minimalistic in content and tone. “Beige Catholicism” sadly led to a colorless style of catechesis and liturgical practice.
Read moreViewpoint: How Christians Can Deal with the Experience of Suffering
We are participants in God’s gift by being with the sick person, not primarily by talking or offering explanations of sickness and dying.
Read moreViewpoint: News and Commentary Items That Caught My Attention Recently
Whether God sends terror attacks; rock star Bono’s advice for church composers; going to hell in a hand basket.
Read moreViewpoint: Why Lay Liturgical Ministers Should Wear Albs at Mass
At the parishes at which I have served, I have observed EMs wearing tennis shoes, jeans, shorts, and flip-flops. At one parish an EM was wearing a Bryce Canyon sweat shirt.
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