If all we ever do to learn about God is to approach Him as an academic exercise, we may come to know about Him, but we will not come to know Him. In today’s gospel (Matthew 11:25-30), Jesus speaks of a relationship with Him to which He invites us that promises rest for the weary. In light of his other sayings, […]
Faith
The Faith of “Doubting” Thomas
“God is patient with our questions, our weakness, and our struggles, just as he was patient with Thomas.” It is tradition that St. Thomas was the only Apostle to leave the Roman Empire to preach the Gospel, traveling to Syria and Persia and then to India, as far south as the southwest region of Kerala. He was eventually martyred, fulfilling […]
The Power of Humility
If finding true peace within our souls is something one desires, and it should be, as it is an absolute prerequisite for effective prayer, then we need to ask, what is it that will allow us to establish ourselves in peace? When looking for guidance in Scripture, we can never go wrong by looking at the words spoken by Jesus […]
Lessons from the “hidden” Japanese Catholics
“We need the priesthood. We need the Eucharist. But what happens if those things are taken away?” The history of the Catholic Church in Japan is complex. For various reasons, the first missionaries had difficulty preaching the Gospel to the Japanese people. Their time in Japan was short – only a little more than forty years after Francis Xavier arrived […]
The Origin and Sacramental Nature of Marriage
Marriage is a principle and guiding theme throughout the Holy Scriptures. It is the symbol and sign of God’s sacred covenant with His people. The Creation and institution of marriage appears woven throughout the Bible, first at the beginning of Genesis and last in the book of Revelation 19:9, where it says “blessed are those who are invited to the […]
The Messiah’s Human Heart
“To love with a human heart is to accept the possibility of a broken human heart.” I stood on the Mount of Olives and looked across at Jerusalem, the skyline a mix of old and new. The light blue dome of the Holy Sepulchre seemed to almost touch the dominant gold Dome of the Rock, and the Western Wall was […]
Man’s Best Friend
Detail of Chair of St. Peter
Dnalor 01, Rom, Vatikan, Petersdom, Cathedra Petri (Bernini) 4, Detail, CC BY-SA 3.0
Despite what many dog lovers may believe, it turns out that man’s best friend is not our canine companions, although they are certainly high on the list. Instead, the greatest friend to man is someone most of us spend precious little time getting to know, and this ‘Person’ was someone whom Jesus Christ introduced us to before He ascended to […]
Eucharist—Will You Stay or Leave?
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ—Corpus Christi. Jesus began to prepare us for this great gift of the True Presence of His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Most Holy Eucharist when He performed the miracle of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes and by His Bread of Life Discourse. This teaching […]
Gratitude for the Eucharist
“May we never receive the Eucharist again in a distracted manner, bring Him into lukewarm hearts, or take Him for granted.” What he did at supper seated,Christ ordained to be repeated,His memorial ne’er to cease: And his rule for guidance taking,Bread and wine we hallow, makingThus our sacrifice of peace. This the truth each Christian learns,Bread into his flesh he […]
The Heavy Burdens We Carry
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I have been thinking a great deal about my experience at Reconciliation this past Saturday. I felt an intense and unexplainable urge to go and confess my sins when I woke up that morning after having been deprived of this Sacrament during the coronavirus pandemic. I try to go every six weeks or so, but this was no routine visit […]