God's Word on Sunday: Crisis brings opportunity for renewal
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) Jan. 23 (Nehemiah 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10; Psalm 19; 1 Corinthians 12:12-30; Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21)
The task facing Ezra and Nehemiah was enormous. The people of Israel had returned to the ruins of Jerusalem after 50 years of exile in Babylon. But there was a problem: their way of life and their understanding of their religion had become a dim and fading memory rather than a vibrant reality. They had to rebuild the political and religious structures of the nation as well as the temple. But most of all, they had to remember and rekindle their religious understanding.
God's Word on Sunday: Words of hope pave way to new reality
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jan. 16 (Year C) Isaiah 62:1-5; Psalm 96; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; John 2:1-12
Spoken words can cause great hurt and long-lasting damage.
Progress must never trump care, says Pope Francis
Although scientists have made great strides in the field of medicine, genuine care and listening to those who suffer must always be at the forefront of any therapy, Pope Francis said.
God's Word on Sunday: Baptism sets us on life-long path of love, service
Baptism of the Lord, Jan. 9 (Year C) Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11; Psalm 104; Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7; Luke 3:15-16, 21-22
What if the lead story on the evening news were one of great joy and life-changing significance? Can we even imagine what it would be? And could we even handle it, conditioned as we are to bleak and depressing news? We might ask what the catch is, or even label it “fake news.”
Vatican pays tribute to 22 church workers murdered in 2021
VATICAN CITY -- In situations of extreme poverty, war or civil tensions, 22 Catholic church workers were murdered in 2021, according to Fides, the news agency of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
God's Word on Sunday: God’s prophecies as relevant as ever
Epiphany of the Lord, Jan. 2 (Year C) Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72; Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6; Matthew 2:1-12
In many respects, darkness has indeed covered the Earth during the last year. It has not been a pleasant or uplifting existence for many.
Pope Francis prays Christmas will bring yearning for peace, dialogue
VATICAN CITY -- Before giving his Christmas blessing to the city of Rome and to the world, Pope Francis drew attention to the many places around the globe and within human hearts in need of Jesus, the prince of peace.
Pope Francis at Christmas: 'God comes into the world in littleness'
The celebration of Christmas serves as a reminder that God did not reveal his greatness in a grand spectacle, but rather in the "littleness" of a poor, vulnerable child born in a stable in Bethlehem, Pope Francis said.
Mary Marrocco: How long O Lord?
This New Year, perhaps more than most, stirs up awareness of time and its strange ways. Through the unsettling days of 2020 and 2021, some have found the time long and heavy, waiting for the lonely burdensome time to pass so they can regain their lives. For others, time has come to an end as effects of the coronavirus or other painful happenings claimed their lives. Still others have found time opening up for them, enabling them to do or explore new things. Some have spent more time in prayer.
Pope Francis names Cardinal Czerny interim head of dicastery
VATICAN CITY -- Thanking Cardinal Peter Turkson for his five years of service as prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, Pope Francis has decided to name new leadership for the office, said a Vatican communique.
Pope’s World Day of Peace message stresses dialogue, education
VATICAN CITY -- Governments must pour more money into education and drastically reduce military spending for there to be genuine progress and peace in the world, Pope Francis said in his annual message for the World Day of Peace Jan. 1.