John XXIII, the witty saint
Pope John XXIII’s ascension to saint status, along with Pope John Paul II, sent me on a quest to find some of the new St. John XXIII’s wittiest remarks.
- By Robert Brehl
Unlikely allies share a common struggle
Ninety-five years old, in failing health, evangelist Billy Graham has summoned his energies to write what will almost surely be his last book: The Reason for My Hope. As I read it, I was struck by the extent to which Graham’s prose carries out the “new evangelism” to which Pope Benedict XVI insistently called the Catholic Church.
- By Ian Hunter
Lives of virtue
It has been said that courage is the most important virtue because without courage a life of true virtue is impossible.
Easter ‘news’ follows a predictable pattern
Earlier this month, the international wire services carried a story involving a fragment of papyrus written in Coptic that suggested Jesus may have referred to “my wife” in speaking to a group of followers.
Divine providence, divine mercy
ROME - John Paul will be canonized a saint on Divine Mercy Sunday, just as he was beatified in 2011 on Divine Mercy Sunday. It is not just because he designated the Sunday after Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday in the great jubilee year 2000, but because of his extraordinarily providential death in 2005.
Beware the ‘inevitable’
In her parting words to Quebecers, politically humiliated former Premier Pauline Marois reminded us of that shining moment when she arose from her personal Eden to quick-march us to the New Jerusalem.
New take on ‘Hallelujah’ a new Easter tradition
With the kids well into their teenage years, I was looking for an Easter tradition to replace the old Easter egg hunt that evaporated some years ago.
- By Robert Brehl
Who is this man?
Palm Sunday this year began with the fundamental question being asked in Matthew 21: “And when He entered Jerusalem the whole city was shaken and asked, ‘Who is this?’ ”
Easter’s promise
Easter, said Pope Francis, reminds us that God’s love is stronger than evil and stronger even than death itself.
A faithful servant
The front cover of this week’s paper was originally going to feature three priests who were ordained within minutes of each other 40 years ago and now serve in neighbouring Belleville, Ont., parishes. They were intended to represent the thousands of men and women, ordained and laity, who faithfully serve the Church and whom we celebrate each year in our popular Call to Service feature section.
PQ needed to recall history and Quebec’s new saints
When in Rome for the 2013 conclave, one heard frequently enough the quip that Latin America had had its best week in history. On March 5, Hugo Chavez, Venezuela’s thuggish dictator, died, having reduced his petro-rich country to a barter economy suffering from acute toilet paper shortages.