There is an incident in the Gospels where the disciples of Jesus were unable to cast out a particular demon. When they asked Jesus why, he replied that “some demons can only be cast out by prayer.” The demon he was referring in this instance had rendered a man deaf and mute. I want to…
Jesus’ public life begins with his baptism by John in the Jordan. John preaches “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins”. “Then Jesus appears.” the Baptist hesitates, but Jesus insists and receives baptism. Then the Holy Spirit comes upon Jesus and a voice from heaven proclaims, “This is my beloved Son.” This is the…
Ex 3:1-8a, 13-15 Ps 103: 1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8, 11 1 Cor 10:1-6, 10-12 Lk 13:1-9 An ancient Christian tradition recounts that the prefect of Rome, Chromatius, fell seriously ill during the reign of Emperor Diocletian (3rd-4th century). It quickly became known that his illness was incurable and deadly. However, upon learning that a close…
The pull of Mount Athos had been there for a long time. Visiting monasteries and knowing Benedictines and Cistercians, it was likely that my sights might turn at some point in the direction of that other monasticism of the Byzantine type. After all, Latin west and Greek east were for so long one and the…
Given the popularity of St Patrick’s Day, many celebrators know little about St Patrick the man. They might be surprised to learn that he never ate corned beef and cabbage, never drove snakes out of Ireland, and had no leprechaun friends. The majority of St Patrick’s Day customs, myths, and fables have been perpetuated and…
The truths of our faith make responsible living possible says, Fr Chris Hayden If I had a euro for every time I was asked to keep my homily short, I mightn’t quite have enough for a long weekend in a spa resort, but I’d probably manage a very decent main course in the restaurant.…
Questions of faith? Q: At a recent Mass, the priest talked about “mortal sin,” about which I’d previously heard, but then he mentioned “venial sins” and “temporal sins,” and even “sins of omission.” I’m not familiar with these, especially the last one. How can a person commit a sin without doing anything? A: Every…
Catholicism in Ireland has always been about more than just traditions and celebrations. It has been a pursuit of something higher. Ireland was never a land of passive spectators waiting for life to happen. Instead, it was a place where individuals intentionally sought to live their faith with profound commitment and courage. Lately, I’ve been…
Sherry Weddell was stumped. She had given dozens of parish seminars before, helping parish leaders discover their God-given charism, and interviewing them one-to-one to discern how the Spirit was moving in each of their lives. But with this particular woman, the interview was getting nowhere: though she was a parish leader, there seemed to be…
There are times when our world unravels. Who hasn’t had the feeling? “I’m falling apart! This is beyond me! My heart is broken! I feel betrayed by everything! Nothing makes sense anymore! Life is upside down!” Jesus had a cosmic image for this. In the Gospels, he talks about how the world as we experience…
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Renata Milán Morales
Fr Dominik Domagala