The leaders of more than fifty Christian denominations and organizations, including the presidents of Catholic Relief Services and Catholic Charities, and Bishop Stephen E. Blaire, Chairman of the USCCB Committee on Domestic Justice, have signed the document printed below, calling for our political leaders to protect poor and vulnerable people, as they act to...
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Isaiah 7: 10-14;  Romans 1: 1-7;  Matthew 1: 18-24 Isaiah the prophet tells the story of Ahaz who heard God but would not listen.   God told him to ask for a sign, but Ahaz would not ask because he knew that he should not put God to the test.  So, God, growing weary with...
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What are we celebrating on the feast of the Assumption of Mary?    The Assumption, along with the Immaculate Conception, are two Marian dogmas that have been infallibly defined by the church. The Assumption proclaims the reality that Mary was taken up body and soul into heaven. This was God’s special gift to her...
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Wisdom 18:6-9; Hebrews 11:1-2,8-19; Luke 12:32-48 “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). This statement of faith, given us by the author of Hebrews, is perhaps the best definition of faith that I have ever heard. We are living in a time in which...
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Genesis 18:20-32;  Colossians 2:12-14;  Luke 11:1-13 The disciples came to Jesus with the request, “Lord, teach us to pray.” In reply Jesus gave us some of the most familiar words to Christians, “The Lord’s Prayer.”  Luke’s version is worded differently than Matthew’s from which we derive the memorized prayer.  But the first lesson we...
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June 24 celebrates the feast of the birth of John the Baptist. How was that date chosen and why? The date set for John the Baptist’s birth only came into existence once the date to celebrate Jesus’ birth was set. Evidence shows that by the middle of the fourth century Christians were celebrating the...
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When and why was Sunday designated a day of rest? Before Sunday was designated as a day of rest by the emperor Constantine in the fourth century, it was already a special day in the life of Christian communities. Sunday had become a distinctive day because of its association with the day on which...
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What were Pope John XXIII’s hopes and goals for the ecumenical council that he convoked? Fifty years ago, on January 25, 1959, at the end of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, newly-elected Pope John XXIII made a brief announcement to a small group of cardinals gathered at the Roman basilica of St....
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