What are the origins and significance of the Easter celebration? Easter was the first feast celebrated by the early church, commemorating Jesus’ resurrection. This rich and glorious event celebrated the reality that Jesus, who had been killed, was experienced as alive. Sunday was chosen as the day of communal gathering and celebration because, according...
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  <At church, they keep inviting us to celebrate the Easter Triduum. What is this? Triduum means “three days,” usually referring to Christ’s resurrection from the dead “on the third day.” The Easter Triduum refers to the three days beginning with sundown on Holy Thursday and ending with evening prayer on Easter Sunday. Reckoning...
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What does John’s account of raising Lazarus from the dead say concerning our Lenten faith journey? The raising of Lazarus, unique to John’s Gospel, is the narrative proclaimed on the fifth Sunday of Lent in Year A. The account is rich in affirmations concerning who Jesus is and what his ministry is all about....
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Lectionary Year A focuses on the Gospel of Matthew. What are the Gospel’s key concerns and messages? The community that produced Matthew’s Gospel faced a myriad of issues. The Gospel, probably written around 85 AD, addresses a community consisting primarily of Christian Jews who accepted Jesus as their Messiah. This places them in conflict...
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A special blessing of throats occurs on the feast of St. Blaise, February 3. What is the origin of this? St. Blaise, Biagio in Italian, Blasco or Blas in Spanish, was a bishop of Sebaste, Armenia, in modern Turkey, who was martyred for witnessing to the faith. He was tortured and beheaded for his...
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January 1, New Year’s Day, has a number of liturgical names celebrating a variety of events. Could you sort some of this out? January 1, New Year’s Day, celebrates newness. Exactly eight days after Christmas, traditionally it celebrates Mary as the mother of God. The Greek word for Mary’s motherhood is “Theotokos” meaning “God-bearer.”...
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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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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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June 22 is the feast of the martyr, St. Thomas More. What can he teach us about Christian priorities? Thomas More, chancellor of England during the reign of Henry VIII (1509-1547) was eventually killed for remaining faithful to his beliefs and values. Unfortunately for Thomas, these convictions went against the king’s desires and dictates....
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****For more enjoyable experience, please allow the video to run through and then play again to watch. What is the backdrop to the feast of Mary’s Visitation to Elizabeth, which we celebrate on May 31? The narrative of the Visitation of Elizabeth by Mary, her cousin, is recounted only in Luke 1:39-56. The Visitation...
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