Eight years ago I published a book called “American Church.” The subtitle explained what it was about: “The Remarkable Rise, Meteoric Fall, and Uncertain Future of Catholicism in America.” Now the future is here. That sound you heard was the future of the Church in America landing with a masked-up thud. At least for the short run, it is anything but bright.
Read more For American Catholics, the future is here in our youth
The massive Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking Rio de Janeiro in Brazil is undergoing restoration ahead of its 90th anniversary this year. Standing at nearly 100 feet tall, the statue of Jesus is numbered among the contemporary “Seven Wonders of the World.” The statue was illuminated for the first time on Oct. 12, 1931, the Feast of Our Lady of Aparecida, Patroness of Brazil.
Read more Brazil’s Christ the Redeemer statue undergoes major restoration
My very wise and compassionate spiritual director for the past 18 years, Father Jack, often reminds me as I ask him to hear my confession as we conclude our monthly meeting, “But, of course, for Confession is the Easter Sacrament.”
So true, because we are an Easter people, a people of the Resurrection, and thus a people reconciled to God. St. John’s Gospel relates for us that when the Resurrected Jesus appeared to the Apostles in the upper room on that first Easter night, he breathed on them, conferring upon them the gift of the Holy Spirit and the authority to forgive sins in his name.
“If you took me to live in a place like that, I would leave you.” Those were my wife’s words to me while watching the initial sequence of “Minari,” Lee Isaac Chung’s immigrant drama, which won multiple awards at last year’s Sundance Film Festival, and available on demand. A family van moves through the lush scenery of the Ozarks only to stop in the middle of nowhere, in front of a mobile house surrounded by green fields. When wife and mother Monica (played by Yeri Han) gets out of the car, the look on her face is one of terror. “What is this place?” she asks.
Read more The New film, ‘Minari’, is a deeply Christian reflection on failure
As Perseverance, the latest probe on Mars, gears up to send to Earth high-definition images, video and audio of its surroundings, one papal astronomer said he hoped the fresh new discoveries will inspire future explorers.
With advanced degrees in physics, philosophy and theology, Jesuit Brother Robert Macke said, "What really inspired me to come into this field was growing up with the results that were coming out of the spacecraft missions, like Voyager, and all the photographs that nobody had ever seen before" of Saturn and its moons and other objects in the solar system.
Read more Jesuit Papal Astronomer – Mars missions can inspire next scientists
Pope Francis will officially designate Knock Shrine in Ireland as an international Marian and Eucharistic shrine on the Feast of St. Joseph during the “Year of St. Joseph,” 2021. The Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference announced March 11, 2021 that the pope will give the Knock Shrine official recognition and send a video message to the shrine on the night of March 19, 2021.
Read more Pope Francis to give Knock Shrine new international status
Reflecting on the mystery of fatherhood, J.R.R. Tolkien wrote in a letter to his son: “The link between father and son is not only of the perishable flesh: it must have something of aeternitas (eternity) about it.” Who understood this better than St. Joseph, the just man (Matthew 1:19), the foster father of the Son of God?
Against long odds, it’s possible that one of the most important players in the ongoing drama in Myanmar may be a religious leader whose total following can be numbered in five digits, representing less than 1% of the national population: Roman Catholic Cardinal Charles Maung Bo.
A Salesian, Cardinal Bo presumably was especially pained that his country’s current coup d’état was launched the day after the Feast of St. John Bosco, the legendary founder of his religious order. As part of the military takeover, civilian leaders, including Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, have been detained, and a state of emergency imposed.
Read more Catholic Cardinal Bo may be key in majority Buddhist Myanmar
Every confessor should understand he is a sinner, forgiven by God, and he is there to offer his brothers and sisters – sinners, too – the same divine mercy and forgiveness he has received, Pope Francis said.
"The religious attitude that emerges from this understanding of being a forgiven sinner that each confessor must have is peacefully welcoming (the penitent), welcoming as a father" would with a smile, a peaceful look and "offering tranquility," he said.
Read more Pope to confessors: Be fathers, brothers who offer consolation, mercy
One size doesn’t fit everyone. This isn’t just true for clothing: It’s also true for spirituality. Our challenges in life change as we age. Spirituality hasn’t always been fully sensitive to this. True, we’ve always had tailored instruction and activities for children, young people, and for people who are raising children, carrying a job, and paying a mortgage, but we’ve never developed a spirituality for what happens when those years are over.
Why is one needed? Jesus seemingly didn’t have one. He didn’t have one set of teachings for the young, another for those in mid-life, and still another for the elderly. He just taught. The Sermon on the Mount, the parables, and his invitation to take up his cross are intended in the same way for everyone, irrespective of age.