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Inspires
This is Justice, This is Mercy
Mr. Perry, our school principal, once shared a story about when he was young, he and his family took the ferry to Salt Spring Island. He had a friend who led him down to the door of the engine room, where they snooped around, and when a worker looked angrily at them, his friend threw something at the man. Then he and Mr. Perry ran away. At the end of the trip, the ferry company called Mr. Perry’s home (because, back then, they had a list of all the passengers and knew who had children), and they asked Mr. Perry’s father if his children had anything to do with the incident. His father asked his sons if they knew anything about it, and Mr. Perry lied right to his face.
Publish date: 2021 - 10 - 17
“You do not know what you are asking” (Mk 10:38)
By this time in his ministry, Jesus has foretold three times his own Death and Resurrection to the apostles. The last prediction is the most detailed, specifying that his death will result from a conspiracy of the Jewish and Roman authorities, “… we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be given over to the chief priests and the teachers of the Law. They will condemn him to death and hand him over to the foreigners who will make fun of him, spit on him, scourge him and finally kill him; but three days later he will rise” (Mk 10:34-35, Ref. Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament P. 85).
Publish date: 2021 - 10 - 17
Pope Francis: Christian freedom “does not enter into conflict with cultures or with the traditions we have received,”
Pope Francis says that, freed by grace and love, Christianity is able to welcome every people and culture, and in turn opens peoples and cultures to greater freedom.
Publish date: 2021 - 10 - 13
Too hard a demand from Jesus?
This Sunday's Gospel reading is one of the many hard sayings of Jesus. It is about renunciation - first, of material possessions and second, of relations (rf Mk 10:23, 29). The radicalism in breaking economic and human ties has always been received with averse reactions. It is even more so today when we are more easily connected to each other and the world. However, this radical demand does not lie solely in the act of renunciation, in fact, it lays out the essential condition of becoming Jesus' disciple.
Publish date: 2021 - 10 - 10
Pope Francis: Freedom is a gift given to us in baptism
In his weekly General Audience, Pope Francis continues his reflection on St. Paul’s Letter to the Galatians, exploring the concept Christian freedom and how Christ, the Truth, achieved it in His supreme act of love on the Cross.
Publish date: 2021 - 10 - 6
Our Bodies Are Good
A few weeks ago, some students in our school asked me if Catholics should support the LGBTQ movement—it’s wonderful that they spoke about what was really on their minds. I tried to answer by exposing the worst parts of transgender ideology: The confusion of and harm towards children, with the advocacy of puberty blockers and surgery for children, who have their bodies irrevocably altered.
Publish date: 2021 - 10 - 3
God is Good!
The hardness of our heart blinds us from recognizing God’s goodness
Publish date: 2021 - 10 - 3
Pope Francis: The justification wrought by God, therefore, allows us to recuperate the innocence lost through sin
At the Wednesday General Audience, Pope Francis tackles the question of justification as he resumes his catechesis on St Paul’s Letter to the Galatians.
Publish date: 2021 - 9 - 29
Are Socialists Greedy?
About whom is St. James talking in the Second Reading? He writes: “Come now, you rich people, weep and wail for the miseries that are coming to you” (Jas 5:1).
A Washington Post article two years ago wrote about “a growing resentment that the richest people… have somehow managed to get richer while most working stiffs are just one or two missed paychecks away from a food bank”–this gap between the rich and poor is unfair.
Publish date: 2021 - 9 - 26
Cut it off! A difficult message from Jesus
In this Sunday's Gospel, Jesus speaks with incredible bluntness about cutting off one’s own hand, cutting off one’s own foot, and plucking out one’s own eye. These are hard, stark, blunt, and surprising words! How can we make sense out of it?
Publish date: 2021 - 9 - 26
Pope Francis: To feel the peace and the joy that the Lord gives us
At his weekly General Audience, Pope Francis reflects on last week’s Apostolic Journey to Budapest and Slovakia, calling it a pilgrimage to the roots of prayer and hope.
Publish date: 2021 - 9 - 22
Honesty With God About Our Envy
Sometime in the past year, I actually felt envious of Fr. Richard Conlin. I can’t remember exactly why, but it was either because people were leaving St. Anthony’s to go to his parish, Corpus Christi, or because he was getting more YouTube views. In one moment, it dawned on me: I’m insecure; he’s doing better than I am, he’s 15 years my junior, and he’s not even that good! Anyway, it wasn’t a big deal, but I bring it up because everyone can be tempted to envy, and, just as I’m being vulnerable right now (because it’s petty for an older priest to be envious of a younger one), I hope you can be, too, in your heart.
Publish date: 2021 - 9 - 19
“They had argued with one another who was the greatest (9:34).
Jesus said to the twelve, “Whoever wants to be the first must be last of all and servant of all” (9:35).
Publish date: 2021 - 9 - 19
Pope Francis: Mary’s faith as a journey, a prophecy and as compassion
Celebrating his final Mass on Slovak soil near the National Marian Shrine of Šaštín on Wednesday, Pope Francis invites Slovaks to imitate Mary in her journey, her prophecy and her compassion.
Publish date: 2021 - 9 - 15
Perfect Freedom is Found in Christ
In June of this year, I read an article by Sohrab Ahmari, an Iranian who converted to Catholicism in 2016, and about his anxiety as a new father. The anxiety wasn’t about his son’s health, education, or anything like that, but, “What kind of a man will contemporary Western culture chisel out of my son?”
Publish date: 2021 - 9 - 12
The Mystery of Suffering
The next time we are confounded by the human fear of suffering, will we choose to follow James’ advice to persevere for spiritual maturity? Or, will we adopt the pre-Pentecost Peter’s mindset and refuse to accept suffering: "God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you" (Mt 16:22)?
Publish date: 2021 - 9 - 12
Pope Francis: Equality in Christ, which overcomes the social differences between the two sexes
At the General Audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis highlights the equality of all Christians in Christ, noting that anyone who accepts Christ in faith has “put on” Christ and His filial dignity through baptism.
Publish date: 2021 - 9 - 8
Jesus’ mission in one word
“Today, if you hear [God's] voice, hardened not your hearts”
Publish date: 2021 - 9 - 5
Pope Francis: We must continually keep to this “precious treasure, to the beauty of the newness of Christ,”
At the General Audience Pope Francis continues his catechesis on the apostle Paul's Letter to the Galatians when he warns them about straying from their new faith in Christ. He says we too are invited to reflect on how we live our faith and to ensure that our love of Christ, crucified and risen again, remains at the centre of our daily lives.
Publish date: 2021 - 9 - 2
Change Myself
Let me get right to the point today: Whatever’s bothering us, or is on our mind, has made the day or week hard, don’t focus on that. Jesus wants us to look at ourselves instead. Other people aren’t our problem, we are. If something is stealing our happiness, that’s our choice.
The key word in the Gospel today is ‘defile.’ The Pharisees and scribes believe that eating with unclean hands defiles a person, making them ritually impure so that they can’t worship God.
Publish date: 2021 - 8 - 29
God’s Precepts Versus Human Precepts
Be “doers”, not “hearers”, of the word and bear witness to God’s love in all we say and do.
Publish date: 2021 - 8 - 29
Pope Francis: people who pretend, flatter, and deceive because they live with a mask over their faces and do not have the courage to face the truth
At the General Audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis warns about a type of “formalism” which can lead to hypocrisy, and in turn threatens the unity of the Church.
Publish date: 2021 - 8 - 26
Whom Will You Serve?
A number of us are struggling in our love of God, and I’m referring to those of us who are disciples, who chose to make Jesus the centre of our lives, but there are signs we’re falling out of love with Him. A number of you has shared how you’re feeling lazy, you’re avoiding coming to Mass in person for no good reason. This is shocking, because you’re the ones who love Jesus. I wouldn’t be worried if you were at the beginning of the spiritual journey, but I’m concerned because you made a commitment to Jesus and are going back on your promise. So, Jesus is leading us to renew and deepen our choice of love for Him.
Publish date: 2021 - 8 - 22
What Is Love Without Faithfulness or Faithfulness Without Unity?
How are Paul’s teaching on marriage and Jesus’ insistence on the necessity of consuming his flesh and blood related to the OT theme of faithfulness to God?
Publish date: 2021 - 8 - 22
