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Seeking grace to show mercy

By Mary Beth Bonacci
I am convinced that the whole church – that has much need to receive mercy because we are sinners – will find in this jubilee the joy to rediscover and render fruitful the mercy of God, with which we are all called to give consolation to every man and woman of our time – Pope […]
12/21/15
Reading Time 3 min

Lessons for the Year of Mercy

By Carolyn Woo
As the Year of Mercy began on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, I remembered the popular parable of the prodigal son. Its graphic depiction of the younger son’s profligate behavior, the depth of his misery groveling for scraps among pigs and the father’s magnanimous welcome with rings, robe, sandals and feast leave little unsaid […]
12/15/15
Reading Time 3 min

Seeking genuine joy

By Elizabeth Foss
The pink candle has been lit. The pace quickens as we move closer to the feast. Christmas is coming – oh, the joy. Except when the rose vestments sometimes just serve as a painful reminder that we are supposed to feel joy, but we don’t. Not only are we fighting from within to feel something […]
12/15/15
Reading Time 3 min

Inspiration for the New Year

By Fr. John Catoir
Another year is at our doorstep. When you begin to think about the new adventures you’ll embark on during this New Year, try to make Jesus Christ the centerpiece. To accomplish this, I’d like to share some thoughts with you. Cardinal John Henry Newman comes to mind. Cardinal Newman was born in England, and became […]
12/15/15
Reading Time 2 min

Humility, joy and mercy

By Fr. Jack Peterson, Ya
There are three great Advent themes in our readings today: humility, joy and mercy. Greatness in human beings manifests itself in a wide variety of fascinating and often surprising ways. Just think of the variety of gifts, talents and accomplishments of the saints. One common thread in every great person is humility. Truly great people […]
12/15/15
Reading Time 3 min

The Christian response to ISIS

By Fr. Kenneth Doyle
Q. What is the Christian response to ISIS? (Harrisonburg, Va.) A. The Christian response to ISIS is to deplore their violence and to seek the most effective means to stop it. In March 2015, in what was seen as an unusually blunt endorsement of military action, the Vatican’s representative to the United Nations in Geneva […]
12/15/15
Reading Time 4 min

Books for Christmas

By George Weigel
It’s been a good reading year, and I highly recommend the following to the readers on your Christmas (not “holiday”) shopping list: God or Nothing, by Cardinal Robert Sarah (Ignatius Press): It was the book being discussed at the 2015 Synod and with good reason, for this interview-style autobiography of a life of faith is […]
12/15/15
Reading Time 3 min

‘What should we do?’

By Fr. Robert J. Wagner
During this time of the year, many of us find ourselves welcoming family and friends into our homes, and thus are familiar with the practice of “tidying up.” This includes tasks like putting the toys and books that may be lying around back in their place, running the vacuum over the carpet one more time […]
12/9/15
Reading Time 3 min

‘Bethlehem Walk’ at Holy Trinity

By
Holy Trinity Church in Gainesville will present “Bethlehem Walk,” an interactive open house Dec. 18, 5 to 9 p.m., at 8213 Linton Hall Rd., Gainesville. The event will allow visitors to experience the city of Bethlehem at the time of Christ’s birth. Most of the walk is indoors, but the stable featuring the Holy Family […]
12/9/15
Reading Time 1 min

How to be a woman

By Mary Beth Bonacci
I find myself in the somewhat uncomfortable position of actually agreeing with Germaine Greer. Greer, for the uninitiated, is a “second wave” liberation feminist who rose to prominence in the 1960s. She is the author of The Female Eunuch, a book that argues the nuclear family represses and devitalizes women, and that women should give […]
12/9/15
Reading Time 4 min

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