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Thousands of people attended the Dec. 17 funeral Mass for Detective Joseph Seals, the police officer fatally shot Dec. 10 at a cemetery in Jersey City just prior to the deadly attack at a kosher grocery store in the neighborhood.
"I know well the plans I have in mind for you." The words from Jeremiah, read by Benedictine Sister Andrea Westkamp, greeted attendees at the groundbreaking for the Benedictine Sisters of Virginia’s new monastery Dec. 5.
“The Historicity of the Gospels” (1964), written by the Pontifical Biblical Commission, the body charged with overseeing the proper interpretation of Scripture, states in the third paragraph: “The work of exegetes is all the more necessary today because many writings in circulation question the truth of the events and sayings reported in the Gospels.” The “exegetes” in view are primarily the trained interpreters of Scripture. However, biblical interpretation is undertaken practically by all Catholics: the scholar writing for an academic journal, the cleric preaching on the readings at Mass, the catechist during religious instruction and the mother reading a bedtime Bible story to her children. Each scenario may lead to the question: Are the Gospels reliable? This is a legitimate query.
This Sunday places before our eyes the image of the Holy Family of Nazareth, and while we might immediately leap into beautiful meditations on the virtues of that home, on the lessons of their lives, and on how we might imitate their example, we ought not miss the astonishing truth contained in the bare fact that we can celebrate this feast at all.
While I can rattle off a long list of positive things about being raised in the Northeast (the quality of bagels, access to cultural events in big cities and proximity to the ocean top the list), an honest assessment would include some downsides. The most glaringly obvious one is that for most of my life I've been conditioned to be completely and totally impatient.
The St. Ambrose Knights of Columbus Council hosted a Breakfast with Santa after Masses at St. Ambrose Church in Annandale Dec. 15. Nearly 300 guests attended and donated more than $4,000 to help the Paul Stefan Foundation.
Someone recently sent me screenshots of a Facebook conversation on a public forum and asked my opinion. I scrolled through — horrified — and had so many things to say.
It was a chilly day in Manassas December 11, but just inside Catholic Charities Migration and Refugee Services office in Manassas, guests are greeted with the warmth of smiles and kindness of the staff.
Preschool students from St. John the Apostle School in Leesburg collected 91 toys for the Toys for Tots collection center in Leesburg Dec. 11.
Remember Joseph
This last Sunday of Advent, our Gospel presents the annunciation of the birth of the Messiah. While Luke focuses on Archangel Gabriel appearing to Mary, Matthew focuses on Joseph. And, I think for good reason. Sometimes we forget Joseph. Oftentimes he looks like a tired, old man. Or worse, he is excluded. I remember receiving a Christmas card with a portion of a famous painting: Depicted were baby Jesus, Mary, and a shepherd, and then there was an arm — poor Joseph had been cut out.