Feb. 26 marks Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, a 40-day preparation (not including Sundays) for Easter. The word Lent itself derives from the Anglo-Saxon word lenctin, which means spring. The 40-day period also has significance: Moses stayed on Mount Sinai for 40 days; Elijah walked 40 days to Mount Horeb; and Jesus fasted and prayed for 40 days in the desert before beginning his public ministry.
Our faith teaches that the Eucharist is the “source and summit” of life in Christ (“Lumen Gentium,” 11). The Eucharist is the life-giving wellspring from which flows our supernatural bond with God and the divine assistance we need to act as his children. The Eucharist is the climax of our lives on earth, and as such, is the end toward which all our activities should be directed. The liturgy, far from being limited to an hour in church on Sunday, is meant to serve as a structuring principle of the whole of life, not just to be ritually celebrated, but lived out — extended through the everyday affairs and activities of believers. In turn, the liturgy transforms these affairs and activities — along with believers themselves — renewing them in Christ.
Lent offers us a time to take stock of our lives, question our motivations, examine our relationships and pray more attentively, opening ourselves to God’s actions in our lives. The ashes on our face remind us that we are not gods, we will not live forever and this life has a purpose.
What is the relationship between the temple of Solomon and the church which is described as the new temple?
Kobe Bryant’s sudden death is the highlight of the recent news. Kobe was known for many things — he was a talented NBA superstar, a coach, a husband, a father and a friend. As with most celebrities, he was not exempt from his share of indiscretions. What made him different was his decision to change. I didn’t follow the star that closely despite being born and raised in Southern California. Yet I was happily surprised to learn more about his faith life. The news reported how talking to a Catholic priest changed his life. A childhood friend mentioned on a recent Facebook post that she saw him and his family at Mass. Kobe reminds me that faith has the power to heal and make you stronger.
The Sunday of the Word of God, observed Jan. 26 this year, is a celebration of the constant dialogue between the Lord and his people.
Faith matters in the lives of so many people — including those with disabilities and their families.
The Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade in January 1973 has forever changed America. Being born after Roe v. Wade, I am keenly aware that for every four people we see, there is one person missing. Who would that person have become? What would they have done? What was God’s plan for them?
Jesus is “the wisdom of God” (1 Cor 1:24). St. Augustine notes that, while the same can truly be said of each of the divine persons, it is the second person of the Trinity that Scripture usually refers to as “wisdom” (“De Trinitate” viii. 4). This revelation in the New Testament has deep roots in the Wisdom books of the Old Testament, which are arguably the least well-known books of sacred Scripture. In them is one of the great Christological threads running through the Bible, from Job through Proverbs, Sirach and Wisdom of Solomon, and culminating in the Gospels.
“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.
