The Churching of Women and its Relation to the Feast of the Presentation
On Saturday we celebrated the Feast of the Presentation. I thought it might be appropriate to describe a related liturgy of the Church that has been largely lost: The Churching of Women. To some extent it is subsumed in the modern Rite of Baptism with the blessing of the mother, but it is not what […]
A “Rule of Life” for Prophets – A Homily for the 4th Sunday of the Year
Prophets are those who speak for God. They love Him and His people. They speak the often-painful truth to God’s people not to win an argument but because of their love and their conviction that only His undiluted truth can save us in the end. People-pleasing and other forms of human respect cannot supplant reverence […]
Straining Out Gnats but Swallowing Camels, as Seen in a Commercial
In the Gospel of Matthew (Mat 12:1-8), Jesus is rebuked for violating the Sabbath. This reminded me of the video below, which illustrates how we sometimes follow smaller rules while overlooking more important ones in the process. The Lord Jesus was often scorned by the people of His day, who claimed that He overlooked certain […]
The Masks Are Coming Off
An abortion bill, similar in many respects to the horrifying bill recently passed in New York, was recently tabled by the Virginia General Assembly. It would have eliminated many of the requirements already in state law for third-trimester abortions. That it was tabled is the only good news. Most of you have already heard the […]
God’s Mercy and Justice – Balance or Bust!
One of the signs of orthodoxy is the ability to hold competing truths in tension, realizing that they are there to balance each other. For example, on the one hand God is sovereign and omnipotent, but on the other we are free to say no to Him. Both of these are taught in Scripture. Our […]
Of the Glory and Means of our Salvation in Christ Jesus
As we continue to read the Letter to the Hebrews in daily Mass, we are reminded that although the Temple liturgies were glorious and elaborate, they merely pointed to the perfect sacrifice of Christ. Let’s consider three things regarding the saving work of Christ: IT IS SURPASSING. At Tuesday’s daily Mass we read this passage: […]
The Key Question of Every Liturgy
There is a legend that explains how the liturgy and the faith took hold in Rus (Russia): Prince Vladimir of Kiev, seeking a right worship for his people, sent representatives to look into various faiths as well as liturgies. When emissaries went south to observe the Greek Christian Liturgy, they returned saying that they were […]
Five Remedies for Sorrow from St. Thomas Aquinas
One doesn’t usually go to the St. Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologica for advice on emotional matters. But for the feast of St. Thomas we shall indeed go there to seek advice on sorrow and consider some of St. Thomas’ remedies for it. (His advice is contained primarily in the Prima Secundae questions 35 – 37.) […]
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