Blog of the Archdiocese of Washington
In more dioceses than not, the Feast of the Ascension is celebrated this weekend. The liturgist in me regrets the move, but here we are anyway. So let’s ascend with the Lord, three days late! This marvelous feast is not merely about something that took place two thousand years ago. For, though Christ our head …
Continue reading “Every Round Goes Higher – A Meditation on the Feast of the Ascension”
There is a rather humorous aspect of the story of the Tower of Babel in the Book of Genesis. You likely know the basic story which begins with the men of that early time saying, Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make …
Is the Church a thermometer or a thermostat? In other words are we called merely to reflect the temperature (thermometer), or are we called to affect the temperature (thermostat)? Many are deeply confused as to the role of the Church in the modern world and think we ought simply to reflect the mores of current …
The Passion which we read in today’s liturgy is too long to comment on in detail. We are only able to take a portion and examine it. The usual villains such as the Temple leaders, Judas, and the recruited crowd, which shouted “Crucify him!” are fairly obvious in displaying their sinfulness and are unambiguously wicked. …
As we await word of a new Pope, there are some in the media and among our Protestant Brethren who are dismissive of the need for a Pope at all, or who indicate that the hierarchical structure of the Church ought to be replaced with more “modern” forms of governance. Never mind that Christ chose …
Continue reading “We Need the Pope, do not doubt it, as some do.”
It is late on the east coast of the United States, the 23rd hour (11 pm) of the day we have called March 8. But in Sydney Australia, it is 1pm in the afternoon of March 9 and they finishing lunch; before I have even gone to bed on the previous day. In Wellington, New …
Continue reading “While earth rolls onward into light…A Beautiful Meditation on Time in an Old Hymn”
Recently I have found a persistent line of questioning in reference to the traditional understanding of the Lord’s promise to the Church: the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it (Matt 16:18) . Yesterday on the blog a reader stated the question quite well: This is just a curiosity question, but why is it …
Some recent data available over at the CARA Blog presents a sober picture for the Church in the decade ahead. I have long suspected that the 25% of Catholics who attend Mass today was a number that is going to drop quickly, as the last generation to be widely taught that missing Mass is a …
Continue reading “A Recent Look at the Numbers Says it’s Time for Some Unvarnished Truth”