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 any way. 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 …
Memorial Day, for many, means the beginning of Summer. To others, it is a day off to shop. But, as I am sure you really know Memorial Day is a day to honor those who have died in the service of this country. The word “memorial” comes from the Latin Memorare which is in an …
This blog post is a follow-up from yesterday’s blog. You can read yesterday’s post by clicking HERE. When we encounter the resurrection accounts in the New Testament we face a challenge in putting all the pieces together in a way that the sequence of the events flow in logical order. This is due to the …
Continue reading “A Chronological Sequence of the Resurrection Events”
When we read the various accounts of the Resurrection in the four Gospels, Acts and Pauline Epistles we can easily be puzzled by some apparent discrepancies in the details. The Pope in his recent book, Jesus of Nazareth (Vol II) says, We have to acknowledge that this testimony [of Scripture] considered from an historical point …
Continue reading “Making Sense of the Resurrection Accounts – Are there Discrepancies?”
A beautiful love story lies at the heart of today’s Easter gospel. In a subtle way, the evangelist has portrayed Mary Magdalene as the woman lover in the Old Testament’s Song of Songs. This lover searches for her beloved in the night, just as Mary Magdalene went to the tomb before the sun had risen. …
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. It may be of some value to examine the “middle range” of problems and personalities. The usual villains such as the Temple leaders, Judas, and the recruited crowd …
Continue reading “See What the End Shall Be – A Meditation on the Gospel of Passion Sunday”
Binding heaven and earth Today’s Basilica of St. Mark recalls not only the evangelist Mark, but a holy Pope of the same name who constructed a basilica here in the mid-fourth century. This was replaced by another basilica in the sixth century and a third in the ninth century. What we have now is the …
The Gospel today says that Jesus was tempted by the Devil in the desert. Hebrews 4:15 also affirms: For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. How exactly a divine person, with a sinless …