Archives for October 2023

Homilies for November 2023

For All Saints’ Day, All Souls’ Day, November 5, November 12, November 19, and November 26 (Solemnity of Christ the King) Solemnity of All Saints – November 1, 2023 Readings: Rv 7:2–4, 9–14 • Ps 24:1bc–2, 3–4ab, 5–6 • 1 Jn 3:1–3 • Mt 5 … [Read more...]

Mary, Our Mother of Mercy

My mother died in July 2020. I was blessed to be home from my then-assignment in Rome for the event; as it happened, I was the only one there with her. In a manner that was like a reverse Pieta, she died in my arms, breathing her last … [Read more...]

Toward Evangelization of Creators of the Christian Culture

Saint John Paul II, during his pontificate of nearly twenty-seven years, had two main streams of thought. They can be characterized as the preservation of the Christian heritage and the transformation of contemporary secular culture through … [Read more...]

The Cantus Firmus: The Enduring Melody of Faith

“For me to live is Christ” – Philippians 1:21 “Rely on the Cantus Firmus.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer All of us who have had the privilege of working as a priest in a parish have had to a greater or lesser extent the following pastoral exp … [Read more...]

The Very Stones Would Cry Out

Architecture and Evangelization

In his 1998 work, Architecture in Communion, architect Steven Schloeder offers for consideration a twofold problem: first, the problem of how to design for contemporary, post-Vatican II liturgy, and second, what, if anything, should a … [Read more...]

Contemplation and Beauty: Reclaiming Sensuality for the New Evangelization

“The aesthetic value of creation cannot be overlooked. Our very contact with nature has a deep restorative power; contemplation of its magnificence imparts peace and serenity. The Bible speaks again and again of the goodness and beauty of c … [Read more...]

Give the Young the World of Good Music

“[W]hen modes of music change, the fundamental mores of the state always change with them.” – Plato, Republic, 400b and 424c A few years ago, as preparation for a course in European history, I assigned the students in our high school di Lam … [Read more...]

Questions Answered – November 2023

The Place of Communion in the Mass Question: During the 40s and 50s, come Communion time at Mass, very few people walked up to the altar rails. Yesterday I read that one’s attendance at Mass is not complete without receiving the Eucharist ( … [Read more...]

Book Reviews – November 2023

Science at the Doorstep to God: Science and Reason in Support of God, the Soul, and Life After Death. By Fr. Robert J. Spitzer, S.J. Reviewed by Thomas P. Sheahen. (skip to review) The Faith Once for All Delivered: Doctrinal Authority in … [Read more...]