Daily Archives: 2 January 2014

Crescent2

Posted on 2 January 2014 by

Driving home tonight from the parish, the crescent moon hung in the southwestern sky. Venus below. Nice photo at UT showing both the moon and the much smaller crescent Venus. By the time of this writing, you might think about … Continue reading →

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Down With Gossip

Posted on 2 January 2014 by

A confluence of two news bits in my box today. First, Rita Ferrone relates a charming experience of a seminary openings its doors to the praying Church. Bill deHaas reminds us that the curia and their associates have thrown cold … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Mediator Dei 105

Posted on 2 January 2014 by

External participation is praised, as well as those who facilitate it: 105. Therefore, they are to be praised who, with the idea of getting the Christian people to take part more easily and more fruitfully in the Mass, strive to make … Continue reading →

Posted in Mediator Dei, pre-conciliar documents | 1 Comment

Christmas Scheduling

Posted on 2 January 2014 by

My former parish in Kansas City had a grueling Christmas schedule. I inherited four Christmas Eve Masses (two simultaneously on our campus with a total of 1300-plus between them), a Midnight Mass, and three on Christmas morning. A few years … Continue reading →

Posted in Christmas, Liturgy, Parish Life | 6 Comments

Jahi McMath

Posted on 2 January 2014 by

The tragic case of Jahi McMath continues to spin. Aside from the ethical questions, which are not insignificant, there are pastoral ones. A child suffers cardiac arrest and brain death after a routine minor operation. Medical error or accident? Would a family trust … Continue reading →

Posted in Science | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Mass at the Church of Gesù

Posted on 2 January 2014 by

Early morning Masses in Rome are very early in the Americas. Or very late, I suppose–but I don’t keep those late hours as I did in my student days. I found a link on UCA News for this celebration of … Continue reading →

Posted in Liturgy | Leave a comment

Apologetics Off Track

Posted on 2 January 2014 by

With commentaries like this, it’s no wonder some conservative Catholics are “confused” about Pope Francis and what he’s saying. To begin with, I have no particular beef with Jimmy Akin. He’s one of the top apologists in Catholicism, and I … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Scripture | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Post-Clerical Catholicism

Posted on 2 January 2014 by

Frequent commenter Jimmy Mac sent me a link to Bill McGarvey’s piece in America, following on the heels of Dan Horan’s column on clericalism: What struck me was how disconnected I felt from the entire conversation surrounding clericalism. It felt … Continue reading →

Posted in Ministry | Tagged | 1 Comment

EG 39: Finding Harmony in the Gospel Message

Posted on 2 January 2014 by

Pope Francis will cover preaching a bit later in Evangelii Gaudium (135-159) in the context of the larger concern of the proclamation of the Gospel in chapter three. EG 39 sets things up for us: 39. Just as the organic unity existing among … Continue reading →

Posted in Evangelii Gaudium, evangelization | Tagged | Leave a comment