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Monthly Archives: June 2022
Patris Corde 4a: An Accepting Father
Pope Francis reflects on (a)n accepting father: Joseph accepted Mary unconditionally. He trusted in the angel’s words. “The nobility of Joseph’s heart is such that what he learned from the law he made dependent on charity. Today, in our world … Continue reading
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Desiderio Desideravi 1: A Fundamental Dimension for the Life of the Church
1. My dearest brothers and sisters, with this letter I desire to reach you all – after having written already only to the bishops after the publication of the Motu Proprio Traditionis custodes – and I write to share with you some reflections on … Continue reading
Patris Corde 3c: Luke’s Witness to Joseph and Obedience
Saint Luke weighs in, first with Saint Joseph’s observance of civil authority–the census: The evangelist Luke, for his part, tells us that Joseph undertook the long and difficult journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem to be registered in his family’s town … Continue reading
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Desiderio Desideravi Up
This has been anticipated for some weeks now, an Apostolic Letter on liturgical formation, Desiderio Desideravi. The Vatican link is here. If you have begun reading it, you’re a bit ahead of my game. Liturgical documents are always of interest … Continue reading
Patris Corde 3b: More Dreams, More Obedience
The annunciation was only the beginning for the dreams of the New Testament Joseph. The man’s attentiveness to the messages of angels continues, and the Holy Family is guided to safety thanks to the obedience of the heir of the … Continue reading
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GCSPD Conclusion
Wrapping up Guidelines for the Celebration of the Sacraments with Persons with Disabilities, let’s leave the last word to the bishops: These guidelines are presented to all who are involved in liturgical, pastoral, and catechetical ministry. All persons with disabilities … Continue reading
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Snacking on the Word: James 5:16b
My parish celebrated Anointing of the Sick at Mass this past weekend. We took advantage of the permission to switch out the Ordinary Sunday’s assigned New Testament reading to the classic one from the letter of James. We’ve touched on … Continue reading
GCSPD 36-40: Holy Orders
Looks like I got these last two sacraments out of order. Imagine that. I rate Holy Orders as second to Marriage anyway, so … We should complete the sacramental picture as it has been handed to us from the Guidelines … Continue reading
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Patris Corde 3a: An Obedient Father
In section 3, Pope Francis offers his reflection on Joseph’s obedience. Sometimes we shy away from that virtue. But in the Gospels, we have concrete examples of the man as attentive to God and in compliance with religious duties as … Continue reading
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GCSPD 41-46: Matrimony
We continue our examination of Guidelines for the Celebration of the Sacraments with Persons with Disabilities and we look at Matrimony. Paragraph 41 reminds us of the aim of this sacrament: sanctification of the spouses and the formation of their … Continue reading
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Patris Corde 2b: More on Human Frailty
As I looked over the second half of section 2, I was thinking of that passage from Sirach, “The sum of a person’s days is great if it reaches a hundred years: Like a drop of sea water, like a … Continue reading
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The GOP Giveth and the GOP Taketh Away
I remember following the abortion issue in the early 70s. In Catholic schools in upstate New York we wrote letters decrying our Republican governor’s support of and signing into law one of the most permissive bits of abortion legislation in … Continue reading
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The Armchair Liturgist: Worship Aid in the Bulletin
Some discernment over my parish’s communications media in the works for this summer. One of the proposals, which has been dismissed wherever else I’ve ever served, has a surprising ally: incorporating the weekly worship aid into the parish bulletin. Our … Continue reading
Posted in The Armchair Liturgist
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Patris Corde 2a: A Tender and Loving Father
In section 2, Pope Francis looks at Joseph as “a tender and loving father.” This portion of the document is Scripture-heavy. While not quoting the saint or in association with him directly, many of these passages cited are something of … Continue reading
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GCSPD 32-35: Anointing of the Sick
The Guidelines for the Celebration of the Sacraments with Persons with Disabilities remind us that “disability does not necessarily indicate an illness,” so the conditions for anointing are the same as for any other Catholic (GCSPD 34), that is, serious … Continue reading
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Catholic Sensibility 