Tom Medlar meditates on what the encounter was like between Simon of Cyrene and Jesus, when they met on the road to Calvary.
Stumble onto a Forgotten Priest’s Homilies, and Wind Up in a Successfully Reflective Lent
The holy season of Lent brings many opportunities for spiritual reflection, but author Mary McWilliams suggests the refreshing writings of an Anglican convert for prayerful growth.
Side Thoughts
Side Thoughts He showed them his hands and his side. John 20:20 (NAB) Just as there are various sides to each of us, our Lord Jesus displayed different sides of himself while living here on earth. There was the side of Him that: […]
There Stands Lent
I’m not overly fond of Lent. The whole discipline aspect sets my teeth on edge. Isn’t life hard enough? What good is it to offer up a bit of sugar in my morning coffee? Or stifling honest irritation over vexing situations? Strangely enough though, by the end of the second […]
An unexpected Evangelization Moment—Distributing Ashes on Ash Wednesday in Walmart
The USCCB states that evangelizing means bringing the Good News of Jesus into every human situation. So how can we everyday Catholics always be prepared to evangelize? Our behavior and our actions and the words we use are tools for evangelizing. They show that we are Christian. Saying grace before […]
Rejoice! Gospel Meditations, by Louis Evely
Lent invites us to refresh our souls, to refocus our lives, to set things right. Rejoice! by Louis Evely, has a way of growing us out of our comfort zones into the light. It challenges us to lift our crosses and follow Jesus. Evely writes: “There were times when Jesus […]
Feast of Pontius Pilate, by E. Ann McIntyre
Who would have thought that any of the Gospel villains would merit a feast on the liturgical calendar or have churches erected in their memory? Believe it or not, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church considers Pontius Pilate and his wife, Claudia to be saints. A clear case for Claudia begins […]
Yes, a Short Story by Ann McIntyre
During a cold and damp Lent, Yes, a homeless immigrant, barely survives his crossing of the Mediterranean to Italy. Suffering from pneumonia and a multitude of injuries, he finds shelter among Bernini’s colonnade in Vatican City, drawing disdainful stares from Christian tourists and members of the curia. Thanks to the […]
Joy: Meditations on the Joyful Heritage of Christianity, by Louis Evely
“We can understand Lent…we devote ourselves to penance, compassion and mortification, but how lax we are during the days that follow our sorrow. We do not even know how to rejoice…The day is coming when the Spirit of Truth will breathe upon us, and we do not joyfully await […]