Deception makes fools of us all. Yet sometimes the truth hurts so much that we hold back for mercy’s sake. Our human journey can be a treacherous one to be sure. It’s snowing now, very cold, and more snow and lower temperatures are on the way. Our woodstove pipe slipped a […]
Why Mercy Makes Us Uncomfortable
In his second Encyclical, Dives in Misericordia…Saint John Paul II highlighted the fact that we had forgotten the theme of mercy in today’s cultural milieu: “The present day mentality, more perhaps than that of people in the past, seems opposed to a God of mercy, and in fact tends to […]
Saved by the Mercy of a Stranger
We cannot escape the Lord’s words to us, and they will serve as the criteria upon which we are judged: whether we have fed the hungry and given drink to the thirsty, welcomed the stranger and clothed the naked, or spent time with the sick and those in prison […]
Giving What Is Holy To Dogs
The Spouse of Christ must pattern her behaviour after the Son of God who went out to everyone without exception. Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus, par. 12 Sitting in our gloriously sunny, tranquil parish adoration chapel, I had just finished underlining a very beautiful section of Deus Caritas Est (God Is […]
To My Brothers, Or Anyone Else In Purgatory, With Love
A Jubilee also entails the granting of indulgences. This practice will acquire an even more important meaning in the Holy Year of Mercy. Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus, par. 22. No way. I wasn’t going to jump through hoops to try to gain God’s favor—because that’s how I saw indulgences at […]
What Did You Do with Mercy?
We have been gifted this year by the Pope himself. The gift he has given us is Mercy, one of those things that is more precious than money. So what have you done with that gift so far? Have you even thought about it? You received your gift on December […]
Living Mercy
“I was scandalized by the story of the prodigal son,” Fr. Maximo shared as he stood on the altar before hundreds of us who came together to celebrate Communita Cenacolo’s Festival of Life—all united because we have experienced first hand the ravages of addiction in our families. “I was the […]
Saint Magnus, the Last Viking, by Susan Peek
Susan Peek invites her readers to meet Saint Magnus, one of her friends in high places. Although he lived 950 years ago, he speaks, through his heroic example, to modern readers on the most fundamental of current problems. Standard definitions tell us that Vikings were pirates, plunderers, and raiders known […]
Jesus, our Saviour and our Example
The tension builds. Halfway through the week from his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, hosannas still echo in the streets and Jesus is preparing for his passion. The disciples don’t understand; they still expect Jesus to conquer their political enemies. But he knows better. He knows what he faces. Betrayal. Abandonment. […]