The Difference that the Spirit Makes
As a teenager, I thought the clergy were supposed to do everything. We laity were just called to pray, pay, and obey. Oh yes, and keep the commandments, of course. The original 10 seemed overwhelming...
View ArticleNo New Evangelization without a New Pentecost
From my position of working in the Church, I’d say the question of the year has been “What exactly is the New Evangelization?” Everyone is asking it. Conferences are popping up like spring flowers...
View ArticleThe Old Testament Roots of Pentecost
Glorious Pentecost! Fifty days after the death and resurrection of our Lord we in the Body of Christ are sanctified by the descent of the Holy Spirit and the abundant gifts and blessings that attend...
View ArticleHere’s Why the Doctrine of the Trinity Matters
Many are ready to give a polite nod of some sort to Jesus of Nazareth. Most honor him as a great moral teacher. Many even confess him as Savior. But the Incarnation of the Eternal God? Second person...
View ArticleEncountering the Word — Acts 2:37-39
A Daily Quote From Sacred Scripture “Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brethren, what shall we do?’ And Peter said to them, ‘Repent,...
View ArticleThe Difference that the Spirit Makes
As a teenager, I thought the clergy were supposed to do everything. We laity were just called to pray, pay, and obey. Oh yes, and keep the commandments, of course. The original 10 seemed overwhelming...
View ArticleEncountering the Word — Acts 2:1-4
A Daily Quote from Sacred Scripture “When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the...
View ArticleCatholic Quote of the Day — from Pope Francis
“The Holy Spirit would appear to create disorder in the Church, since he brings the diversity of charisms and gifts; yet all this, by his working, is a great source of wealth, for the Holy Spirit is...
View ArticleThe Glory of Pentecost
Do you ever wonder what it might have been like to be present with Christ for those three years of His public life as he preached the Kingdom of Heaven throughout the Decapolis? How many miracles of...
View ArticleThe Holy Spirit—The Principle of Unity throughout Scripture
The principle of unity throughout scripture is the Holy Spirit. The Pentecost Sequence, Veni Sancte Spiritus, describes this sanctifying—and therefore unifying—role of the Spirit of Father and Son:...
View ArticleThe Blind Man Speaks
There were hundreds in the crowd that day at Jericho. No doubt all of them had needs, many of them urgent. But this Sunday’s gospel tells us that apparently only one of them had the audacity to speak...
View ArticleWhy is the world not on fire?
A few years ago, I was faced with the task of teaching about the sacrament of Confirmation and the Holy Spirit to a large group of catechists. It was daunting task. My own Confirmation had been...
View ArticleThe Difference that the Spirit Makes
As a teenager, I thought the clergy were supposed to do everything. We laity were just called to pray, pay, and obey. Oh yes, and keep the commandments, of course. The original 10 seemed overwhelming...
View ArticleCatholic Quote of the Day — from Pope Francis
“The Holy Spirit would appear to create disorder in the Church, since he brings the diversity of charisms and gifts; yet all this, by his working, is a great source of wealth, for the Holy Spirit is...
View ArticlePentecost—You can Set the World on Fire
“Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says ‘Jesus be cursed!’ and no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3)....
View ArticleThe Difference that the Spirit Makes
Reflection on the Mass readings for the Solemnity of Pentecost (Year ABC) — Acts 2:1-11; Psalms 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34; First Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13; John 20:19-23. As a teenager, I thought the...
View ArticleDaily Catholic Quote — from Saint John Paul II
“Veni, Sancte Spiritus! Thus beginning her invocation to the Holy Spirit, the Church makes her own the substance of the Apostles’ prayer as they gathered with Mary in the Upper Room; indeed, she...
View ArticlePentecost—You can Set the World on Fire
“Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says ‘Jesus be cursed!’ and no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3)....
View ArticleDaily Catholic Quote — from Fr. Francis Fernández
“After Pentecost, our Lady is as it were, the heart of the infant Church. The Holy Spirit, who had prepared her to be the Mother of God, now at Pentcost disposes her to be Mother of the Church and of...
View ArticleWhy the Doctrine of the Trinity Matters
Reflection on the Mass readings for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity (Year A) — Exodus 34:4-6, 8-9; Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56; Second Corinthians 13:11-13; John 3:16-18. Many are ready to give...
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