A Treasure To Be Shared

Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, S.D.B., Pro-prefect of the Dicastery for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life. Homily from 8th day of Novemdiales Masses for Pope Francis  [edited for length] Dearest Sisters and Brothers, St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori teaches that praying for the dead is the greatest work of charity. When we help our neighbors materially, we share ephemeral goods, but when we pray for them we do so with eternal goods. In a similar way lived the Holy Curé of Ars, universal patron of priests. [...] On this third Sunday of Easter everything invites rejoicing, exultation. The reason is given by the Risen Lord and the presence of the Holy Spirit. St. Athanasius affirms that the risen Jesus Christ makes man's life a continuous feast. And that is why the Apostles - and Peter first among them - are not afraid of imprisonment, nor of threats, nor of being persecuted again. And in fact they boldly and frankly declare, “Of these things we ar...

Saint Charbel, a Maronite hermit, is a most reliable intercessor. Following Our Lady, he is recognized for having the most recorded miracles, with 29,000 registered. Charbel Makhlouf, O.L.M. (born Youssef Antoun Makhlouf), May 8, 1828 – December 24, 1898, was a Lebanese Maronite monk and priest celebrated for his holiness and dedication to uniting Christians, Muslims, and Druze. He was a member of the Baladite order. His feast day is commemorated on July 24 in the Latin Church and the third Sunday of July in the Maronite Church. His body remains incorrupt. O Lord, in Thy Saints infinitely Holy and Glorified, Thou didst inspire Charbel, that blessed monk, to lead a hermit's life most perfect. We render thanks unto Thee for granting him the grace and strength to sunder himself from this world, that the heroic virtues of poverty, obedience, and chastity could triumph in his hermitage. We beseech Thee to bestow upon us the grace of loving and serving Thee, following his hallowed exampl...

Are you thirsty for solid Catholic content? Do you seek to raise your children in a vibrant Catholic culture that helps them become faithful adults? Are your hungry for truth, goodness and beauty? Are you tired of parish programs that waste resources and do little to feed the soul? Are you seeking to learn how you can help build up the Body of Christ? Introducing Brian Holdsworth. If you haven't watched this articulate, insightful and faithful fellow share a thoroughly Catholic understanding of the Faith, then you are invited to start by watching one of his videos. Visit Mr. Holdsworth's main site at:  https://www.brianholdsworth.ca/ Brian Holdsworth, a Catholic convert, resides in Edmonton, Alberta, with his wife and seven children. His videos are rich with genuine Catholic content, revealing a deep faith. Far from being just another "influencer" or social media personality, he is a true man of God, passionately advocating for truth, goodness, and beauty within the C...

Was there a shift in how humans understand themselves, their place in the world, and their relationship to the divine or the transcendent? Axial Age is a term coined by the German philosopher Karl Jaspers. It refers to broad changes in religious and philosophical thought that occurred in a variety of locations from about the 8th to the 3rd century BC.  According to Jaspers, during this period, universalizing modes of thought appeared in Persia, India, China, the Levant, and the Greco-Roman world, in a striking parallel development, without any obvious admixture between these disparate cultures. - Wikipedia Ancient Greece: philosophers like Thales questioned the nature of reality, while Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle developed ethical and metaphysical systems. Ancient Israel: the development of monotheism, with Yahweh as a transcendent creator God, and a focus on ethical conduct and individual relationship with God. Ancient India: the rise of Hinduism with its emphasis on karma, reb...

Photo: Nicole Garmston Proverbs 12:10 | A righteous man has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel. Richard M. Blaylock, PhD, writes (edited for length): On Compassion and Cruelty: A Brief Reflection on Proverbs 12:10 On the one hand, the verse states that a righteous person is one who is so filled with compassion that his care extends even beyond the bounds of human society. Not only does he care for those within his household, but he even concerns himself with the state of his cattle. Here, I would argue that the reference to the righteous caring for “his beasts” is intended to serve a primarily rhetorical function: it highlights (in contrast to the wicked) the depths of the righteous person’s compassion. While it does have a bearing on how people should treat animals, the verse is really a call for readers to examine whether or not their lives are marked by generous compassion because such generous compassion is inseparable from true righteousness. On...

(CNS photo/Vatican Media) Lights, smoke, an elevated platform, guitars, drums, keyboards, and a large crowd facing the performers. A religious service or a rock concert? Candles, incense (... maybe), an elevated platform, guitars, drums, keyboards, and a large congregation facing the clergy. Same question. 'Praise and worship' is a label borrowed from evangelical and charismatic Protestant lexicons. The Catholic understands that God desires to be worshipped and praised in the Divine Liturgy. In the Mass, the Catholic can say, "I was gathered into the offering of the Son to the Father. I participated in the self-offering of God today." God has revealed to us how He wants to be worshipped. Jesus established the model for Catholic worship (St. Matthew 26:17-30). The Latin Rite liturgy has expanded or contracted over the centuries. Universal adjustments were modest until the Bugnini Concilium (1964 - 1969) instituted considerable revisions. A later council of ten faithful...

For those of us who are privileged to serve in the sanctuary, to serve Jesus and his priest, the recent words of Pope Leo resonate deeply. Being so close to the sacred actions of Liturgy, how can we not be completely captivated by the Lord? Is the opportunity to serve in the sanctuary not a sublime gift to be treasured beyond Sunday throughout the week? Of course it is! We are loved by Jesus - each one of us! We hope and pray that our actions are grafted to the action of Jesus in the Mass. The Holy Father spoke recently at a gathering of French altar servers in Rome. A few phrases stand out. Dear Altar Servers, the celebration of the Mass saves us today! It saves the world today! It is the most important event in the life of the Christian and in the life of the Church, for it is the encounter where God gives Himself to us in love, again and again. In that paragraph is a flood of inspiration! "The Mass saves us today!" Therein the temple of the Lord, kneeling in the sanctuary,...

St. Matthew 9:27-31 | And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” When he entered the house, the blind men came to him; and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly charged them, “See that no one knows it.” But they went away and spread his fame through all that district. The Dialogues of (Pope) St. Gregory the Great Peter (a deacon of the Church). Because fit occasion is now offered, desirous I am to know what the reason was, that when our Saviour restored sight unto two blind men, and commanded them to tell nobody; yet they, after their departure, made him known throughout all that country. For had the only-begotten Son of God, who is co-eternal to his Father and the Holy Ghost, a desire herein to do that which he could not perform : to wit...