WORDS TO THE WHYS
In an age of artificial intelligence, too many of our schools and colleges are producing artificial stupidity. Thomas Sowell
Quoting Bishop Lopes: "draw others into the adventure of faithful discipleship"
There are numerous reasons why Pope Benedict and Pope Francis have established and fostered our place in the diverse tapestry of Catholic life. Certainly, we would highlight the Ordinariate’s role in preserving and promoting the patrimony of Anglican and English Christianity. We would note the ecumenical value of the Ordinariate, on the personal level by providing a welcoming reception into full communion with the Catholic Church, and on the more global ecumenical level, demonstrating that unity with the Catholic Church does not mean assimilation and uniformity. The norms express another reason as well: the missional and evangelical character of the Ordinariate itself. The journey into full communion at the origin of our particular Church is but the first movement that gives shape to the Ordinariate. The second movement is to go out again — armed with the confidence of Catholic doctrine, the beauty of our English patrimony, and the joy of communion — to draw others into the adventure of faithful discipleship.
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St John the Evangelist Church, Calgary AB The saying, “Without the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the clergy are merely bureaucrats,” is intentionally provocative, but it expresses an important truth about the nature of the Church and the priesthood. At its heart lies the conviction that the Church is not fundamentally an institution of administration, but a sacramental communion whose life flows from the Eucharistic sacrifice. The priest certainly has many responsibilities beyond the altar. He teaches the faith, preaches the Gospel, cares for souls, comforts the suffering, and guides the Christian community. These are not bureaucratic tasks but genuine expressions of pastoral and spiritual fatherhood. Yet all of these ministries find their deepest meaning in their relationship to the Eucharist, which the Church calls the source and summit of the Christian life (CCC 1324). When the Mass is forgotten or marginalized, the remaining administrative duties of the clergy can easily come to domi...
One of the challenges facing many contemporary democracies is the increasing polarization of political life. When public debate becomes dominated by ideological camps that view one another with suspicion or hostility, society loses the capacity for reasoned dialogue and compromise. Citizens are encouraged to choose sides rather than seek truth, and opponents are too often treated as enemies rather than fellow participants in a common political community. Polarized politics can serve society insofar as it highlights important disagreements and brings competing values into public discussion. Vigorous debate is a normal and healthy feature of a free society. However, polarization serves the common good only partially when it hardens into tribalism, reducing complex issues to simplistic slogans and discouraging genuine understanding. A healthier society requires the classical liberal commitment to open inquiry and freedom of expression alongside the conservative appreciation for social coh...
The Christian life is fundamentally a participation in the light of Christ. Throughout Sacred Scripture, light symbolizes truth, holiness, and communion with God, while darkness signifies sin, error, and separation from Him. Because Christ is the Light of the World, those who follow Him cannot persist in a lifestyle of sin without contradicting their identity as His disciples. Jesus declared, “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). This statement presents not merely a comforting promise but a moral challenge. To follow Christ is to leave behind the darkness of sin and to walk in the illumination of divine grace. Just as physical light dispels darkness, the presence of Christ transforms the soul and calls believers to conversion. St. John develops this theme even more strongly: “God is light and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). He continues by warning that anyone who claims fellowship with God wh...
One of the quiet strengths of Divine Worship, the Mass of the Ordinariates, is precisely its preservation of a kind of liturgical literacy through gesture. Many contemporary Christians can read words on a page, but fewer can "read" the language of worship enacted by the body. The Ordinariate tradition tends to retain a richer grammar of bodily signs than is commonly encountered in many parishes. By "literacy with gestures" is meant the ability of the faithful to recognize and understand actions such as: making the sign of the cross in acknowledgement and adoration at particular moments, e.g., as the Body of Christ is elevated and when the Precious Blood (chalice) is elevated bowing at the Holy Name of Jesus bowing in reverence toward the cross (the sign of our salvation) and priest (who acts in the person of Christ, in persona Christi ) as the procession passes striking the breast in humility during the Confiteor, Agnus Dei, and the Domine, non sum dignus genuflect...
Have you noticed that during recitations of the Rosary, or during prayers at the end of Low or Said Mass, there’s often a difference in how the Hail! Mary is spoken among parishioners? If you haven’t observed a variation in translation, this little lesson might not resonate. This exploration may seem nitpicky, but for those who value precision, grammar matters, and a refinement of meaning and understanding could deepen understanding and prayer. In the phrase nunc et in hora mortis nostrae ("now and at the hour of our death"), the more natural English translation is: "now and at the hour of our death." The Latin preposition in with the ablative hora can mean "in," "at," or "during," depending on context. Here it refers to a specific moment in time, not an extended period. English idiom therefore favors "at the hour" rather than "in the hour." Compare: in hora mortis → at the hour of death (the moment when death comes...
Yes to Virtue; No to Sin The history of salvation is the drama of two opposing kingdoms: the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. Every soul must choose between them. There is no neutrality in the spiritual life. Our Lord Jesus Christ calls His disciples to reject sin and pursue holiness, declaring, "No man can serve two masters" (Matt. 6:24). The Christian life is therefore a continual and deliberate "yes" to virtue and a steadfast "no" to sin. Virtue is the beauty of a soul conformed to God. It is not merely the performance of isolated good actions but a stable disposition to choose the good with readiness and joy. The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines virtue as "a habitual and firm disposition to do the good."¹ St. Thomas Aquinas teaches that virtue perfects the powers of the soul, enabling man to act according to right reason illumined by grace.² Through the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity, the Christian particip...
POPE LEO XIV Magnifica Humanitas
Even in the darkest nights, the Lord raises up men and women who refuse to give up, who persevere in doing good, who protect the vulnerable and open pathways to reconciliation. The memory of the saints, righteous people and the oft-forgotten peacemakers, show us that grace does not magically eliminate conflict, but instead it inspires active resistance to evil and an astonishing creativity in doing good (paragraph 211).
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
I doubt not then but innocence shall make false accusation blush, and tyranny tremble at patience.
SENECA
No tree becomes rooted and sturdy unless many a wind assails it. For by its very tossing it tightens its grip and plants its roots more securely; the fragile trees are those that have grown in a sunny valley.
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