". . . the monks had Christ living and working in them by faith, by charity. The monks were united by the Holy Spirit in the peace of God . . . But the Icarians were united only by the frail bonds of an “armed neutrality” of insatiable animal appetites."
What To Do About Vatican II
Consider this analogy. You open your door one night to let in your cat, and along with him come half a dozen rabid raccoons. And maybe the cat doesn't get in after all. In any case, you didn't intend to let in the raccoons, but there they are, snarling at you and eating the upholstery off your furniture. When he called for the Second Vatican Council Pope John XXIII said that the time had come to "open the windows of the Church to let in fresh air." The problem is that the rabid raccoons known as the Spirit of Vatican II came with it, intended or not. You can't separate the two.
“Hallelujah” from Beethoven’s Christ on the Mount of Olives
We tend not to associate the word "hallelujah" with those penitential seasons. In Christ on the Mount of Olives it signifies the climactic moment when Christ says, "Not my will, but ours, be done" (Luke 22:42). This is when he commits himself to his passion and death on the cross. That, in turn, will lead directly to the triumph of Easter. Now that calls for a "Hallelujah!"
The Power of Prayer is Real Power
That is not to say that we discount the possibility of miraculous intervention (see below). But our prayers in response to human tragedies, for the most part, address things that are beyond the reach of any laws or “systematic approaches” we can enact in this world.
Sins of Fathers . . . And of Kings
The Protestant Reformation became a permanent feature of religious life in Europe. It might otherwise have remained a largely German affair. In later years, the growth of the British Empire ensured that the split in the Latin Church spread over the whole globe.
Have a Blessed Easter! (Jesus Christ is Risen Today)
Christ is Risen indeed. And what could be more fitting this day than the joyous Easter hymn, "Jesus Christ is Risen Today"? T
Something Strange is Happening: Holy Saturday
Something Strange Something strange is happening—there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. These are the opening sentences of the non-scriptural reading in today’s Office of Readings. Tradition calims St. Melito of Sardis as the author, but we don't know … Continue reading Something Strange is Happening: Holy Saturday
Is it I, Lord? – Good Friday
When Jesus says to them, “You will all fall away” (Matthew 26:31), he’s not speaking only to his Apostles, but to all of us who have been his disciples in the millennia since, as well as all those in the years to come.
O Sacred Head Surrounded: A Hymn For Holy Week:
What's not as well known is that Bach is author of neither the basic melody nor the words. The composer merely incorporated into his composition (with some significant adaptation) what was already a familiar hymn called O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden ("O Head Full of Blood and Wounds"). The music, which dates from about the year 1600, was composed by Hans Leo Hassler.
“Let it Be” – The Annunciation and Us
Let It Be Done Unto Me Let it be done unto me according to thy word (Luke 1:38) I often used to admire a stained-glass window that looks down on the altar in the cathedral where I used to attend Mass with my family. The scene in the window is the Annunciation. It depicts the young … Continue reading “Let it Be” – The Annunciation and Us