Day: December 2, 2015

On
Bishop Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison

On the Year of Mercy

year of mercy diocese of madison door of mercy
Bishop’s Letter

“I desire that the year to come will be steeped in mercy, so that we can go out to every man and woman, bringing the goodness and tenderness of God! May the balm of mercy reach everyone, both believers and those far away, as a sign that the Kingdom of God is already present in our midst!” — Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus, 5

“We serve to ensure that all individuals throughout the 11-county diocese are graciously invited every day to meet the person of Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, face to face and be changed by Him.” – Mission Statement of the Diocese of Madison

To the faithful of the Diocese of Madison,

In calling for an Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, our Holy Father, Pope Francis, has issued a call meant not only to urge a return to the Almighty, but also to reinvigorate and inspire those of us who try to live lives as followers of Jesus Christ. In fact, the Holy Father has also unintentionally, but not surprisingly, endorsed our own diocesan “mission.”

The Holy Father begins his Bull of Indiction, Misericordiae Vultus, with the following words: “Jesus Christ is the face of the Father’s mercy. These words might well sum up the mystery of the Christian faith.” In carrying out our diocesan mission of “inviting others to meet the person of Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, face to face, and be changed by Him,” we are inviting them to meet the face of the Father’s mercy — to meet mercy incarnate. This invitation is one which is tied up in a challenging realization with regard to who God is and who “I” am, and it should be a profound and even startling invitation for each woman and man who lives in, and grapples with, a world that is nearly completely lacking in mercy.

Our world and our culture offer a great deal of lip-service to certain notions of tolerance and license, but these notions are grounded in a premise that truth is what you make it, and is subject to change, if public opinion is swayed to agree on the matter. Absent a grounding in the Truth and a foundation in humanity’s authentic encounter with mercy itself, all attempts at justice and mercy are mere shadows, structures built on sand. To experience mercy and to grant mercy, individuals and cultures must be anchored in the Truth and in a recognition of sin and repentance.

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On
Fr. Donald Lange

During Advent, we remember Christ’s hope for peace

The word Advent comes from the Latin adventus, which means coming.

From the first Sunday of Advent to December 17, we await the second coming of Christ so that when he comes in glory, he will find us prepared to meet him. From December 17 to 24, we prepare to celebrate the coming of Christ at Christmas.

During Advent’s graced moments, we also experience the comings of Christ in our daily life.

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On
Bishop Robert Barron

What precisely is the Gospel?

Some years ago, I was involved in a Catholic-Evangelical dialogue. One of our Protestant brothers challenged the Catholics in the group to articulate clearly what the Gospel is.

I knew what he was getting at: many Evangelicals pride themselves on the fact that they can succinctly sum up the Good News in a way that people find compelling and helpful, whereas many Catholics, it seems, get tongue-tied.

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On
Joan Carey, For the Catholic Herald

Major transition ahead for St. Paul Catholic Center’s bold future

MADISON — Each day brings St. Paul’s Catholic student community on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus a little closer to having a new place to call home.

The Student Center is buzzing with excitement as the clock ticks out the final weeks for savoring the happy memories associated with what will be soon known as “old St. Paul’s.”

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On
George Weigel

The grittiness of the Christian faith

Editor’s note: George Weigel wrote this column from Jerusalem.

Walking through the narrow, winding streets of Jerusalems Old City on my first visit here in 15 years, I was powerfully struck once again by the grittiness of Christianity, the palpable connection between the faith and the quotidian realities of life.

For here, as in no other place, the believer, the skeptic, and the “searcher” are confronted with a fact: Christianity began, not with a pious story or “narrative,” but with the reality of transformed lives.

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On
Mike and Stacey Sanders

Give Sunday back to all families

To the editor:

Why do our Catholic schools in the Madison area schedule sports on Sundays? Public schools don’t.

A couple weeks ago, I was sitting in the bleachers on Sunday, watching my daughter’s volleyball game. She had already played two games the day before, and it wasn’t even a tournament weekend.

Meanwhile, my spouse was tending to the needs and activities of our other children. We were spending this Sunday divided, like many Sundays before. Not only were we feeling the tension of this split, but we’re sure the coaches and referees were, too. How did we let this happen?

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On
Kevin Wondrash

Donations will be matched in Catholic Multicultural Center Radiothon

MADISON — If the Catholic Multicultural Center (CMC) can raise $11,000 on December 11, generous donors have agreed to match donations dollar-for-dollar, doubling the impact of each donation.

The CMC can only do this with the help of donors as part of the fourth annual Radiothon fundraiser on La Movida Spanish radio, being held on Friday, Dec. 11, to benefit CMC programs such as the newly expanded English as a Second Language program.

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