On the First Sunday of Lent, in all three liturgical years of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, we’re confronted with the account of Our Lord’s temptation in the desert by the devil.
This is a beautiful text, because in a way the history of the world was played out in a quiet desert, away from the busy cities, between God-made-man and the fallen angel.
St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Janesville will be hosting the Vatican’s International Exhibition of the Eucharistic Miracles of the World on Saturday and Sunday, March 16 and 17.
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Years ago a priest walked through a dark alley in a dangerous part of town. Suddenly a robber emerged from the darkness and pointed a gun at his back.
“Your money or your life,” the robber ordered. The priest turned to give the robber his money.
The robber recognized that he was a priest by his Roman collar and exclaimed, “Oh Father, I didn’t know it was you! I would never rob a priest!”
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Whenever we make small exceptions to universal moral rules, we shouldn’t be surprised that the rules themselves can be quickly undermined.
Establishing an “exception” in one case makes people think they’re due an exemption for their case as well. Certain norms of moral behavior, however, do not admit of any exceptions, and we risk undermining morality altogether if we don’t recognize them. Moral norms governing the protection of human life are one such example.
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Word on Fire |
The Church faced serious problems when Frances Bussa was born in 1384. The papacy had fallen under the influence of the French crown and had developed a reputation for corruption.
Worse, in 1378 a majority of bishops elected a new pope, Robert of Geneva, even though a legitimate pope already reigned, which launched the Great Schism of the West.
To the editor:
It is with profound sadness that the National Council of Catholic Women contemplates the passage of the late term abortion legislation in New York now being promoted in other states of our country.
The act of killing a child at any stage of life is unconscionable, but killing a baby about to be born into the world that could even be in the birth canal or partially delivered can be considered as nothing more than a barbaric act unworthy of this great nation, a nation that noted the right to life in our Declaration of Independence.
MADISON — St. […]
MADISON — The Madison Catholic Woman’s Club will hold its annual Priest and Religious Recognition Day on Tuesday, March 12, at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, 2121 Rowley Ave., Madison.
All women of the Diocese of Madison are invited to attend and encouraged to bring their pastor, pastoral associate, religious education director, and/or other staff members who enrich the spiritual life of the parish.To the editor:
Eucharistic ministers can help to save souls by bringing Communion to nursing homes. Most Catholics think that evangelization means “bringing people to Jesus,” but in a real sense, it includes “bringing the body of Jesus to people.”
This form of evangelization is becoming more important because we have an aging population, with nursing homes becoming a growing part of many communities.
Renewal of the Catholic Church in the wake of the sexual abuse scandals must start with prayer.
That’s what the leaders of the Knights of Columbus said in promoting a “Novena for Repentance, Renewal, and Rebuilding” in response to the recent Vatican summit on child protection and the clerical sexual abuse crisis.
