To the editor:
In regard to the article by Father Pacholczyk in the December 17 Catholic Herald: “A Higher Standard than for cats and dogs”:
In his article, Father P. writes about the challenges of suffering for humans.I am absolutely aghast that he cites Victoria Kennedy, widow of Ted Kennedy, and devotes no less than six column inches to her quoted words about her husband’s final months.
To the editor:
Every so often the Catholic Herald has a letter to the editor which suggests priests preach on sin and what sin is. In my parish I can recall MANY such homilies!
The beautiful sermon on how loving God fills one with love and joy. I am sure there were people listening who wondered “how do I get that?” An invitation to a deeper study of one’s faith.
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How wonderful that Our Lady of Guadalupe appears as a pregnant woman clothed in the sun!
In the Book of Revelation, Mary is described in just this manner (Rev 12:1). But we should not approach this symbolism in a superficial or merely sentimental way.
The woman clothed in the sun and with the moon at her feet is portrayed in Revelation precisely as a warrior. Confronting her is a terrible dragon intent upon devouring her child as soon as it is born.
MADISON — With a trumpet solo as pure and melodic as it is glorious, the Madison Diocesan Choir will herald the birth of Christ in a Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, featuring brass quintet and timpani, this Sunday, Dec. 20, at the Bishop O’Connor Catholic Pastoral Center.
Dr. Patrick Gorman, Diocesan Choir director for nearly 25 years, has had harp, strings, and woodwinds accompany the choir with organist Glenn Schuster for the Advent service, a longstanding tradition of the choir.
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In John 3:16 it says, “For God so loved the world that God gave His only Son so that everyone who believes in him might not perish, but have might have eternal life.”
Gilbert Keith Chesterton wrote, “Out of love for us, the mighty hands that created the sun, moon, and stars became so tiny that they could not reach up to touch the noses of the oxen who tried to warm him with their hayed breath.”
Deeply moved by the infant Jesus, St. Thérèse of Lisieux asked, “Why should we fear God who became a tiny baby?”
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Just recently on the website maintained by the episcopal conference of Germany, there appeared an editorial concerning Pope Francis’ apostolic visit to Africa.
As many have pointed out, the piece was breathtaking in its arrogance and cultural condescension. The author’s take on the surprisingly rapid pace of Christianity’s growth on the “dark continent” (his words)? Well, the level of education in Africa is so low that the people accept easy answers to complex questions.
His assessment of the explosion in vocations across Africa? Well, the poor things don’t have many other avenues of social advancement; so they naturally gravitate toward the priesthood.
To the editor:
As we enter into this extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, it is good to see the extra times set aside by our priests for the Sacrament of Confession. I am concerned that most priests will have a lot of reading time or time to visit with Our Lord as they wait for people to come to this sacrament of mercy.
We must not judge another person, but our priests need to teach from the pulpit what sin is. Today’s Church has forgotten to lead people, to be a teacher to us, more on dogma on the faith and not just love your neighbor.
To the editor:
The most traumatic event in the 20th Century was not the Second World War or the atomic bomb. It was the birth control pill!
Before the pill, family life was strong with eight to 10 children. Now the basis of society is obliterated, and the world is falling apart.
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As I write, just before Thanksgiving, it’s been over a month since Synod-2015 finished its work.
Yet there is still no official translation of the synod’s Final Report into the major world languages from the original Italian (a language regularly used by eight-tenths of one percent of the world’s population).
That’s a shame because, in the main, the Relatio Finalis is an impressive, often-moving statement of the Church’s convictions about chastity, marriage, and the family: biblically rich, theologically serious, pastorally sensitive, and well-crafted to meet the challenge of the cultural tsunami responsible for the contemporary crisis of marriage and the family, which has left a lot of unhappiness in its wake.
Q I am hosting a holiday gathering for our extended family this year and have some questions about how to make the time relaxing for our older in-laws.
My husband’s parents are both experiencing some health issues and have limited energy for long celebrations.
Some family members are traveling quite a distance and are anxious to visit with them. I am worried that my in-laws will be “too gracious” and not let family know when they are tired and need to take a break.
Do you have some tips for making this enjoyable for all without offending anyone or exhausting our in-laws?
(From a daughter-in-law in Beloit)
