One of the most powerful gifts of the Mass and other Sacramental celebrations is that we encounter Christ face-to-face.
Tag: belief
A message of love for the confirmandi
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One of the greatest privileges I have as a bishop is the opportunity to preside at the Sacrament of Confirmation. A drawback, however, is that I am obligated to conduct over 40 Confirmations in roughly a two month period — which means that I become tired, rather quickly, of my own homily!
As a result, I’m frequently shifting gears, trying out new ideas, looking at the complex phenomenon of Confirmation from a variety of angles. I want to share with you in this article some of the key ideas in the latest iteration of my Confirmation sermon.
Holy Week is gift from Holy Spirit for our salvation
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| This column is the bishop’s communication with the faithful of the Diocese of Madison. Any wider circulation reaches beyond the intention of the bishop. |
Dear Friends,
It is hard for me to believe that this coming Sunday is Palm Sunday, and yet, here we are!
I bring this up because I want to remind you that the most important liturgies of the Church, culminating in the great Easter Vigil, begin this coming Sunday. It is the most important time in the Church year, and I encourage you to be actively engaged in it.
Holy Week begins
We begin, of course, with Palm Sunday (or Passion Sunday), which is the official start of Holy Week. And Holy Week builds from there.
The high cost of conscience
At the end of the liturgical year, the Mass readings tell dramatic stories from the Books of Maccabees of simple folks standing courageously for their faith in the face of torture and death. Their exemplary witness can strengthen us as we defend our conscience rights and religious liberty which are under attack today.
In second century B.C., a conquering king was intent on suppressing Judaism in Palestine. He issued a decree that his whole kingdom should all be one people, each abandoning his particular customs and religious laws and observances. Whoever refused to comply would be killed.
Though large numbers did comply, we’re told that many in Israel “preferred to die rather than be defiled with unclean food or to profane the holy covenant; and they did die. Terrible affliction was upon Israel” (Maccabees 1:63).