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Tag: Divine Mercy
Have faith in the invisible realities
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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,
This past weekend we celebrated our Second Sunday of Easter — Divine Mercy Sunday — and the readings point in a particular way to the way we as a Christian people are called to respond, when acting simply in faith.
In the Gospel, we saw our Lord appear in His resurrected body, and we heard him speak to Thomas and the Apostles saying, “Blessed are they who have not seen but have believed (Jn 20:29).” These are words which are terribly important for our country and for our culture and for our day and age.
Some say truth found only in science
Our country and our culture and our day and age have tried to convince us that the only truth is to be found in science, that is, seeing what is visible by some method of physical observation, by some scientific method. If there is some kind of physical seeing possible, then we have truth. I see it with my own eyes!
Our strides in science are wonderful and our knowledge impressive, but what does Jesus say to us? “Blessed are they who have not seen and yet have believed.”
The Gospel tells us that knowledge by grace, knowledge from God’s point of view, gives us far more certainty than science, which is limited to picturing how things go in the physical world. We continue to have a greater and greater understanding of how things work in our physical world, but there is far more to understand.
Parable of the talents revisited
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The attendance at our Mass at Mundelein Seminary on Labor Day weekend was sparse. Many of the students had gone home while others were on a special tour of Chicago churches.
The celebrant and preacher for the Sunday Mass was Fr. Robert Schoenstene, our veteran Old Testament professor. Father Schoenstene offered the best interpretation I’ve ever heard of a particularly puzzling parable of the Lord, and I wanted to make sure his reading got a wider audience.
Rich man gives talents to servants
The parable in question is the one concerning the rich man who gives talents to three of his servants and then sets out on a journey. Upon his return, he assesses the situation and discovers that the servant to whom he had given five talents had invested them fruitfully and that the servant to whom he had given three talents had done the same.
Divine Mercy Sunday: A day of mercy and prayer
“St. John XXIII, pray for us.”
“St. John Paul II, pray for us.”
Msgr. James Bartylla, vicar general for the Diocese of Madison, led those short, but poignant prayers at the outset of some brief announcements before Divine Mercy Sunday Mass on April 27 at the Bishop O’Connor Center in Madison.
It’s more than one day: Pope Francis reminds us to continue to share Easter joy
In our fast-paced world, it seems as if one holiday is barely done and we’re starting to get ready for the next one on the horizon.
This is especially true in the greeting card sections of our stores. The Mother’s Day cards have been on display for a few weeks (even though Mother’s Day was a month away at the time), and the graduation cards are on the racks. Before we know it, the Halloween cards will be making their appearance!
We should have time to savor each special day in our lives and not be rushing past any of the religious or secular holidays.
Continue to celebrate Easter
However, Easter should be the definite exception to our quick celebrations. That’s because Easter is more than just one day, as Pope Francis reminded thousands of visitors gathered in St. Peter’s Square on Easter Monday. In fact, he told them to celebrate Easter all through the week — and beyond.
Divine Mercy Sunday to be celebrated on April 27
Blessed John Paul II declared in the Great Jubilee Year 2000 that throughout the universal Church, the Sunday after Easter will be known as Divine Mercy Sunday.
Divine Mercy Sunday to be celebrated in Sauk City
Divine Mercy Sunday will be celebrated on April 7 at Divine Mercy Parish at St. Aloysius Church, 115 Madison St. in Sauk City. The festivities will begin at 2 p.m.
Divine Mercy sums up the story of Lent, Easter
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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. |
This past Sunday was a wonderful celebration in so many ways. And the Gospel from Sunday — the second Sunday of Easter — was simply spectacular.
In John 20:19-31 we see Jesus appearing to the Apostles in His risen body and using the greeting, “Peace be with you.” The peace Jesus means, of course, is the peace of heaven — that “Shalom,” that total well being, which is part of heavenly joy and heavenly rest. The peace that Jesus means is the peace of heaven itself.
Jesus died so that sins may be forgiven
And what does Jesus say after that? “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” An essential part of the heavenly peace and joy, and the whole point of Jesus’ death and resurrection, is the forgiveness of sins! Jesus’ body was broken and His blood was poured out so that sins might be forgiven, so that there might be mercy. Essential to the heavenly “Shalom,” contained in Jesus’ greeting, is that His mercy is poured out upon us, that sins are forgiven.
Divine Mercy events planned
Two events in the Diocese of Madison will celebrate the Feast of Divine Mercy on Sunday on May 1.
Pilgrimage planned to National Divine Mercy Shrine
MADISON — The Knights of Divine Mercy is sponsoring a pilgrimage to the National Divine Mercy Shrine in Stockbridge, Mass., for Divine Mercy Sunday, May 1, 2011.