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On January 7, 2015, during his general audience, Pope Francis lamented how mothers are often under-appreciated.
The pope stated, “To be a mother is a great treasure. Mothers, in their unconditional, sacrificial love for their children, are the antidote to individualism. They are the greatest enemies against war.”
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Word on Fire
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Thomas Hobbes considered human civilization as an endless war of all against all with the only viable solution being the power of the state to regulate, order, and control.
Georg Frederich Hegel postulated that existence was an experience of inescapeable dialectics, a violent collision of opposites and it was only in this state of affairs that new growth and development was possible.
Friedrich Nietzsche insisted that all is “will to power” and that it is the master of power alone that escapes the heavy hand of fate.
These ideas have all had great weight. Whether we know about them or recognize their validity or not, these ideas have shaped, formed, and defined our culture.
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Patients who face serious illnesses are sometimes attracted to alternative medicines, also referred to as “holistic” or “new-age” medicines.
These can include treatments like homeopathy, hypnosis, “energy therapies” like Reiki, acupuncture, and herbal remedies, to name just a few.
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Patients who face serious illnesses are sometimes attracted to alternative medicines, also referred to as “holistic” or “new-age” medicines.
These can include treatments like homeopathy, hypnosis, “energy therapies” like Reiki, acupuncture, and herbal remedies, to name just a few.
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We in Wisconsin should especially appreciate Earth Day because it was started by Gaylord Nelson when he was a U.S. senator from Wisconsin.
On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans crowded streets, parks, and auditoriums to celebrate the first Earth Day. They called for a healthy, sustainable environment. Earth Day’s time had come.
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On Easter, we celebrate the feast of Jesus’ resurrection. His resurrection is the heart of our faith.
In 1 Corinthians 15:14, St. Paul teaches, “If Christ has not been raised from the dead, then our preaching is in vain and our faith empty.”
Like many Jews who suffered from messiah fever, on Holy Thursday, deep down, the apostles may still have had lingering hopes that Christ was a political messiah who would conquer the hated Roman occupiers and establish his earthly kingdom.
Despite three years of on-the-job training, the apostles often failed to fully understand that Christ’s kingdom was a kingdom of justice, love, and peace and not of power and violence.
MILTON — Fr. Jim McEnery will celebrate his 90th birthday this spring.
St. Mary Parish will host a “Family Reunion” with current and former parishioners as well as those whose lives he touched during his 30 years in Milton.
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I have been reading, with both profit and delight, Thomas Joseph White’s latest book, The Incarnate Lord: A Thomistic Study in Christology.
Fr. White, one of the brightest of a new generation of Thomas interpreters, explores a range of topics in this text — the relationship between Jesus’ human and divine natures, whether the Lord experienced the beatific vision, the theological significance of Christ’s cry of anguish on the cross, his descent into Hell, etc. — but for the purposes of this article, I want to focus on a theme of particular significance in the theological and catechetical context today.
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| Msgr. John Hebl |
Editor’s Note: During Lent, a series of articles on Forgiveness will be presented by Msgr. John Hebl, pastor emeritus and charter member of the International Forgiveness Institute (IFI), and Robert Enright, University of Wisconsin-Madison professor, author, and founder of the IFI. This will help introduce the first ever International Conference on Forgiveness in July 2017 which IFI is sponsoring in the Holy City of Jerusalem.
A number of years ago, a priest friend, now deceased, shared a personal conversation he once had with a parishioner.
She stated she liked him as a confessor. Somewhat taken aback, he asked whether it was because of his education (he held two Master’s and a Doctorate degree), or his empathy, compassion, and understanding, or maybe even because he was elderly.
She said, “no it was none of these,” and then added, “It’s because you’re hard of hearing!”
We begin Lent on March 1 by receiving a cross of ashes on our forehead. The ashes remind us that we are dust and unto dust we shall return.
Receiving the ashes also reminds us that while we are still alive, we are to repent and believe the Good News so that at Easter we can renew our Baptismal promises with deepened faith.
Venerable Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli died on February 23, 1864, during Lent. Thanks especially to the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters, we know much about Father Samuel, who reflects many of Pope Francis’ virtues. Both can inspire us to live Lent in a Christ-like way that helps us continue our journey to heaven.
