Tag: God

On
Fr. Donald Lange

Mary’s Assumption inspires us to follow her example

On November 1, 1950, more than 500,000 joyful people packed St. Peter’s Square to hear Pope Pius XII proclaim the dogma of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven.

In Munificentissimus Deus, Pope Pius XII proclaimed that “the “Immaculate Mother of God, the ever-virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into Heavenly glory.”

In no. 59 of the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium, the Second Vatican Council affirmed this dogma of the Church.

God’s children in need

Pope Pius XII proclaimed the dogma of the Assumption to counter the loss of reverence and respect for the God-given identity of every human being.

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On
Fr. Tad Pacholczyk

Sexual attractions and the call to chastity

Making Sense out of Bioethics column by Fr. Tad Pacholczyk

People often surmise that same-sex attraction is inborn, and that homosexuals are “naturally gay” or “born that way.” They suppose that if God made them that way, then it must not be a sin to act on their sexual desires.

The possibility of a “gay gene” is sometimes offered as a further defense, suggesting that the condition, and its associated behavior, are inevitable and inescapable.

One commentator summarized it this way: “Asking someone to stop being homosexual would therefore be equivalent to asking an Asian person to stop being Asian or a left-handed person to stop being left-handed.”

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On
Fr. Donald Lange

One nation under God

On Independence Day we celebrate the anniversary of the day that the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. We also express our admiration and gratitude for the brave men who risked their lives and fortunes to sign this great document.

Bishop Paul Swain once wrote that in his judgment the most famous words related to the Declaration of Independence are, “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.”

One nation under God

The Pledge of Allegiance reinforces the Declaration’s statement that God is the source of our nation’s independence. In 1952, the Knights of Columbus urged Congress to introduce a resolution to add “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance. The resolution was introduced by Congressman Louis C. Rabaut of Michigan and adopted by both Houses of Congress. It was signed by President Eisenhower on Flag Day, June 14, 1954.

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On
Fr. Donald Lange

Good fathers leave eternal marks of love

One summer evening dad and I sat on our front lawn and gazed at the field across the road.

Like a huge orange-red host, the sun sank slowly into the chalice of the earth. Its beauty inspired us.

Thoughtfully, dad said, “You know, we really don’t own anything.”

I quickly remembered the list of names on the deed to our land. Owner after owner paraded across the field of my memory. Then I realized that we were just stewards of the land. The real owner was God

This made an ordinary evening special. I felt close to dad.

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On
Olivia Knier

Growing closer to the Mother of God during May

Our Lady is for us the ultimate example of somebody adhering herself fully to God’s will. She was surely scared and unsure of what might come next, but unknowingly said yes to God’s will, that she would bear His son.

We can use this as a model for our relationship with God, and invoke Mary’s kind whispers in Jesus’ ear to help us through a hard time and grow closer to Jesus.

Devotion through the Rosary

Obviously, a powerful devotion to Our Lady, the Rosary is a great way to strengthen your relationship with God’s mother. While many people my own age think of the Rosary as a chore to pray with family or a boring task, sometimes its true potential is never quite realized.

 

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On
George Weigel

Remembering Pope John Paul II

The Catholic Difference by George Weigel

Strange as it may seem, I’ve been vaguely worried about the beatification on May 1 of a man with whom I was in close conversation for over a decade and to the writing of whose biography I dedicated 15 years of my own life.

My worries don’t have to do with allegations of a “rushed” beatification process; the process has been a thorough one, and the official judgment is the same as the judgment of the people of the Church.

I’m also unconcerned about the fretting of ultra-traditionalists for whom John Paul II was a failure because he didn’t restore the French monarchy, impose the Tridentine Mass on the entire Church, and issue thundering anathemas against theologians and wayward politicians.

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On
Sr. Margie Lavonis

Redemptive suffering is part of being a Christian

Cutting Edge by Sr. Margie Lavonis

It is not easy to block out the multiple cries of pain and suffering that permeate the world. It is almost deafening.

All one has to do is turn on the radio, read the newspaper, watch television, or go online. We are bombarded with news of pain and suffering, almost to the saturation point. I think of the people in Libya, Haiti, Japan, and others affected by war and natural disasters. It gives me an overwhelming feeling.

Good people suffer

A couple of years ago I attended several lectures on the martyrs of El Salvador who were killed during a civil war that took place there in the 1970’s and ’80s. Archbishop Oscar Romero, four women missionaries, and several Jesuits — only to name a few of hundreds of people — were brutally murdered because they spoke out against the intense suffering of the Salvadoran people and a system of government that perpetuated it.

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On
Msgr. Delbert Schmelzer

This Lent: Helping hope live in the missions

Propagation of Faith by Msgr. Delbert Schmelzer

“My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” is the familiar cry of Jesus on the cross.

In our own lives, we may also sometimes feel abandoned, with hope seeming to disappear. As we cope with the serious illness of someone close to us. As we face economic challenges, perhaps even the loss of our job. In the gray loneliness that follows the death of a beloved wife or husband.

God does not abandon us

And yet, in the midst of our darkness, we remember that God did not abandon His beloved Son and the suffering of Good Friday transformed into the hope of our Lord’s Resurrection. God does not abandon us.

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On
Fr. Tad Pacholczyk

Working through a hard death

Making Sense out of Bioethics column by Fr. Tad Pacholczyk

Caregivers and health care professionals can and often do greatly assist those who are suffering and dying. Even with careful pain management and comfort measures, however, the dying process can still be agonizing and difficult.

Each death has a unique and particular trajectory, but even the most difficult and unpleasant deaths often have powerful graces and remarkable opportunities for growth mysteriously interwoven into them.

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