Easter message from […]
Tag: hying
Honoring St. Joseph
Issuing Patris Corde, (“With a Father’s Heart”), Pope Francis has declared a special year to honor St. Joseph and to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the declaration of Joseph as the patron of the Universal Church.
A look at faith and culture over time
When we take a long, hard look at our culture today, it is painfully clear that we are in a profound crisis.
The racial, economic, political divisions in society, exacerbated by COVID, the elections last fall, and the violence in our midst, have become a profound obstacle to unity, peace, compassion, and even truth.
We are made in God’s image
A beautiful, basic tenet of our faith, articulated in the creation account of Genesis, is that every human being is created in the image and likeness of God, the imago Dei.
The Scriptures narrate the words of God Himself: Let us make man in our image and likeness.
This conviction is the bedrock of the Church’s defense of human dignity, proclamation of inherent rights, and responsibilities of each person and a motivation for all of our concern for the poor, the young, the elderly, and the suffering.
Candidates and catechumens promise to go forward to the Church
While these past almost 12 months have been filled with reasons and methods to “distance” ourselves from one another, dozens of people growing in their faith recently had a chance to come closer to something.
Madison Catholic Woman’s Club to celebrate Religious and hold donation drive
MADISON — All women of the diocese are warmly invited to join Madison Catholic Woman’s Club (MCWC) members as we celebrate our parish priests, Religious, and staff on Tuesday, March 9, at Blessed Sacrament Church, 2116 Hollister Ave., Madison.
Mark your calendars to join us in person at 11:10 a.m. to pray the Rosary followed by Mass at 11:30 a.m. with Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison presiding.
For those wishing to participate virtually, the event will be livestreamed on the Blessed Sacrament YouTube channel.The ‘abandonment to Divine Providence’
 |
|
In last week’s column, I meditated on the surrender of Mary and Jesus in the key moments of the Annunciation and the Agony in the Garden.
We all know the difficulty of handing over our wills to the Lord.
We want to be in control, have a clear idea of how events should unfold, and we often think God is letting us down when we face disappointment, tragedy, and suffering.
How do we find peace amidst the storm and trust in the middle of life’s chaos?
Stations of the Cross video produced in diocese
 |
|
| A screenshot of the Stations of the Cross YouTube video produced by the Apostolate for Persons with Disabilities-Diocese of Madison. The video is available during Lent. (YouTube image) |
MADISON — During most seasons of Lent, it is a devotional tradition to pray the Stations of the Cross.
During typical years, parishes in the Diocese of Madison will host praying of the Stations at their churches where many gather to pray them together.
This year, with many people not entering church buildings due to health concerns and restrictions on the number of people allowed to be in a building at the same time, the Apostolate for Persons with Disabilities-Diocese of Madison has produced a YouTube video that gives everyone the opportunity to pray the Stations of the Cross from their own homes or elsewhere through the blessings of technology.
Video contents
It’s called the “Stations of the Cross presented by the Apostolate for Persons with Disabilities-Diocese of Madison”.
The nearly 24-minute video begins with a reflection from Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison.
“As we pray the Stations of the Cross, we participate and share in Jesus’s suffering and death,” he says in part of the reflection.Surrendering out of love
|
|
Meditating on the Agony in the Garden, the First Sorrowful Mystery of the Rosary, is always a source of great spiritual fruit for me.
We see Jesus alone in the Garden of Gethsemane, facing His imminent Passion and death, praying that this cup of suffering pass Him by.
Jesus is so anxious and distressed that He sweats drops of blood, struggling to surrender to the will of the Father and the mystery of the cross.
Radical filial obedience wins out, as Jesus utters His fiat, “Let your will be done, not mine.”
When Christ arises from this prayer, He moves forward with determination, arousing the sleeping apostles, facing Judas and the approaching mob, ready and willing to drink the cup of suffering to the very dregs.
In the Gospel passion narratives, once Jesus has made His surrender in Gethsemane, He embraces the terrible details of His trial, torture, and death with a peace, acceptance, and love that is truly divine.
Jesus’ desire to be in relationship with you
|
|
Because this issue of the Catholic Herald is going to every registered household in the diocese, I want to speak especially to our brothers and sisters who may have been away from Mass and the sacraments for a while and are seeking a renewed connection with God and the parish.
I am happy you are reading this and know that I am praying for you, that the Lord touch your heart with love, peace, and grace, that you feel in the depths of your spirit, Jesus’ great desire to be in relationship with you and that you be inspired to reach out to the Church.
The question of faith
The most fundamental decision every baptized Catholic must face is the question of faith.