Tag: Jesus

On
Fr. John Zuhlsdorf, For the Catholic Herald

Corpus Christi Mass and procession to be held in Madison

MADISON — The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of the Lord, or Corpus Christi, celebrates the Eucharist in more focused way than Holy Thursday. It is traditionally celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday, although in many places it is transferred to Sunday.

In 1246, Robert of Thourotte, Bishop of Liège in Belgium, had instituted a feast for the Eucharist at the request of an Augustinian nun and mystic, St. Juliana of Cornillon. Corpus Christi was established for the whole Church by Pope Urban IV in 1264. Its Mass and Office were composed by St. Thomas Aquinas (+1274).

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On
Kevin Wondrash

Jefferson students experience Passover Seder meal

JEFFERSON — Classes at St. John the Baptist Catholic School in Jefferson often participate in “buddy” activities with one another.

One such example happened on Thursday, March 26, one week before Holy Thursday.

This day commemorates the Last Supper that Jesus shared with His disciples before His crucifixion the next day. Since Jesus and His followers were Jewish, this last meal they shared was the Passover Seder.

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On
Tony Magliano

God is calling each person and nation to repent

“The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel.” With these two compelling sentences — as recorded in the Gospel of Mark — Jesus inaugurates his ministry and sums up what his mission is about: to break the shackles of sin that enslave humanity, to put us on the path of liberation from all oppression, and to teach us how to unconditionally love one another.

But what does it mean to repent?

Striving to avoid sin and living virtuously is certainly part of what it means. But there’s more.

A radical change

In the Gospels, the biblical word used for repentance is the Greek word metanoia — a radical change of mind, heart, soul, and action.

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On
Fr. Donald Lange

Reconciliation helps us to live Lent with renewed faith

In Matthew 9:10-13, the Scribes and Pharisees complain that Christ dines with sinners and tax collectors. They are right. He does. Jesus responds by saying that he has come not to call the righteous, but sinners.

R. Charles Miller wrote that a sinner, as used here, is someone who admits they have sinned and needs God’s forgiveness to help them change. Conversely, the self-righteous think they don’t need forgiveness.

Sharing God’s mercy

Christ became flesh and took on a human nature to share the Father’s mercy with us. Chapter 15 of Luke’s Gospel features three parables of God’s mercy.

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On
Kevin Wondrash

Ultrasounds provide window to the womb

On January 22, 1973 the United States Supreme Court legalized abortion in the Roe v. Wade decision.

Justice Byron White, who dissented, stated, “The court apparently values the convenience of a pregnant mother more than the continued existence and development of the life or potential life she carries.”

Since Roe v. Wade, 58 million abortions have occurred in our country. This is roughly the population of the United States around 1869.

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On
Kevin Wondrash

A thankful attitude helps us appreciate our blessings

Sometimes we appreciate more fully what we have when we see what others don’t have; yet, they are more thankful than us who have much more.

Matt Hasselbeck learned this the hard way. He was a Boston College sophomore who was going nowhere in football. Worse yet, he got in his coaches’ doghouse when he volunteered for the missions in Jamaica during spring break.

Gratitude amidst poverty

When Matt saw the poverty in the missions, he experienced cultural shock. At a prayer meeting, he heard someone enthusiastically thank God for his blessings. The person was George McVee, a leper who was so disfigured that Matt avoided him. He wondered what George had to be thankful for. He had no money, nose, feet, or hands; yet, he was thankful. His gratitude helped Matt to appreciate his cornucopia of blessings.

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