New Testament – Madison Catholic Herald Archive (2001-2025)

Spoiler Alert! This column reveals details of a newly released film.

Darren Aronofsky’s latest film Mother! has certainly stirred up a storm, and no wonder. It features murder, point-blank executions, incinerations, and the killing and devouring of a child. I know: pleasant evening at the movies.

Mother! will seem just deeply weird unless you see it as a fairly straightforward allegory. Once you crack the code, it will make a certain sense, though the message it is trying to convey is, at best, pretty ambiguous.

The joy of evangelizing

An emergency tends to focus one’s mind and energies and to clarify one’s priorities.

If a dangerous fire breaks out in a home, the inhabitants thereof will lay aside their quarrels, postpone their other activities, and together get to the task of putting out the flames. If a nation is invaded by an aggressor, politicians will quickly forget their internal squabbling and put off their legislative programs in order to work together for the shared purpose of repulsing the enemy.

Year of Faith

On February 27, 2013

Abbot Marcel Rooney, OSB

The Holy Eucharist: History of the Mass, part two

This is the second of a four-part series on the Eucharist.

Fourth through Seventh Centuries

With the end of official state persecution, the Church was able to develop in a very different way — and this development was aided by the support of the Roman Emperor, beginning with Constantine I (306-337). This period saw a great deal of adaptation by the Church of religious and secular forms which had been part of Roman culture throughout its pagan history. Here are just two examples:

Year of Faith

On February 20, 2013

Abbot Marcel Rooney, OSB

The Holy Eucharist: History of the Mass, part one

This is the first of a four-part series on the Eucharist.

To begin our reflections on the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, it would be valuable to first look at the history of the celebration of this central sacrament of our Faith. Such an historical view will give perspective on the celebration in our time.

Recently, there have been changes in the translation of the texts of Holy Mass. A generation earlier, there were changes in a number of the elements that may have upset some people.

Editorial

On November 24, 2011February 15, 2022

Mary C. Uhler

Thanks: A word we don’t use often enough

It seems to me that our sense of gratitude has diminished in recent years. How often do we send or receive thank you cards? How often do we express our appreciation to people in our lives, let alone to God who has given us the gift of life itself?

Most of us would have to be honest and say we don’t say “thanks” often enough. We take so many things for granted.