Perspective
In the winter of faith, keep working
As I write this, it is midwinter in the Northern Hemisphere. Like each season, winter has its time, its three months. To many of us, there seems to be a […]
Perspective
Our most primal fear
At Mass for Wednesday of the first week of the year, we read a text from Hebrews that describes our most basic and primal fear. Our inordinate fear of what people […]
Perspective
On the loss of faith as a cause of our current crisis
In the Liturgy of the Hours last week, we read a remarkable (sic) attributed to St. Macarius, a bishop of the early Church. I marvel at its vivid imagery, and […]
Perspective
Sober but serene themes of judgment in the spirituals
I’ve often been impressed by the ability of old African-American spirituals to treat serious subjects in a clear, memorable and almost joyful way. This is true even of weighty matters […]
Perspective
What conscience dreads and prayer dares not ask
The Collect (opening prayer) for last week’s Masses (27th Week of the Year), though directed to God, teaches us that our prayer is not always about things with which we […]
Perspective
Sacraments, not social events
A common pastoral problem today is that many people have reduced the liturgy and the sacraments to ceremonies. To be sure, they have ceremonial aspects, but they are not mere […]