I guess you could say this is a “Wayback Wednesday” post, on today’s Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. For whatever reason, an article I wrote a few years ago on Lourdes, Saint Bernadette (and her incorrupt body), and on the miraculous in general drew a lot of interest, and still does today. People remain […]
Many millions will watch the Super Bowl today. Many Christians might even feel guilty for doing so – afraid that watching sports is nothing more than a “waste of time”. As a big sports fan myself, I’ve heard that one over and over from friends and relatives who, intentionally or not, make me feel guilty […]
Q. This Sunday’s liturgical celebration of The Baptism of the Lord takes us back to the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. How does his baptism relate to our own? That’s a great question. First, it must be said that Jesus’ baptism is really the moment when he initiated the Christian sacrament of baptism. What Jesus […]
Today’s Gospel reading (Luke 5:12-16) features Jesus reaching out to touch and heal a leper, who was outcast in the society of his day because of his disfiguring illness. For me, this reading immediately brought to mind Pope Francis’ embrace of a severely disfigured man at the Vatican some months ago, which brought tears to the […]
Q. Today we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord. Can you explain the meaning of this feast? A. The word Epiphany means “manifestation (of God)”. In Matthew’s Gospel, there is a great concern to reveal, or “manifest” Jesus as the divine yet human “Son of David”, the true heir to David’s throne (Matthew 1:1). It’s interesting […]
THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD: MASS IN THE HOLY NIGHT HOMILY OF POPE FRANCIS ST PETER’S BASILICA 24 DECEMBER 2014 “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined” (Is 9:1). “An angel of the Lord appeared to [the […]
CTV News interviewed me about Pope Francis’ Christmas message to the Roman Curia (essentially those Church officials responsible for the internal functioning of key Vatican departments). Since my entire live interview on CTV News Channel with Jennifer Ward was not posted online (a brief, out of context clip appeared on the nightly National News broadcast […]
Q. We’ve seen a spate of biblically themed movies in theatres lately: Son of God, Noah (starring Russell Crowe), and now Exodus: Gods and Kings (featuring Christian Bale of Batman fame). Why do you think this is? A. Very often, movies are adapted from bestselling books. The Bible is the bestselling book of all time, […]
Q. Can you tell us about the significance of this Sunday’s Gospel reading? A. For this Second Sunday in Advent, the Gospel reading is from Chapter 1 of Mark’s Gospel. Mark does not have an infancy narrative in his Gospel, but rather, gets right into the action of Jesus’ public ministry. His incipit (introductory statement) is […]
Pope Francis touched down at Ankara airport today to begin his three-day pastoral journey to Turkey. The Holy Father was invited to the cities of Ankara and Istanbul by the Turkish government and the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, who is spiritual leader to 300 million Orthodox Christians. The Pontiff’s first address was to the civil authorities: […]