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| Fr. Gregory Ihm |
“For the love of Christ impels us, . . . He indeed died for all, so that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised . . . (entrusting to us the message of reconciliation) . . . So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us” (2Cor. 5:14-20).
Last summer, I participated in the Convocation of Catholic Leaders in Orlando, Fla. The purpose of this large, unprecedented encounter between U.S. bishops and laity was to study what Pope Francis has termed the “new peripheries” and to form missionary disciples.
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Word on Fire
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In these days, therefore, let us add something beyond ordinary expectations of our service. Let each one, over and above the measure prescribed, offer God something of his own freewill in the joy of the Holy Spirit. ~ Rule of St. Benedict, Sixth century
In roughly three weeks, Ash Wednesday will arrive and with this commemoration, the Church begins the penitential practices of Lent.
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Word on Fire
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On January 8, we celebrated the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, and it is with this awe-filled liturgy that the three great revelations or “theophanies” of the Christmas season were brought to stunning fulfillment.
The first of those revelations was the birth of the Christ child, which was celebrated on Christmas Day. This “theophany” presented to us the first occasion when it was made known to human sight that God had accepted for himself a human nature and allowed himself to be born in this world as a man.
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Word on Fire
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On January 8, we celebrated the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, and it is with this awe-filled liturgy that the three great revelations or “theophanies” of the Christmas season were brought to stunning fulfillment.
The first of those revelations was the birth of the Christ child, which was celebrated on Christmas Day. This “theophany” presented to us the first occasion when it was made known to human sight that God had accepted for himself a human nature and allowed himself to be born in this world as a man.
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| Susanna Herro |
Why would you take a day to learn about life issues and stand in Chicago’s Federal Plaza listening to speakers like Pat McCaskey, co-owner of the Chicago Bears? What can he tell you about valuing life? Do you feel you have heard the pro-life message and not much more can be said?
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Word on Fire
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In December, the Church celebrates a mysterious and miraculous event of such importance to God’s plan for our salvation in Christ that it happened in a manner that went virtually undetected.
This event is the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Not to be confused with another mysterious and miraculous event, the virgin birth of the Lord Jesus, the Immaculate Conception is about how God acted in an extraordinary way in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, so that from even the first moment of her own conception, she was rescued from the power of original sin.
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Word on Fire
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This month, the Church remembers the dedication of the great basilica church of St. John Lateran in Rome. The Lateran Basilica is the cathedral church of the Holy Father as he is bishop of Rome. The magnificent building stands on land that was given to the bishops of Rome by the Emperor Constantine.
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Word on Fire
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Each November the Church celebrates the Solemnity of All Saints. The saints are the great heroes of our faith. The Church describes a saint as a person of “heroic virtue.”
This means that while many Christians might be willing to settle for lackluster accomplishments as disciples, the saints engage their relationship with the Lord Jesus with vigorous creativity and absolute dedication. Most often, the work of the saints will go unnoticed and unseen.
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| Fr.Gregory Ihm |
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart . . .” (Jer. 1:5).
Each person is willed by God to be, which is another way of saying that we have been chosen to exist.
