In light of the recent move of the US Embassy for Israel to Jerusalem, Ahern draws from his recent visit to the city to ask what Jerusalem should mean to US Catholics.
Category: Easter
Third Sunday of Easter: A Ghost Does Not Have Flesh and Bones
I imagine it was quite the surprise for Cleopas and his unnamed companion. They had just hustled back from Emmaus to tell the other disciples about Jesus, who spoke with them on the way and […]
Paschal Candle, Paschal Vigil, Paschal Mystery
Each semester, when teaching the passion, death, and resurrection narratives of the Gospels to my students, I also teach the Paschal Mystery and assign the text of the Exsultet. The Exsultet is the prayer chanted […]
The Frailty of Easter
We humans are a short-lived species. The average life-span in the United States hovers between 75 and 80. The age of the earth, on the other hand, is around 4,500,000,000 years. The age of the […]
Troubled Dealings with a God of Awesome Proportions
By: James G Sabak, O.F.M. In the historical development of the Christian liturgical tradition a significant aspect of “keeping vigil” through the nighttime hours is a prolonged liturgy of the word. In some ancient traditions […]
Rend Your Hearts: How to Break Your Heart This Lent
What are you giving up for Lent? I hate this question. I hate it in part because my small-town Minnesota sensibilities recoil at the idea of publicizing sacrifice. If I give up something big, won’t […]
We are the Sheep Called to be Good Shepherds
For those of us following the western liturgical calendar, today marks the fourth Sunday of Easter. This day is commonly referred to as “Good Shepherd” Sunday because the Gospel reading comes from the tenth chapter […]
Why did “Doubting Thomas” Doubt?
Spiritual reflections around the Catholic Church today will focus on faith and doubt–on the relationship between the two (i.e. “it’s okay to doubt sometimes”) and on the words of Jesus (“Blessed are those who have not seen and […]
Easter Sunday: Resurrected Reality
At Easter, and in every Eucharist, we celebrate the fullness of the paschal mystery: Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection. The resurrection does not erase the suffering and death of Christ, nor does it remove our […]
The First Sunday in Advent: A Spirituality of the Liturgical Year
You may have noticed a change in the décor around church this Sunday: perhaps there were some new missalettes in the pews or maybe your priest greeted you in his homily with a hearty “Happy […]
