Rev José Mario O Mandíajmom.honlam.org Why can each one not just worship in his heart? Why do we need to use external signs and gestures in the liturgy? Man is body and soul. He is not, as some philosophers have thought, a soul imprisoned in a body. The body is part of man’s being. Hence, in everything that man does,…
Faith & Life
SANTA BALBINA ALL’AVENTINO – The church on the little Aventine
/ December 22, 2020Anastasios Rome, as you know it, is full of important historical memories. Indeed there are certain areas that overflow with archeological remains. In one of these areas is the Caracalla Baths, where the memories of the past are really everywhere. And there also many churches, all of them worthy of being paid a visit. One of these churches is the…
The Making of Holy Family
/ December 22, 202027 December 2020 – Sunday in the Octave of Christmas: Holy Family – BLK 2:22-40 Fr. Jijo Kandamkulathy CMFClaretian Publications, Macau Mary and Joseph were two humble parents bringing their little firstborn to present to God fulfilling the Jewish law. This little family has already weathered out many storms in their lives. There was a divorce attempt even before the…
MEMORIES OF CHRISTMAS
/ December 22, 2020Aurelio Porfiri I think that a few will understand how different Christmas is this year, as do people living in countries strongly affected by the pandemic, like Italy. Our government has imposed measures that basically will limit a lot the possibilities of movement and gathering, especially on the days of festivities, because of course, it is more dangerous from the…
Five lessons we learnt from 2020
/ December 22, 2020Aurelio Porfiri I am sure that if someone were to ask you what memories from 2020 you would like to carry forward, I guess there will be nothing positive, especially if you lived in places which were strongly affected by the pandemic. Writing from Italy, you will know that my perspective is strongly influenced by the situation that we are…
“Christmas crèche never ceases to arouse amazement and wonder”
/ December 22, 2020Miguel Augusto (*) This year, the Vatican’s nativity scene received criticism for its postmodern artistic aspect, which, according to Elizabeth Lev, an art specialist, is not just a “poorly thought-out choice” that generates “division and damage” but would reflect the “strange and modern hatred and rejection of our traditions.”
Let’s have a ‘purpose-filled’ pandemic Christmas
/ December 22, 2020Fr Leonard Dollentas Its Christmas time and we might probably be asking ourselves how can we possibly be expected to be rejoicing in the midst of the COVID-19 global crisis? How can we rejoice when so much has been taken away from us, when Christmas parties are banned by the government in almost all parts of the world, when we…
BITE-SIZE THEOLOGY (105) – Is there a future for our bodies?
/ November 21, 2020Rev José Mario O Mandíajmom.honlam.org Once a person dies, his body starts to rot and decay (cf CCC 997). From the philosophical point of view, the soul (the substantial form of the body) gives life and unity to the body. Once body and soul separate in death, the body loses its unity. It starts to disintegrate: every substance that used…
One cannot understand Christianity without comprehending the concept of eternal life
/ November 21, 2020Corrado Gnerre The Christian proclamation has become too flat on social and earthly issues. This seems to me a great betrayal of the Gospel. What do you think about it?
God the Judge … to Save
/ November 21, 202022 November 2020 – 34th Sunday in O.T. – Christ the King – Year AMatthew 25:31-46 Fernando Armellini SCJClaretian Publications, Macau The gospel passage, today, is a judgment scene, a literary genre used both in the Bible (cf. Dan 7) and in the rabbinic literature. The aim of this literary genre is not to inform about what will happen at…