Joaquim Magalhães de Castro A few months before the beginning of the celebrations that mark the 500th anniversary of the circumnavigation trip carried out by Ferdinand Magellan (Fernão de Magalhães is his real name, and I will use it from…
Month: May 2020
WHAT DOES THE ASCENSION MEAN FOR US?
Fausto Gomez OP The Lord’s Ascension is an integral part of the Paschal Mystery, which began with the death and resurrection of Jesus, continues with his Ascension, and closes with Pentecost, or the Coming of the Holy Spirit. The Ascension…
TAKING POPE FRANCIS’ CHALLENGE
Robaird O’Cearbhaill Hong Kong Correspondent Two individuals at opposite ends of the age range are Covid solvers. A 100 year-old man raised MOP 280 million (32 million in British sterling) charity walking to support UK health service workers. The other…
FROM THE BOOK OF PSALMS TO THE RESPONSORIAL PSALM (15) Sing a new song unto the Lord
Aurelio Porfiri In our previous investigation about the Psalms, and especially about the peculiar liturgical form that is called the Responsorial Psalm, we learnt a few things that I think would be good to recall here, as a summary of…
MARIAN DEVOTION IN MAY Drawing us near to Jesus
Ross Belle Santos-Balatbat As a young child, I thought that devotion to Mary was just a summer activity thought up by catechists for children. Most Catholic churches and even in many Catholic homes, a “May Altar” was set with an image…
BITE-SIZE THEOLOGY (81) Why do we say that the Church is Catholic?
Rev José Mario O Mandía The term “Catholic” comes from the Greek adjective καθολικός (katholikos), meaning “universal,” all-encompassing. The term was first used back around the year 107 AD by one of the Church Fathers, Saint Ignatius of Antioch, in…
NEWS BRIEFS
JERUSALEM An Arab doctor and an ultra-Orthodox Jew find common ground in a covid ward (Washington Post) When Jesse Michael Kramer was hospitalized with the coronavirus, he realized as soon as the doctor in the spacesuit introduced himself that it…
CELIBACY FOR PRIESTS? IT IS AS OLD AS THE CHURCH
Corrado Gnerre It is often said that the Catholic Church must eliminate ecclesiastical celibacy. There are many who claim that this celibacy dates back to the Middle Ages and that therefore it was completely non-existent in the early Church. It’s…
TO TELL THE TALE OF GOD’S LOVE DOWN THE AGES (15)
Sr Judith Yuen, FMM Since my mother asked the superior in Hong Kong to send me back to her, the pre-novice mistress sensed that I needed to go back home. She asked me if I could find a job easily.…
CAUTION AS LOCKDOWN ARE EASED Churches reopening with restrictions
Tej Francis (CNS/UCAN/VATICAN NEWS) Several countries in Europe slowly eased restrictions as part of a long-term strategy for containing the spread of the coronavirus, churches, too, are seeing changes in what is or will be allowed.