St. Hilary, Pope

Pope from 461-468 and guardian of Church unity. He was born in Sardinia, Italy, and was a papal to the Robber Council of in 449, barely escaping with his from this affair. Hilary was used by Pope I the Great on many assignments. When Leo died, Hilary was elected pope and consecrated on November 19,461. He worked diligently to strengthen the Church in and Spain, calling councils in 462 and 465. Hilary also reb...

Reading 1, Isaiah 55:10-11

¹⁰ For, as the rain and the snow come down from the sky and do not return before having watered the earth, fertilising it and making it germinate to provide seed for the sower and food to eat,

¹¹ so it is with the word that goes from my mouth: it not return to me unfulfilled or before having carried out my pleasure and having achieved what it was sent to do.

Responsorial Psalm,...

“If you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.” (Matthew 6:15)

Someone causes you to be late for an important meeting. Someone accidentally dents your car while you are stopped at a traffic light. Your husband forgets your birthday. Your son talks back to you in a disrespect­ful manner. In situations like these, you might find it easy to forgive. After all, they are understandable, and no one was hurt too badly.

But what if yo...

Reading 1, Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18

¹ Yahweh spoke to and said:

² 'Speak to the whole community of and say: "Be holy, for I, your God, am holy.

¹¹ "You not steal, nor deal deceitfully or fraudulently with your fellow-citizen.

¹² You not swear by my name with intent to deceive and thus profane the name of your God. I am Yahweh.

¹³ You not exploit or rob your fellow. You ...

St. Leander of Seville

St. Leander of Seville, (Feast - February 27th) Leander was born at Cartagena, Spain, of Severianus and Theodora, illustrious for their virtue. St. Isidore and Fulgentius, both were his brothers, and his sister, Florentina, is also numbered among the saints. He became a at and then the of the See. He was instrumental in converting the two sons Hermenegild and Reccared of the Arian Visigothic King Leov...

“Inherit the kingdom pre­pared for you.” (Matthew 25:34)

The sheep are puzzled. “What did we do to deserve such a won­derful thing as the kingdom?” they ask. “When did we ever see you hun­gry, thirsty, naked, sick, or in prison? When did we ever minister to your needs?” (Matthew 25:37-39).

Jesus’ answer is simple: “Do you remember all the times when you served the hungry? When you visited the sick in the hospital? When you donated to the food bank or...

Reading 1, Genesis 9:8-15

⁸ God spoke as follows to and his sons,

⁹ 'I am now establishing my covenant with you and with your descendants to come,

¹⁰ and with every living creature that was with you: birds, cattle and every wild animal with you; everything that came out of the ark, every living thing on earth.

¹¹ And I shall maintain my covenant with you: that never again shall all living things be destroyed by th...

“It is … an appeal to God for a clear conscience.” (1 Peter 3:21)

While St. Peter is describing the Sacrament of Baptism here, he could just as easily be talking about Reconciliation. For what could pos­sibly be a better way to experience a clean conscience than going to con­fession? When we confess our sins, we are forgiven—completely!

But as we all know, the real chal­lenge is keeping our consciences clear after we have received abso­lution. It’s one thi...

CHESAPEAKE, VA. (Catholic Online) - "Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil." (Luke 4:1)  "The truth is that only in the mystery of the incarnate Word does the mystery of man take on light." (Gaudium et Spes, # 22, Second Vatican Council)

When I was a young man in College I had a priest friend who I now recall every time we begin the Forty Day Observance of Lent. About a week befor...

St. Tarasius

St. Tarasius was subject of the Byzantine Empire. He was raised to the highest honors in the Empire as Consul, and later became first secretary to the Emperor Constantine and his mother, Irene. When being elected of Constantinople, he consented to accept the dignity offered to him only on that a General Council should be summoned to resolve the disputes concerning the veneration of sacred images, for had been sep...

Reading 1, Isaiah 58:9-14

⁹ Then you cry for help and answer; you call and he say, 'I am here.' If you do away with the yoke, the clenched fist and malicious words,

¹⁰ if you deprive yourself for the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, your light rise in the darkness, and your darkest hour be like noon.

¹¹ Yahweh always guide you, satisfy your needs in the scorched land; he ...

“Follow me.” (Luke 5:27)

These two words changed every­thing for Levi, for Simon and Andrew, for Philip, for unnamed disciples—and for us. Jesus is not pleading or begging. He is inviting, earnestly and lovingly. Follow him, who is the way, the truth, and the life. Follow him, who is the light in the darkness, the spring of water that never fails, the One who promises to guide you always.

Follow me. Not because you’re par­ticularly good or talented or holy. A...

“Why do we fast, and you do not see it?” (Isaiah 58:3)

Well-known film director Woody Allen once quipped that 90 percent of success is just showing up. Well, if that’s the case, then the other 10 percent must be absolutely crucial! There are many people who “just show up”—maybe at work, with their families, or in their neighbor­hoods—but don’t go much further, and the results are evident.

Think about the Israelites in today’s first reading. “Why do w...

St. Polycarp

Imagine being able to sit at the feet of the and hear their stories of with from their own lips. Imagine walking with those who had walked with Jesus, seen him, and touched him. That was what Polycarp was able to do as a of the Evangelist.

But being part of the second of Church leaders had challenges that the first could not teach about. What did you do when those eyewitnesses were gone? H...

Reading 1, Deuteronomy 30:15-20

¹⁵ 'Look, today I am offering you and prosperity, death and disaster.

¹⁶ If you obey the commandments of your God, which I am laying down for you today, if you love your and follow his ways, if you keep his commandments, his laws and his customs, you live and grow numerous, and your bless you in the country which you are about to enter and make your own.

^17...

“If anyone wishest to come after me … ” (Luke 9:23)

Don’t you find it amazing that Jesus Christ, the all-holy Son of God, would give us, mere mortals, a choice? He won’t force us to follow him; he simply calls us and hopes we will respond.

But what is this choice? Is it a choice to live a life of continual suf­fering, of “taking up our cross” day after day by passively accept­ing whatever trials come our way? Not at all! The real choice is to fix our eye...

Reading 1, Joel 2:12-18

¹² 'But now -- declares Yahweh- come back to me with all your heart, fasting, weeping, mourning.'

¹³ Tear your hearts and not your clothes, and come back to your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in faithful love, and he relents about inflicting disaster.

¹⁴ Who knows if he not come back, relent and leave a behind him, a cereal offering and a libation to be...

St. Margaret of Cortona

Margaret of Cortona, penitent, was born in Loviana in in 1247. Her father was a small farmer. Margaret's mother died when she was seven years old. Her stepmother had little care for her high-spirited daughter. Rejected at home, Margaret eloped with a youth from and bore him a son out of wedlock. After nine years, her lover was murdered without warning. Margaret left Montpulciano and returned as a penitent to her fat...

Steve was just an ordinary guy. He quietly served in a church I attended years ago. He helped prepare communion, shoveled the church sidewalks in the winter, and mowed the lawn in the summer. He spent time with teenage boys who had no fathers in the home. I often heard him telling people at church in his quiet way how good the Lord was to him. During prayer meeting he didn’t talk much about himself but would ask us to pray for those he was telling about Jesus’ forgive...

Bishop and martyr. The of in Galilee. He attended the Council of (451) and took part in the complete triumph of the orthodox against the of the era. On his return home he was assassinated by a group of at the command of Emperor Theodosius II.   

Reading 1, James 4:1-10

¹ Where do these wars and battles between yourselves first start? Is it not precisely in the desires fighting inside your own selves?

² You want something and you lack it; so you kill. You have an that you cannot satisfy; so you fight to get your way by force. It is because you do not pray that you do not receive;

³ when you do pray and do not receive, it is because you prayed wrongly, wanting to ...

Byzantine Catholics (also known as "Greek Catholics") are canonically organized into eparchies (dioceses) and exarchates (mission dioceses). Historically, such jurisdictions had been defined geographically and this is still the norm and the goal. However, as Eastern Catholics emigrated to the Americas from the countries of their spiritual and cultural ancestors, it became apparent that there was a pastoral need for such jurisdictions to be established along ethnic lines.

Ethnically and ...

Reading 1, James 3:13-18

¹³ Anyone who is wise or understanding among you should from a give evidence of deeds done in the gentleness of wisdom.

¹⁴ But if at heart you have the bitterness of jealousy, or selfish ambition, do not be boastful or hide the with lies;

¹⁵ this is not the that comes from above, but earthly, human and devilish.

¹⁶ Wherever there are and ambition, there are also dis...

Wulfric (d. 1154) + hermit and worker. Born at Compton Martin, near Bristol, England, he became a and was excessively materialistic and worldly. After meeting with a beggar, he underwent a personal and became a hermit at Haselbury; Somerset, England. For his remaining years, he devoted himself to rigorous austerities and was known for his miracles and prophecies. While he was never formally canonized, Wulfric was a ver...

Byzantine Catholics are followers of Jesus Christ

Jesus asked his disciples: "Who do people say that the Son of man is?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptizer, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." "And you," he said to them, "who do you say that I am?" "You are the Messiah," Simon Peter answered, "the Son of the living God!" (Mathew 16:13-16)

Byzantine Catholics are followers of Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of the Living God, who in His great me...

WASHINGTON, DC (Catholic Online) - On Wednesday February 16, 2012, the Most Reverend William E. Lori, the Bishop of Bridgeport and Chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee for Religious Liberty, gave testimony before Congress. He appeared before the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of the United States House of Representatives.

Bishop Lori spoke on behalf of all of the Catholic Bishops of the United States. They are unanimous in their effort to ...

Bl. Alvarez of Corova

Reading 1, Isaiah 43:18-19, 21-22, 24-25

¹⁸ No need to remember past events, no need to think about what was done before.

¹⁹ Look, I am doing something new, now it emerges; can you not see it? Yes, I am making a road in the and rivers in wastelands.

²¹ The people I have shaped for myself broadcast my praises.

²² But, Jacob, you have not invoked me; no, Israel, you have grown weary of me.

²⁴ You have ...

Reading 1, James 3:1-10

¹ Only a few of you, my brothers, should be teachers, bearing in that we shall receive a stricter judgement.

² For we all trip up in many ways. Someone who does not trip up in speech has reached perfection and is able to keep the whole body on a tight rein.

³ Once we put a bit in the horse's mouth, to make it do what we want, we have the whole animal under our control.

⁴ Or think of ships: n...

In St. Matthew's Gospel, we read of or who is described as one of our Lord's brethren or kinsmen. His father was Cleophas, St. Joseph's brother, and his mother, according to some writers, was our Lady's sister. He would therefore be our Lord's first cousin and is supposed to have been about eight years older than He. No he is one of those brethren of who are  mentioned in the of the as having received the

WASHINGTON, DC (Catholic online) - Over the last two weeks Catholics have heard read letters read at Mass which were written by the Catholic Bishops of the United States. We have been asked to rise up in prayer, fasting, Catholic Action in response to an unjust Edict issued by Kathleen Sebelius, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, on January 20, 2012.

This mandate requires all employers, including Catholic and other religious employers, to cover sterilization, abortifacients, a...

St. Alexis Falconieri

Founder and mystic, one of the first Servants of or Servites. The son of a wealthy merchant in Florence, Italy, Alexis and six companions joined the Confraternity of the Blessed Virgin in in 1225. Gathered together on the Feast of the Assumption in 1233, the group experienced a vision of the Blessed Virgin which inspired them to found a new religious community dedicated to prayer....

Reading 1, James 2:14-24, 26

¹⁴ How does it help, my brothers, when someone who has never done a single act claims to have faith? that bring salvation?

¹⁵ If one of the brothers or one of the sisters is in need of clothes and has not enough food to live on,

¹⁶ and one of you says to them, 'I wish you well; keep yourself warm and eat plenty,' without giving them these bare necessities of life, then what is tha...

Died in 309, He and four companions, Elias, Isaias, Jeremy and Samuel were Egyptians who visited Christians condemned to work in the mines of Cilicia during Maximus persecution, to comfort them. Apprehended at the gates of Caesarea, Palestine, they were brought before the governor, and accused of being Christians. They were all tortured and then beheaded. When Porphyry, a servant of demanded that the bodies be buried, he was tortured and then burned ...

Reading 1, James 2:1-9

¹ My brothers, do not let class distinction enter into your in Christ, our glorified Lord.

² Now suppose a comes into your synagogue, well-dressed and with a gold ring on, and at the same a poor comes in, in shabby clothes,

³ and you take notice of the well-dressed man, and say, 'Come this way to the best seats'; then you tell the poor man, 'Stand over there' or 'You can sit on the ...

Knocked Off Your Feet?

Because I’ve written many articles and a book about dealing with life’s losses, I have the privilege of being introduced to a number of fellow strugglers along life’s journey. One of my new friends is a mom whose 21-year-old daughter died suddenly in 2009, which sent her reeling. She told me, “I feel like an outcast from the normal world. I feel crushed and my soul is in so much pain.”

Indeed the losses that visit us can knock us off our feet—whether a ...

CHESAPEAKE, VA (Catholic Online) - I am frequently asked what I think is the greatest need in the Church today. Because of my work - and much of my writing - people presume how I will answer. They expect me to be what they call "action oriented" and "practical."  My answer is simple. "The greatest need in the Church today is more people who pray", I respond.

One of my favorite Bishops once wrote, "The so-called "practical people" are not really the most useful in the service of Christ's Chu...

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