St. Lawrence Outside the Walls
Carlos Briceño Comments Off on St. Lawrence Outside the Walls
To understand St. Lawrence Outside the Walls Church, a minor papal basilica and one of Seven Pilgrim Churches in Rome, you have to understand the deacon it was named after, especially his martyrdom. During the third century, the Roman Emperor Valerian had one aim concerning Christians — to erase their faith in the risen Lord. Read More
‘Theosis’
Susan Kehoe Comments Off on ‘Theosis’
Christianity is a love story. A love story between God and humanity. Pope Benedict XVI taught that Christianity is a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. We are called to what the Orthodox call theosis — participation in the life of God. This means that we are called to be in intimate communion with the Holy Read More
The Ladder of the Spiritual Life
Father Daniel Dozier Comments Off on The Ladder of the Spiritual Life
In the Byzantine Divine Liturgy, the priest offers a prayer before the reading of the Gospel while the deacon is incensing the holy table and the faithful. In it, he prays, “Instill in us also the fear of Your blessed commandments, so that, having trampled all carnal passions, we may lead a spiritual life, both Read More
God’s Grace
Deacon Robert Yerhot Comments Off on God’s Grace
Using the image of an iceberg (the majority of which is submerged and unseen), we can think of the hidden unseen magnitude of the grace of God for us. Of the iceberg, we see the portion exposed to the sun, wind and air, but it is only a minimal revealing of the greatness God offers. Read More
‘Remembering Why We Preach’ Is a Self-Guided Retreat
Deacon Victor Puscas Comments Off on ‘Remembering Why We Preach’ Is a Self-Guided Retreat
I have had the pleasure of meeting both authors of “Remembering Why We Preach” — Dr. Karla J. Bellinger and Father Michael E. Connors, CSC — through the University of Notre Dame Summer Preaching Conferences and the Marten Program in Homiletics and Liturgics. Though fond of both of them, I shall attempt to remain objective. Read More
A Future Diaconate
Deacon Anthony Gooley Comments Off on A Future Diaconate
The Second Vatican Council sought to restore the permanent ministry of deacon to the life of the Catholic Church and to address a grave pastoral need. Vatican II imagined something new would emerge. Something that would transform the Church’s missionary drive and renew its culture. A new way of being a deacon. A study of Read More
The Deacon as a Man of Prayer
Deacon Peter Cistaro Comments Off on The Deacon as a Man of Prayer
Prayer can be somewhat automatic at times. Often, we don’t think about our prayer, and maybe we even take prayer for granted. Our prayer can become repetitive, dry, unemotional and done quickly to “get it over with.” Perhaps our prayer becomes a series of statements as opposed to a conversation — a relationship with God. Read More
Experiencing the Universal in the Universal Church
Deacon Gary Nosacek Comments Off on Experiencing the Universal in the Universal Church
We have all heard the term “universal Church.” Each Sunday, we profess in the creed, “one holy, catholic, apostolic Church” — the small “c” of “catholic” means universal. But, for most of us, Catholic Church usually means the local parish where we attend Mass. Maybe, if our bishop has some program or project that he Read More