View the readings for this Sunday.
Sunday, October 20, 2019, 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
•Ex 17:8-13
•Ps 121:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8
•2 Tim 3:14-4:2
•Lk 18:1-8
By Marc Massery
By Chris Sparks
Recently, I’ve been engaged in a number of conversations on social media on where exactly we are in the grand scheme of things.
Some people have pointed to Marian apparitions as evidence that the times are dire, and that we are probably at the very end of history.
Now, it’s always possible. After all, Jesus was clear:
But of that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone (Mt 24:36).
Turn to any page of St. Faustina’s Diary, and you find spiritual gems. Like this one:
The following is an excerpt from the Marian Press book 52 Weeks with St. Faustina by Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle:
“I do not fear anything in the world, but fear only lest I make Jesus sad.”
— Diary, 610
View the readings for this Sunday.
Oct. 13, 2019, 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
•2 Kings 5:14-17
•Ps 98:1, 2-3, 3-4
•2 Tim 2:8-13
•Lk 17:11-19
By Chris Sparks
In my recent columns, I’ve been discussing the many panicked or hostile reactions to Pope Francis I’ve seen from far too many otherwise orthodox, faithful Catholics. I’ve discussed the historical context for the present pontificate, and indicated some paths forward for those who are truly alarmed by the present Holy Father.
I’d like to highlight one path in particular — answering the calls of the Holy Father, particularly when they are clearly in line with Scripture, Tradition, and tradition. Take the current Mission Month, for example.
Turn to any page of St. Faustina’s Diary and you find spiritual gems. Like this one:
… such great trust in God's great mercy was awakened in my soul that, even if I had had the sins of the whole world, as well as the sins of all the condemned souls weighing on my conscience, I would not have doubted God's goodness but, without hesitation, would have thrown myself into the abyss of the divine mercy, which is always open to us ... (Diary, 1552).
Do you ever wonder if your sins are too big for God?
On Oct. 5, 2019, eight buses containing hundreds of pilgrims descended upon the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, to celebrate the Feast Day of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, the Polish mystic who received visions of Christ the Divine Mercy in the 1930s.
By Chris Sparks
In my last column, we took a look at what sets Pope Francis apart from his predecessors, talked through the consequences of those differences, and got a sense of how we might be misunderstanding him or being confused by him as a result.
So if we’re confused, scandalized, or tempted to leave communion with the Holy Father, what should we do?
View the readings for this Sunday.
Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019, 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
•Hab 1:2-3; 2:2-4
•Ps 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9
•2 Tm 1:6-8, 13-14
•Lk 17:5-10
By Marc Massery
Whether we consider ourselves religious or not, every one of us acts upon faith every day. When we wake up in the morning, we have a certain faith that the sun will rise, that the floor will catch our feet as we walk, and that our hearts will beat throughout the day.
