Church of the Blessed Sacrament: Catholic News & Perspective

Mar 29

‘God forbid!’: The strange refusal of some Christians to embrace suffering

By: Sara Perla One of the strongest rebukes recorded in the gospels is directed at Peter, the rock on whom Christ built his Church. Jesus refers to him as Satan. What does Peter do that provokes Jesus to call him such a strong name? He says to Jesus, “God forbid” that the Lord be rejected and killed in Jerusalem. And for that,...
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Mar 27

4 helpful tips for the garden of your soul

By: Margaret Rose Realy We draw closer to God with the recognition that in all things he is glorified, not only through human endeavors but also in our gardens, running our farms, or having wilderness adventures. God’s economy of salvation can be appreciated at any time but perhaps mostly in the spring, when new life reminds us of the...
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Mar 24

Opening the Word: Friends of Jesus — Lazarus is us or should be

By: Father Joshua J. Whitfield “Our friend,” Jesus called him (Jn 11:11). That’s what Lazarus was; it’s why Jesus came to him, why he raised him from the dead. Because Lazarus was Jesus’ friend. Even the bystanders could see it on his face; they said to one another, “See how he loved him” (Jn...
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Mar 22

‘Nothing truly pastoral fails to begin with the truth,’ USCCB president says

By: Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and archbishop of the Archdiocese for Military Services, preached the following homily at a holy Mass held at the National St. John Paul II Shrine in Washington, D.C., on March 13, the night before...
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Mar 20

Why priestly celibacy? Because Christ wanted it that way

By: Msgr. Owen F. Campion Well, there they go again. Pope Francis spoke of celibacy, the commercial media reported it, and they got it wrong. (Chronic failures by commercial news outlets to report happenings in the Church fully and accurately is why Our Sunday Visitor, OSV News, Catholic News Agency, America and others were founded and see...
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Mar 17

Opening the Word: God looks to the heart, not outward appearances

By: Catherine Cavadini “Once when St. Catherine [of Siena] was in church, a beggar approached her, a young man — he looked as though he were a little over 30. He was so ragged as to be almost naked, and this was in the winter when it can be extremely cold in Tuscany. Catherine asked him to go to her house, saying that she would...
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Mar 15

Trusted relationships with priests key to fostering vocations, study says

By: Gina Christian (OSV News) — A new study cites trusted relationships with parish priests as a deciding factor in cultivating vocations and reducing the priest-to-parishioner ratio as essential for making such encounters possible. The 2023 “State of Priestly Vocations in the United States” by Texas-based Vocation...
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Mar 13

Bob Dylan, St. Augustine and the problem of the heart

By: Kenneth Craycraft In his song, “Somedays You Write the Song,” Guy Clark wrote, “Some days you know just how it goes / Some days you have no clue / Some days you write the song / Some days the song writes you.” I thought of this lyric as I read Bob Dylan’s insightfully quirky recent book, “The...
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Mar 10

Opening the Word: The humble God humbles us

By: Father Joshua J. Whitfield Insider, out. Outsider, in. That’s what the Gospel brings about, what Mary prophesied and Jesus preached: that the rich would be sent away empty, the mighty thrown down; that the last will be first and the first last (cf. Lk 1:52-53; Mt 20:16). It’s what Jesus lived, emptying himself, as Paul said...
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Mar 8

Dating culture crisis fuels Catholic marriage vocation collapse

By: OSV News OSV News) — Among Catholics, the sacrament of matrimony is in freefall. Over 50 years between 1969 and 2019, Catholic marriages declined 69% even as the Catholic population increased by nearly 20 million, according to Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate. In 2021, as U.S....
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Mar 6

NFL star Harrison Butker and the attraction of the Tridentine Mass

By: Msgr. Owen F. Campion Harrison Butker may not have been named the Most Valuable Player in the Super Bowl back in February, but he certainly was the hero of the day. He kicked the field goal that won the game for the Kansas City Chiefs. From Decatur, Georgia, on the edge of Atlanta, he is an active, practicing Catholic. He takes his...
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Mar 3

Opening the Word: Following God wholeheartedly

By: Catherine Cavadini “Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk / and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you. / I will make of you a great nation, / and I will bless you; / I will make your name great, / so that you will be a blessing.” These are God’s first words to Abram. Can you imagine being...
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Mar 1

The in-between times are the most difficult

By: Father Patrick Briscoe From the time I was very small, I’ve always needed to know “the plan.” My mother relishes in telling a revealing story about me from when I was 6. We had been collecting things in “hundreds” to learn our numbers. I was apparently very eager to share my prize collection of 100 precious...
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Catholic News & Perspective

March 2023