Community Must be Ecclesial

Posted on by

THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for May 1st, 2014
Thursday of the Second Week of Easter
St. Joseph the Worker

Liturgical texts here

UnitybookIcon
Christian Unity

 

 

WHEN the Apostles are brought again before the Sanhedrin, they do not answer as individuals, but as a community.

We must obey God rather than men. (First reading)

This one sentence is loaded with implications. First, they say “we,” implying a fundamental unity between them. Second, it reveals that the Apostles were not following human tradition, but the Sacred Tradition that Jesus imparted to them. And last, it supports what we read earlier this week, that the first converts in turn were following the Apostles’ teaching, which was Christ’s.

Continue reading →

Community… an Encounter with Jesus

Posted on by

THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for April 30th, 2014
Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter

Liturgical texts here

The Christian Martyrs’ Last Prayer, Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824–1904)

 

 

THE same Apostles who fled Gethsemane at the first rattle of chains now, not only defy the religious authorities, but go straight back into hostile territory to witness to the resurrection of Jesus.

The men whom you put in prison are in the temple area and are teaching the people. (First reading)

Chains that once were their shame now begin to weave a glorious crown. Where did this courage suddenly come from?

Continue reading →

The Sacrament of Community

Posted on by

THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for April 29th, 2014
Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena

Liturgical texts here


Our Lady of Combermere gathering her children—Madonna House Community, Ont., Canada

 

 

NOWHERE in the Gospels do we read Jesus instructing the Apostles that, once He departs, they are to form communities. Perhaps the closest Jesus comes to it is when He says, “This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” [1]cf. Jn 13:35

And yet, after Pentecost, the very first thing the believers did was form organized communities. Almost instinctively…

Continue reading →

Footnotes

Footnotes
↑1 cf. Jn 13:35

Christianity that Changes the World

Posted on by

THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for April 28th, 2014
Monday of the Second Week of Easter

Liturgical texts here

 

THERE is a fire in the early Christians that must be re-kindled in the Church today. It was never meant to go out. This is the task of Our Blessed Mother and the Holy Spirit in this time of mercy: to bring about the life of Jesus within us, the light of the world. Here is the kind of fire that must burn in our parishes again:

Continue reading →

St. John Paul II

Posted on by

Giovanni Paolo II

ST. JOHN PAUL II — PRAY FOR US

 

 

I traveled to Rome to sing in a concert tribute to St. John Paul II, October 22nd, 2006, to honor the 25th anniversary of the John Paul II Foundation, as well as the 28th anniversary of the late pontiff’s installation as pope. I had no idea what was about to happen…

A story from the archives, first published October 24th, 2006….

 

Continue reading →

Lift Our Hands!

Posted on by

 

 

 

CHRIST IS RISEN, ALLELUIA!

Let us lift our hands to our King!

 

 Mark Mallett with Natalie MacMaster on fiddle:

 

 

 

The Gospel of Suffering

Posted on by

THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for April 18th, 2014
Good Friday

Liturgical texts here

 

 

YOU may have noticed in several writings, lately, the theme of “springs of living water” flowing from within the soul of a believer. Most dramatic is the ‘promise’ of a coming “Blessing” that I wrote about this week in The Convergence and the Blessing.

But as we meditate upon the Cross today, I want to speak of one more wellspring of living water, one that even now can flow from within to irrigate the souls of others. I am speaking of suffering.

Continue reading →

The Third Memorial

Posted on by

THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for April 17th, 2014
Holy Thursday

Liturgical texts here

 

 

THREE times, at the Lord’s Supper, Jesus asked us to imitate Him. Once when He took Bread and broke it; once when He took up the Cup; and last, when He washed the feet of the Apostles:

If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do. (Today’s Gospel)

The Holy Mass is not complete without the third memorial. That is, when you and I receive the Body and Blood of Jesus, the Holy Meal is only satisfied when we wash the feet of another. When you and I, in turn, become the very Sacrifice that we have eaten: when we give our lives in service for another:

Continue reading →

Betraying the Son of Man

Posted on by

THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for April 16th, 2014
Wednesday of Holy Week

Liturgical texts here

 

 

BOTH Peter and Judas received the Body and Blood of Christ at the Last Supper. Jesus knew beforehand both men would deny Him. Both men went on to do so in one manner or another.

But only one man did Satan enter:

After he took the morsel, Satan entered [Judas]. (John 13:27)

Continue reading →

You Were Born for This Time

Posted on by

THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for April 15th, 2014
Tuesday of Holy Week

Liturgical texts here

 

 

AS you peer out at the Storm that is roiling on the horizon of humanity, you might be tempted to say, “Why me? Why now?” But I want to assure you, dear reader, that you were born for these times. As it says in the first reading today,

The LORD called me from birth, from my mother’s womb he gave me my name. 

Continue reading →

His Unfathomable Mercy

Posted on by

THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for April 14th, 2014
Monday of Holy Week

Liturgical texts here

 

 

NO one can fathom how wide and how deep is the love of God for humanity. Today’s first reading gives us an insight into this tenderness:

A bruised reed he shall not break, and a smoldering wick he shall not quench, until he establishes justice on the earth…

We are on the threshold of the Day of the Lord, that day which will bring about an era of peace and justice, establishing it to “the coastlands.” The Church Fathers remind us that the Day of the Lord is not the end of the world or even a single 24 hour period. Rather…

Continue reading →

They Will Not See

Posted on by

THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for April 11th, 2014
Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Liturgical texts here

 

 

THIS generation is like a man standing on a beach, watching a ship disappear over the horizon. He does not think of what is beyond the horizon, where the ship is going, or where other ships are coming from. In his mind, what is reality is only that which lies between the shore and the skyline. And that is it.

This is analogous to how many perceive the Catholic Church today. They cannot see beyond the horizon of their limited knowledge; they do not understand the transforming influence of the Church over the centuries: how she introduced education, health care, and charities on several continents. How the sublimity of the Gospel has transformed art, music, and literature. How the power of her truths have manifested in the splendor of architecture and design, civil rights and laws.

Continue reading →

Jesus is God

Posted on by

THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for April 10th, 2014
Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Liturgical texts here

 

 

MUSLIMS believe He is a prophet. Jehovah’s Witnesses, that He was Michael the archangel. Others, that He is just a historical figure, and yet others, a mere myth.

But Jesus is God.

Continue reading →

Receive Song for Karol Free!

Posted on by

 

 

Prepare for the canonization of John Paul II
on April 27th, Divine Mercy Sunday…

Order Mark Mallett’s Divine Mercy Chaplet
set to JPII’s Stations of the Cross
and receive
FREE
a copy of Song For Karol,
the beloved hymn to the late Pope that Mark wrote on the day of the pontiff’s passing.

Only $14.99 for 2 CDs.
plus shipping

Continue reading →

I Will Not Bow

Posted on by

THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for April 9th, 2014
Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Liturgical texts here

 

 

NOT negotiable. That was essentially the reply of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when King Nebuchadnezzar threatened them with death if they did not worship the state god. Our God “can save us”, they said,

But even if he will not, know, O king, that we will not serve your god or worship the golden statue that you set up. (First reading)

Today, believers are once again being forced to bow before the state god, these days under the names of “tolerance” and “diversity.” Those who don’t are being harassed, fined, or forced from their careers.

Continue reading →

The Sign of the Cross

Posted on by

THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for April 8th, 2014
Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Liturgical texts here

 

 

WHEN the people were being bitten by snakes as a punishment for their persistent doubting and complaining, they at last repented, appealing to Moses:

We have sinned in complaining against the LORD and you. Pray the LORD to take the serpents away from us.

But God didn’t take away the serpents. Rather, He gave them a remedy by which to be cured should they succumb to a poisonous bite:

Continue reading →

Persisting in Sin

Posted on by

THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for April 7th, 2014
Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent

Liturgical texts here


The Valley of the Shadow of Death, George Inness, (1825-1894)

 

 

ON Saturday evening, I had the privilege of leading a group of young people and a handful of adults in Eucharistic Adoration. As we gazed upon Jesus’ Eucharistic face, listening to the words He spoke through St. Faustina, singing His name while others went to Confession… the love and mercy of God descended powerfully upon the room.

Continue reading →

Father, Forgive Them…

Posted on by

THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for April 4th, 2014
Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent

Liturgical texts here

 

 

THE truth is, friends, the world is rapidly closing in from all sides on Christians for holding fast to the truth. In Middle Eastern countries, our brothers and sisters are being tortured, [1]cf. endoftheamericandream.com beheaded, [2]cf. IndianDefence.com and burned out of their homes and churches. [3]cf. Persecution.org And in the West, freedom of speech is disappearing in real time before our very eyes. Cardinal Timothy Dolan is not far off in his prediction of three years ago. [4]Read also what I wrote in 2005, which is now coming to pass: Persecution!… and the Moral Tsunami

Continue reading →

Footnotes

Footnotes
↑1 cf. endoftheamericandream.com
↑2 cf. IndianDefence.com
↑3 cf. Persecution.org
↑4 Read also what I wrote in 2005, which is now coming to pass: Persecution!… and the Moral Tsunami

The Golden Calf

Posted on by

THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for April 3rd, 2014
Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent

Liturgical texts here

 

 

WE are are at the end of an era, and the beginning of the next: The Age of the Spirit. But before the next begins, the grain of wheat—this culture—must fall into the ground and die. For the moral foundations in science, politics, and economics have mostly rotted. Our science is now frequently used to experiment on humans, our politics to manipulate them, and economics to enslave them.Continue reading →

The Four Ages of Grace

Posted on by

THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for April 2nd, 2014
Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent

Liturgical texts here

 

 

IN yesterday’s first reading, when an angel took Ezekiel to the trickle of water that was flowing to the east, he measured four distances from the temple from where the small river began. With each measurement, the water became deeper and deeper until it could not be crossed. This is symbolic, one could say, of the “four ages of grace”… and we are on the threshold of the third.

Continue reading →

Falling Short…

Posted on by

 

 

SINCE the launch of the daily Now Word Mass reflections, the readership to this blog has skyrocketed, adding 50-60 subscribers each week. I am now reaching tens of thousands each month with the Gospel, and several of them priests, who use this website as a homiletic resource.

Continue reading →

The River of Life

Posted on by

THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for April 1st, 2014
Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent

Liturgical texts here


Photo by Elia Locardi

 

 

I had been debating lately with an atheist (she finally gave up). At the beginning of our conversations, I explained to her that my belief in Jesus Christ had little do with the scientifically verifiable miracles of physical healings, apparitions, and incorruptible saints, and more so to do with the fact that I know Jesus (insofar as He has revealed Himself to me). But she insisted this was not good enough, that I was irrational, duped by a myth, oppressed by a patriarchal Church… you know, the usual diatribe. She wanted me to reproduce God in a petri dish, and well, I just don’t think He was up to it.

As I read her words, it was as if she was trying to tell a man who’d just come out of the rain that he isn’t wet. And the water I speak of here is the River of Life.

Continue reading →