The Only Fault that Matters

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Tuesday of Holy Week, March 31st, 2015

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Judas and Peter (detail from ‘The Last Supper”), by Leonardo da Vinci (1494–1498)

 

THE Apostles are aghast at being told that one of them would betray the Lord. Indeed, it is the unthinkable. So Peter, in a moment of indignation, perhaps even self-righteousness, begins to look his brothers over with suspicion. Lacking the humility to see into his own heart, he sets about finding the fault of the other—and even gets John to do the dirty work for him:

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Why an Era of Peace?

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent, March 28th, 2015

Liturgical texts here

 

ONE of the most common questions I hear on the possibility of a coming “era of peace” is why? Why wouldn’t the Lord simply return, put an end to wars and suffering, and bring about a New Heavens and New Earth? The short answer is simply that God would have utterly failed, and Satan won.

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Wisdom Will be Vindicated

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent, March 27th, 2015

Liturgical texts here

saint-sophia-the-almighty-wisdom-1932_FotorSt. Sophia the Almighty’s Wisdom, Nicholas Roerich (1932)

 

THE Day of the Lord is near. It is a Day when the manifold Wisdom of God will be made known to the nations. [1]cf. The Vindication of Wisdom

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Footnotes

When Wisdom Comes

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent, March 26th, 2015

Liturgical texts here

Woman-praying_Fotor

 

THE words came to me recently:

Whatever happens, happens. Knowing about the future does not prepare you for it; knowing Jesus does.

There is a gigantic gulf between knowledge and Wisdom. Knowledge tells you what is. Wisdom tells you what to do with it. The former without the latter can be catastrophic on many levels. For example:

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A Greater Gift

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent, March 25th, 2015
Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

Liturgical texts here


from The Annunciation by Nicolas Poussin (1657)

 

TO understand the future of the Church, look no further than the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

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God's Timing

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent, March 24th, 2015

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THERE is a growing sense of anticipation among those who are watching the signs of the times that things are coming to a head. And that’s good: God is getting the world’s attention. But along with this anticipation comes at times an expectation that certain events are just around the corner… and that gives way to predictions, calculating dates, and endless speculation. And that can sometimes distract people from what’s necessary, and can ultimately lead to disillusionment, cynicism, and even apathy.

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The Reframers

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent, March 23rd, 2015

Liturgical texts here

 

ONE of the key harbingers of The Growing Mob today is, rather than engage in a discussion of facts, [1]cf. The Death of Logic they often resort to simply labeling and stigmatizing those with whom they disagree. They call them “haters” or “deniers”, “homophobes” or “bigots”, etc. It is a smokescreen, a reframing of the dialogue so as to, in fact, shut down dialogue. It is an attack on freedom of speech, and more and more, freedom of religion. [2]cf. The Progression of Totalitarinism It is remarkable to see how Our Lady of Fatima’s words, spoken nearly a century ago, are unfolding precisely as she said they would: the “errors of Russia” are spreading throughout the world—and the spirit of control behind them. [3]cf. Control! Control! 

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Footnotes

Fulfilled, But Not Yet Consummated

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent, March 21st, 2015

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WHEN Jesus became man and began His ministry, He announced that humanity had entered the “fullness of time.” [1]cf. Mark 1:15 What does this mysterious phrase mean two thousand years later? It is important to understand because it reveals to us the “end time” plan that is now unfolding…

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Footnotes

Footnotes
↑1 cf. Mark 1:15

Reshaping Fatherhood

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent, March 19th, 2015
Solemnity of St. Joseph

Liturgical texts here

 

FATHERHOOD is one of the most amazing gifts from God. And it’s time we men truly reclaim it for what it is: an opportunity to reflect the very face of the Heavenly Father.

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Not On My Own

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent, March 18th, 2015

Liturgical texts here

father-and-son2

 

THE whole of Jesus’ life consisted in this: doing the will of the Heavenly Father. What is remarkable is that, even though Jesus is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, He still does absolutely nothing on His own:

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When the Spirit Comes

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent, March 17th, 2015
St. Patrick’s Day

Liturgical texts here

 

THE Holy Spirit.

Have you met this Person yet? There is the Father and the Son, yes, and it is easy for us to imagine them because of Christ’s face and the image of fatherhood. But the Holy Spirit… what, a bird? No, the Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Holy Trinity, and the one who, when He comes, makes all the difference in the world.

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It is Living!

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent, March 16th, 2015

Liturgical texts here

 

WHEN the official comes to Jesus and asks Him to heal his son, the Lord replies:

“Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” The royal official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” (Today’s Gospel)

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Why Aren’t the Popes Shouting?

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With dozens of new subscribers coming on board now each week, old questions are popping up such as this one: Why aren’t the Pope’s speaking about the end times? The answer will surprise many, reassure others, and challenge many more. First published September 21st, 2010, I have updated this writing to the present pontificate. 

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Opening Wide the Doors of Mercy

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Saturday of the Third Week of Lent, March 14th, 2015

Liturgical texts here

 

Due to the surprise announcement by Pope Francis yesterday, today’s reflection is slightly longer. However, I think you will find its contents worth reflecting on…

 

THERE is a certain sense building, not only among my readers, but also of mystics with whom I’ve been privileged to be in contact with, that the next few years are significant. Yesterday in my daily Mass meditation, [1]cf. Sheathing the Sword I wrote how Heaven itself has revealed that this present generation is living in a “time of mercy.” As if to underline this divine warning (and it is a warning that humanity is on borrowed time), Pope Francis announced yesterday that Dec. 8th, 2015 to Nov. 20th, 2016 will be a “Jubilee of Mercy.” [2]cf. Zenit, March 13th, 2015 When I read this announcement, the words from St. Faustina’s diary came immediately to mind:

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Footnotes

Footnotes
↑1 cf. Sheathing the Sword
↑2 cf. Zenit, March 13th, 2015

Sheathing the Sword

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Friday of the Third Week of Lent, March 13th, 2015

Liturgical texts here


The Angel atop St. Angelo’s Castle in Parco Adriano, Rome, Italy

 

THERE is a legendary account of a pestilence that broke out in Rome in 590 A.D. due to a flood, and Pope Pelagius II was one of its numerous victims. His successor, Gregory the Great, ordered that a procession should go around the city for three consecutive days, imploring God’s help against the disease.

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The Progression of Totalitarianism

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Thursday of the Third Week of Lent, March 12th, 2015

Liturgical texts here

Damiano_Mascagni_Joseph_Sold_Into_Slavery_by_His_Brothers_FotorJoseph Sold Into Slavery by His Brothers by Damiano Mascagni (1579-1639)

 

WITH the death of logic, we are not far from when not only truth, but Christians themselves, will be banished from the public sphere (and it’s already begun). At least, this is the warning from the seat of Peter:

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The Death of Logic

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent, March 11th, 2015

Liturgical texts here

spock-original-series-star-trek_Fotor_000.jpgCourtesy Universal Studios

 

LIKE watching a train wreck in slow-motion, so it is watching the death of logic in our times (and I’m not speaking of Spock).

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Pray More, Speak Less

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praymorespeakless2

 

I could have written this for the past week. First published 

THE Synod on the family in Rome last autumn was the beginning of a firestorm of attacks, assumptions, judgments, grumbling, and suspicions against Pope Francis. I set everything aside, and for several weeks responded to reader’s concerns, media distortions, and most especially distortions of fellow Catholics that simply needed to be addressed. Thanks be to God, many people stopped panicking and started praying, started reading more of what the Pope was actually saying rather than what the headlines were. For indeed, Pope Francis’ colloquial style, his off-the-cuff remarks that reflect a man who is more comfortable with street-talk than theological-speak, has required greater context.

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The Key to Opening God's Heart

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent, March 10th, 2015

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THERE is a key to God’s heart, a key that can be held by anyone from the greatest sinner to the greatest saint. With this key, the heart of God can be opened, and not only His heart, but the very treasuries of Heaven.

And that key is humility.

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Stubborn and Blind

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Monday of the Third Week of Lent, March 9th, 2015

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IN truth, we are surrounded by the miraculous. You have to be blind—spiritually blind—not to see it. But our modern world has become so skeptical, so cynical, so stubborn that not only do we doubt that supernatural miracles are possible, but when they do happen, we still doubt!

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The Surprise Welcome

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Saturday of the Second Week of Lent, March 7th, 2015
First Saturday of the Month

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THREE minutes in a pig barn, and your clothes are done for the day. Imagine the prodigal son, hanging out with swine, feeding them day after day, too poor to even buy a change of clothes. I have no doubt that the father would have smelled his son returning home before he saw him. But when the father did see him, something amazing happened…

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The Right Spiritual Steps

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Steps_Fotor

 

THE RIGHT SPIRITUAL STEPS:

Your Duty in

God’s Imminent Plan of Holiness

Through His Mother

by Anthony Mullen

 

YOU have been drawn to this website to be prepared: the ultimate preparation is to be really and truly transformed into Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit working through the Spiritual Motherhood and Triumph of Mary our Mother, and the Mother of our God.  The preparation for the Storm is simply one (but important) part in the preparation for your “New & Divine Holiness” that St. John Paul II prophesized would occur “to make Christ the Heart of the world.”

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God Will Never Give Up

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Friday of the Second Week of Lent, March 6th, 2015

Liturgical texts here


Rescued By Love, by Darren Tan

 

THE parable of the tenants in the vineyard, who murder the landowners servants and even his son is, of course, symbolic of centuries of prophets that the Father sent to the people of Israel, culminating in Jesus Christ, His only Son. All of them were rejected.

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Bearers of Love

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Thursday of the Second Week of Lent, March 5th, 2015

Liturgical texts here

 

TRUTH without charity is like a blunt sword that cannot pierce the heart. It might cause people to feel pain, to duck, to think, or step away from it, but Love is what sharpens truth such that it becomes a living word of God. You see, even the devil can quote Scripture and produce the most elegant apologetics. [1]cf. Matt 4;1-11 But it is when that truth is transmitted in the power of the Holy Spirit that it becomes…

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Footnotes

Footnotes
↑1 cf. Matt 4;1-11

Servants of the Truth

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent, March 4th, 2015

Liturgical texts here

Ecce HomoEcce Homo, by Michael D. O’Brien

 

JESUS was not crucified for His charity. He was not scourged for healing paralytics, opening the eyes of the blind, or raising the dead. So too, rarely will you find Christians being sidelined for building a women’s shelter, feeding the poor, or visiting the sick. Rather, Christ and His body, the Church, were and are persecuted essentially for proclaiming the truth.

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Weeding Out Sin

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent, March 3rd, 2015

Liturgical texts here

 

WHEN it comes to weeding out sin this Lent, we cannot divorce mercy from the Cross, nor the Cross from mercy. Today’s readings are a powerful blend of both…

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Mercy for a People in Darkness

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Monday of the Second Week of Lent, March 2nd, 2015

Liturgical texts here

 

THERE is a line from Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings that, among others, jumped out at me when the character Frodo wishes for the death of his adversary, Gollum. The wise wizard Gandalf responds:

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