stceceliastgabriel

Planning for the End

Last Saturday we welcomed several speakers to give presentations on making end-of-life decisions. One spoke of the importance of having an Advanced Medical Directive and designating a Health Care Representative who has authority to make medical decisions on behalf of an incapacitated patient. Another talked about what’s involved in purchasing a cemetery plot and theContinue reading “Planning for the End “

Finding Wisdom in the Desert

Roman persecution of Christianity ended when the Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity in 313 AD. Suddenly, to be Christian was to share the religion of the emperor and his mother, which made it socially respectable, even advantageous. Some saw spiritual danger in this development, worrying that it would lead to a soft Church that made friendsContinue reading “Finding Wisdom in the Desert “

Marian Consecration

When I was in my last year of seminary, something significant happened to my spiritual life. A friend gave me the book: 33 Days to Morning Glory: A Do-It-Yourself Retreat in Preparation for Marian Consecration by Fr. Michael Gaitley. I had always known that the Blessed Mother was important. But I don’t think I hadContinue reading “Marian Consecration “

C’est la Confiance

“It is confidence and nothing but confidence that must lead us to Love.” In his letter, C’est la Confiance, published 10/15/23, Pope Francis commemorates the 150th anniversary of the birth of St. Therese of the Child Jesus. St. Therese, of course, was born in 1873 into an upper-middle class family, entered the Carmelite monastery inContinue reading “C’est la Confiance “

Truly Present

A young woman I know is reading a book by Bishop Robert Barron entitled: This is My Body: A Call to Eucharistic Revival. She has found the book helpful, but she noticed that Barron often describes the Eucharist as “the body, blood, soul, and divinity” of Jesus, and wondered what that was all about. WeContinue reading “Truly Present “

The God of Bethesda

Central Park is one of the great landmarks of Manhattan. In a recent article published in the journal First Things, John Byron Kuhner gives a virtual tour of the park that culminates with a description of a terrace, at the center of which “is a large circular pool, whence rises an elaborate fountain, of theContinue reading “The God of Bethesda”

Alma Mater

This weekend I will be away from the parish, attending my college class reunion. Twenty-five years ago, I graduated from the University of Dallas (UD), a small Catholic university located in Irving, TX. It was an unlikely choice for an 18-year-old from Connecticut, but I had a cousin studying there whom I visited as aContinue reading “Alma Mater “

Cardinals

Next Saturday, September 30, Pope Francis will install 21 new members of the College of Cardinals. A Cardinal of the Church is a senior member of the Catholic clergy whose most important responsibility is to elect a new pope when the reigning pontiff dies or resigns. Most Cardinals are bishops, though not all. Popes occasionallyContinue reading “Cardinals “

Blessed Family

In the early morning of March 24, 1944, Nazi police arrived at the farm of Jozef and Wiktoria Ulma in the small town of Markowa, Poland. An informant had notified the police that the Ulmas were hiding Jews in their home, a crime punishable by death. A search of their home revealed eight members ofContinue reading “Blessed Family “

Boilers

The common house mouse has a lifespan of about 1 year. A pigeon can live for 5 years. A Grizzly Bear will live up to 15 years, which is 5 years less than the average Polar Bear, demonstrating the significant health benefits of cold plunges. The American Alligator and the American Bald Eagle live forContinue reading “Boilers “