• Bulletin Board, Announcements, Calendar
• Editorial - Op Ed
• Welcome and Website Protocol
• Article Archive

Print this page

Article Categories

• Book Reviews
• Open Letter
• Editorials
• Notes, Quotes & Comments
• Pastor's Study
• Project Millstones
• Sidebar Comments
• Weekly Message

Links

Liturgy
This link will keep 'parishioners-at-large' in touch with current creative liturgy sources and resources that respect a variety of 'traditions' within the Church.

COMMONWEAL Magazine
A 'lay' Catholic weekly publication with an accent on an intelligent analysis and commentary on curent issues, trends and concerns of interest to Catholics.

National Catholic Reporter
A national Catholic lay newspaper covering events not usually covered or presented with a clerical bias in the local diocesan press or but of concern and interest to Catholics.

Survivos' Network for those Abused by Priests or Religious
A National Network of self-help support groups for people abused by clergy or religious.

Bishop Accountability
Vital information about the disclosure of sexual abuse and related issues affecting Catholics in the pew and the manner in which Bishops continue to exempt themselves from accountability

Voice of the Faithful
A 'movement' of lay Catholics 'inspired' by the abuse scandal calling for greater accountability of bishops to 'Catholics in the Pew.'

Search

Daily Scripture

+ 3rd Week in Lent

Integrity demands honesty and yields forgiveness.

Readings: Hosea 14:2-10 Psalm 81:6-11, 14, 17 Mark 12:28-34

Thus says the Lord: Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God; Say to God, “Forgive all iniquity, and receive what is good, hat we may render as offering the bullocks from our stalls.” [Hosea 14:1, 3]

One of the scribes and asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus replied, “The first is this: Hear O Israel! The Lord our god is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The scribe said to him, “Well said…, there is no greater commandment greater than these. [They] are worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifice. [Mark 12:28-33]

“I’m sorry if I have offended you,” or words similar to these are what I would call a shallow political apology; empty words without substance. The offender is distancing him/herself from the offense. There is a hidden question in the apology, e.g., ‘why are you offended… ‘ worse, ‘I am sorry that you took offense’ putting the burden on the other person to apologize for being offended. Yipes!

A personal or institutional apology is an admission of wrongdoing and can be used for fodder in an indictment and subsequent trial so attorneys are very careful to caution their clients against any admission of guilt that could be used against them in court.

Sadly even our Church has masterfully avoided admission of wrongdoing in multi-million dollar settlements with those who were abused by priests and religious. Spokespersons for church, political or commercial institutions are careful to point out that such a settlement “is not an admission of guilt or wrongdoing and is actually a compromise of a disputed claim.” More ‘yipes!’

Lent is a time to confess our wrongdoing, personal and institutional, hands down! In the words of the psalmist, “my sins are before me always.” [Ps 51] But the Lord is our refuge and our strength. “Let the wise understand and speak these words without equivocation or prevarication.

Integrity has its rewards in this life and in the next.

Computation of Easter

Saturday February 23, 2008

Info supplied courtesy of Jack Fetrow.

It IS early this year.

Easter is always the first Sunday after the first full moon following the Spring Equinox (which is March 20). This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that the Hebrews used to identify Passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar.

Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22) but that is pretty rare. This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives and only the very elderly of our population have ever seen it this early before.

The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you’re 95 or older, you are the only ones that were around for that!).

The next time it will be earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now).

The last time it was on March 22 was 1818. So, no one alive today has nor will ever see it any earlier than this year!