Archangel
Msgr. Byrne is a retired priest of the Archdiocese of New York, a kindred spirit of many and well respected by most Catholics in diaspora who yearn for a more collaborative church in line with the thinking of Bishop Geoffrey Robinson, Retired Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney, Australia.
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.'
+ 16th Week in Ordinary Time
The obvious is not always so obvious.
Readings: Jeremiah 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13 Psalm 36:6-11 Matt 13:10-17
To those who have, more will be given and they will have abundance. As for those who do not have, even what little they have will be taken away. [Matt 13:12]
I have never been comfortable with this text. I simply cannot imagine God deliberately disabling people, especially the poor and disenfranchised. Toward the conclusion of this passage, Matthew references Isaiah 6:9-10 in which the prophet expresses God’s frustration with those who had hardened their hearts.
Ultimately it was Isaiah’s task to ‘soften’ the hearts of the people, to dispose them to hear God’s word.
There is an additional problem with Matthew’s text. It appears that Jesus cultivated ‘insider trading’ by showing favoritism toward his disciples. This is an oversimplification, to be sure. Matthew was holding the outsiders – those who missed the connection between Jesus and the prophets and thus failed to appreciate the day of visitation.
But we ‘insiders’ are not always so open to God’s word and Jesus presence in our midst. Our biases and prejudices often blind us to the reality of God’s presence and the connection of the Gospel to our daily agenda. In fact, we are more prone to pursue our own agenda rather than God’s.
The ‘bottom line’ refers not to money or financial security assets but rather to faith and our commitment to ‘invest’ in our faith through good works. These good works in turn reap the reward of additional graces that sustain our faith.
Daily Scripture Archive»Info supplied courtesy of Jack Fetrow. It IS early this year. Easter is always the first Sunday after the first full moon…Read full entry
from the New York Post December 4, 2007—A new coloring book being distributed by the Archdiocese of New York teaches…Read full entry
In his commentary on my involvement in the sexual abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Church in general and in…Read full entry
Joan Chittister is a Benedictine from Eire PA who has been known to ruffle the feathers of more than one…Read full entry
On Tuesday, March 20th, I attended a lecture by noted investigative reporter and author, David France, at Rutgers University Student…Read full entry
The mind wanders through strange times, as on a foggy road winding through the mountain in a ‘97 Altima completing a 79…Read full entry
A Priest of Integrity Msgr. Dennis Hayes was definitely of the old school. He grew up in a world and a…Read full entry
Reflecdtions on Clergy Abuse, Where We Are Today A revised version of an address given on July 22, 2006 SNAP National Conference Jersey…Read full entry
New York TImes December 24, 2006 By DAVID RIEFF Like the three services celebrated earlier in the morning and the four…Read full entry
I came upon this article on the Web recently. It hits the nail on the head. Spiritual Abuse by Chaplain Larry…Read full entry
Gerald R Ford The death of Gerald R. Ford brought civilized people to their knees in prayerful tribute not to…Read full entry
As I write this reflection we are fast approaching the winter solstice with its premonition of the end times. But searchers and…Read full entry
Let’s connect all the dots. The word ‘glory’ is mentioned six times in the scripture readings assigned for this weekend. “Glory”…Read full entry
ARCC spot LIGHT commentary on current issues in the Church provided by the ARCC (Association For the Rights of…Read full entry
I published the following commentary in our parish bulletin several weeks prior to the United States preemptory strike against Iraq…Read full entry
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!
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