In 1955, Pius XII reformed the liturgy to make foot washing part of the Holy Thursday Mass. Since the 14th century, it had been practiced in a separate liturgy...
Glad You Asked
Holding hands (or not) is less important than praying in a “commonly bodily posture,” as the body of Christ. One of my first memories of Sunday Mass was my...
The relationship between the Old Testament and the New Testament reflects both the continuity and discontinuity between the Christian and Israelite faiths...
The baptism of Jesus was more than just a symbolic swim. Today some people think that Jesus had original sin and needed to have it washed away. When we think...
The only child often gets a bad rap. Stereotyped as entitled and self-important, people who grow up without siblings aren’t always looked upon...
The historic news that emerged from the ecclesial council held on February 11, 2013 was Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation. But that was not the day’s only...
Years ago I worked summers on a farm in Michigan, near a fundamentalist Christian community. I didn’t know much about them other than that you didn’t want to...
No sooner did our new pontiff announce his name as Francis than some “prophecy experts” took to the airwaves, claiming that the new pope is “Peter the Roman,”...
All three synoptic gospels tell the story of the transfiguration of Jesus (Matt. 17:1-13; Mark 9:3-13; Luke 9:28-36)—frequently a sign of the importance of an...
A seminary pal of mine once remarked that he had no difficulty believing that Christ is present in holy communion. What he did question was the proposition...
