Christ, a King for Us!

Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day.” But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?” When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing.

—Luke 13:10-17

CAPTION THIS: When Pope Met Putin

The Russian President had been the undisputed arm-wrestling champion five years running, but this was his mightiest foe to date. (Full story here. Picture c/o: Vatican Radio English)

Welcome to the first-of-probably-many Unpleasant Accents Caption Contest! There isn't a prize or anything because, really, you're all winners (and we're all broke college grads), but if you think you can make a funny that's better than ours, leave your caption in the comments below!

Mary and the Culture of Encounter

Praised Be Jesus!

As we all know, our new Holy Father, Pope Francis, is making waves with his statements, such as, "Who am I to judge?" and by reaching out personally to those who write him letters, including those who are members of groups who have felt alienated from the Church. This is a new direction for the papacy and all a part of the theme of Francis' papacy: the "culture of encounter". Francis has used the phrase "culture of encounter" repeatedly since his papacy began. What could the culture of encounter be, and how does it affect our lives as Catholics?

Thanks for Nothing

"Dear Lord, we thank Thee for bringing us all together and for the gift of Purell, that our hand-holding might be that much less disgusting. Amen."

“A time is coming when men will go mad, and when they see someone who is not mad, they will attack him, saying, ‘You are mad; you are not like us.’”
—Saint Anthony the Great, presumably foreseeing the rise of Black Friday sales

Thanksgiving is traditionally a holiday in which Americans (and Canadians, whose freakish October observance doesn't count) gather together, feast until they're stuffed and/or diabetic and pass out watching football and/or parade coverage. They're also thankful to God for all their of their food and blessings and stuff. Traditionally, the next day, Black Friday, officially begins the Christmas season and is marked by orderly, cheerful holiday shopping and—

When the Village Turns on You... Love Harder!

Praised Be Jesus!

I hope this post finds everyone well! As we traverse through the month of November, I thought that it would be a good idea to reflect on the lives of some Saints, and with Thanksgiving speedily approaching, we will be remembering that very, how should I say... colorful story (lie) of the first Thanksgiving of the Pilgrims and Native Americans. But in the spirit of the holiday, I thought we should focus on one of the Church's newest Saints, Kateri Tekakwitha.

A View from the Pew: Why a Homily Makes All the Difference

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. —James 3:1

My grandmother is a wonderful, inspiring woman whom I look to as a mentor in my religious journey, and I love it when she visits me. When I was a bratty six-year-old and a hell-spawned teenager, I dreaded her visits for one reason, and one reason only:

Do You See What I See? A Reflection on the Vera Icon

Beloved:

See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure. —1 John 3:1-3

Caritas Actually

It is perhaps unfortunate that we begin our first post — a post about love, no less — on a sour note, but it is necessary because it is illustrative of how not to be charitable. Our story takes place several years ago. I was attending the enthronement of the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island. As one of the local clergy, my father was expected to attend. It can be rather lonely as a traditional Anglo-Catholic in a liberal diocese (to say nothing of the entire denomination as a whole), so I tagged along, for moral support.