An interview on the eve of the feast of the Assumption with Father Ibrahim Alsabagh, parish priest of the church of St. Francis who is also responsible for the Latin community of the city.

Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today. Drill them into your children.
Speak of them at home and abroad, whether you are busy or at rest. Bind them at your wrist as a sign… (Dt 6.6-8).

“Amen” means “so be it” (CCC 2856) or “I believe.” It’s what we say at the end of every prayer and, significantly, it’s what we say when we present ourselves for Holy Communion. The Eucharist is elevated before our eyes, and our “Amen” is a verbal assent that we both believe it’s Christ (“I believe”) and that we want to become Christ by consuming him (“so be it”).

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

We live in a noisy age, from early morning to late night noise surrounds us. Many of them are the ordinary bits and pieces of our life, water pouring from tap and shower head, TV and other media sharing with us their particular images and voices, news, music, film, documentary and much loved soap drama!

Meditation is a way of connecting and communicating with God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, and also to be in His presence thus filled with His love.

Meditation is not alien to the writer of these lines, nor should it be to those who find satisfaction in their daily reading of the Bible. The Bible speaks of meditation in several places and on a number of occasions. In one of many, Psalm 119:78 says: “As for me, I will mediate on thy precepts," is one of many.

To put it clear, Christian Meditation and all other kinds of mediations are two worlds that stand apart.

Homily for the Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, August 6, 2017

What a grace for Peter and James and John to see Jesus transfigured. They got a preview of the glory of Jesus risen from the dead and his glory in heaven. It was also a preview of the glory we all hope to share in heaven. This was a very special grace for Peter and James and John.

Let’s look at how the Bible describes love, and then we will see a few ways in which God is the essence of love. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a). This is God's description of love, and because God is love (1 John 4:8), this is what He is like.

Years after Maria's death, when her assailant Alessandro was still in prison, she appeared to him in a dream, and forgave him once more. From that day forward, Alessandro experienced a conversion, repented of his sins, and went on to live a holy life, eventually becoming a Franciscan lay brother. St. Maria led him to God.

Today we pray for the healing of those who have been sexually assaulted as well as for the contrition and conversion of their offenders.

St. Maria Goretti Novena Prayers - Day 9

Who is God? What is God? How can we know God?

Who is God? - The Fact
The fact of God’s existence is so conspicuous, both through creation and through man’s conscience, that the Bible calls the atheist a “fool” (Psalm 14:1). Accordingly, the Bible never attempts to prove the existence of God; rather, it assumes His existence from the very beginning (Genesis 1:1). What the Bible does is reveal the nature, character, and work of God.

Indonesia hosts an event with many interreligious meanings: Christians support the government in the struggle against Islamic radicalism.

Sultan Hamengku Buwono X, governor of Yogyakarta, playing the othok-othok - a Javanese traditional musical instrument - officially opens the event; this poignant picture is embedded with all the meaning of the Asian Youth Day, an event organized by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences which, for a week, brings together young Catholics from twenty-two Asian nations on the streets of Yogyakarta, a town on the Indonesian island of Java.

Saint Maria was a deeply pious child. She couldn't read or write, but she learned her Catechism and received her First Communion just one year before she died. She attended Mass as often as she could. Today we pray that St. Maria will intercede for all children, that their faith may grow and prosper as hers did.

St. Maria Goretti Novena Prayers - Day 8