of the human person from conception until natural death
The Fourth Sunday of Lent, also known as Laetare Sunday, marks the beginning of what some liturgical scholars consider to be the second part of Lent. Each day’s Gospel, from the Monday after Laetare Sunday until Passion or Palm Sunday, will all be taken from six chapters in the Gospel of John.
Charles Dickens famously described the parable of the Prodigal Son as “the finest short story ever written.” Arguably, this parable is the most well-known of all the parables that Jesus recounted; so much so, that elements of the incident have even entered the public consciousness. However, because that has occurred…
Before the development of the Gregorian Calendar, as early as the third century, the spring equinox held special significance. In the period of the Julian Calendar, the vernal equinox was dated as happening on March 25. The thirteenth century Golden Legend (Lat. Legenda aurea) not only identifies March 25th as…
In the crypt chapel of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC, there is a series of mosaics depicting the original fifteen mysteries of the Rosary. Underneath each depiction of the mysteries, an event from the Old Testament is paired with the mystery of the rosary as…
Scripture refers to Joseph as a righteous or just man (Mt 1:19). The adjective for “just” that is used in the original Greek text of Matthew’s gospel to describe Joseph is the word dikaios (Gk. δίκαιος), which can be translated either as “just” or as “righteous”. Dikaios can be used…
The biblical account of the Transfiguration is recorded in all three Synoptic Gospels: Mark 9:2–13; Matthew 17:1–13; Luke 9:28–36 [37-43]. Among those three, only Saint Luke provides the content of the conversation between Jesus, Moses, and Elijah.
Both Moses and Elijah held crucial positions salvation history: Moses as the amasser…
The lectionary is a collection of Biblical readings used for worship and study. During Lent, it is organized to reflect the season’s penitential character. Usually, the first reading is chosen according to what’s called the principle of harmony. The Old Testament reading is selected because of the harmony or the…
In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Lord’s Temptation in the Desert is summarized in the following way, “The Gospels speak of a time of solitude for Jesus in the desert immediately after his baptism by John. Driven by the Spirit into the desert, Jesus remains there for forty…
Nature and dignity 