With respect to Lin Manuel Miranda — and bearing in mind that a title cannot be copywritten — what or where is “the room where it happened” for you? The first reading and the Gospel for Pentecost (Acts 2:2; Jn 20:19) describe the descent of the Holy Spirit and its gifts upon our ancestors when they are gathered in a room.
Pope Leo’s first words from the balcony in Rome were “Peace be with you.” Of all the things our new Holy Father could have chosen to say, that was the greeting he wanted the world to hear. He didn’t invent this ancient greeting, but his calm, peaceful demeanor seemed to embody the expression and say a great deal about him.
While priests have a few different options for how they greet people at the beginning of Mass, the bishop has only one greeting available for him to use: “Peace be with you.”
The past several months, I have been accompanying my adult first cousin once removed, Tara, as she has grown deeper in her Catholic faith through the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA) at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul.
Just over five years ago, the world lost one of the greatest basketball players of all time, Kobe Bryant, when his helicopter went down, killing all on board. He boarded that helicopter after attending the 7 a.m. Mass at Our Lady Queen of Angels in Newport Beach. Mass, though, wasn’t a rare thing in his life.
How many times have you walked out of Mass and realized you couldn’t remember anything about it? The Scripture readings, the homily, and all of the prayers went in one ear and out the other.
The Church is not a democracy. Our beliefs and our leaders, for instance, are not determined by popular vote. Yet there are many Catholics who seem to be as apathetic about their Church as millions of Americans are about politics. To such Catholics, the word “church” means either a building or the clergy.
I typically experience a tinge of sadness leaving the Christmas season because it is so lovely. There are many joyous celebrations: Christmas, Holy Family, Epiphany, and the Baptism of the Lord. With all these celebrations, there is a common thread that weaves them together. Naturally, Jesus is the center of all our celebrations. However, the theme of a wedding nicely ties all our celebrations together.
