Fr. Tom Welbers' Reflections on Our Shared Journey of Faith
Last year, Ash Wednesday, which was also St. Valentine's Day, February 14, 2018. I weighed 206 pounds and I figured I needed to do something about it. I tried my best to fast (and pray) and eat properly during Lent, and by Easter Sunday, April 1, I was just under 200. I was happy, but... Continue Reading →
[Note...this is what I published on January 7, 2015. a little bit revised . Actually, the whole series of the past "12-Days" posts was based (and elaborated on) what I wrote in 2015.] I finished the Twelve Days of Christmas. What next? These past twelve blogposts were something of an experiment, just to see if... Continue Reading →
So, what about that star the Magi followed? This year, by happy confluence of daily and weekly cycles, January 6 falls on Sunday, so we get to celebrate Epiphany on its proper date. I don't mean proper as opposed to improper. I mean it in the original sense of "belonging to." Epiphany truly belongs on... Continue Reading →
OK, it's a bit of a stretch. However, our saint today, St. John Neumann, who was born in Bohemia in 1811, spent his student and seminary days in the Diocese of Budweis, but was not ordained there because the bishop felt there were too many priests already. By all accounts, he did not show early... Continue Reading →
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, whose feast is today, January 4, is worth paying attention to. Born (1774) and married (1794) into the upper strata of New York society, she was a devout Episcopalian, devoted parent, and dedicated helper of the poor. Widowed in 1803 and received into the Catholic Church in 1805, she endured anti-Catholic... Continue Reading →
On January 3, the Church celebrates the Holy Name of Jesus. In the current Roman Calendar, it is a relatively minor day, an "optional memorial," and in various other church calendars, it is celebrated on different days as well. "What's in a name?" Shakespeare asks in Romeo and Juliet. A lot, actually. Your name is the... Continue Reading →
The gift on the Eighth Day: Eight Maids A-Milking. What could that be? Are these young women themselves the gift, which is quite repugnant, or are there services being provided for by the "True Love." This, and all the subsequent gifts, are gifts of human beings, or better, human services. As one can infer from... Continue Reading →
You musical folks know the meaning of "octave." It's the eighth note above or below a particular note on the scale. Octave means "eighth." If you count Christmas Day the first, then today is the "eighth day." Eight has a great significance in our Jusaeo-Christian tradition. Seven is the number of completion - the work... Continue Reading →
. . . and two very impressive people in the early days of Christianity, Sylvester and Melania the Younger. We're at the halfway point on our 12-day journey from Christmas to Epiphany. New Year's Eve is, well, New Year's Eve. 'Nuff said. Here's a rather interesting bit of trivia. If you live in Samoa, you... Continue Reading →
