Fr. Tom Welbers' Reflections on Our Shared Journey of Faith
This (no foolin'!) is a review that is very much worth the few minutes it takes to read it, in spite of its appearing on FB on April Fools Day. "In Praise of Public Libraries", by Sue Halpern, New York Review of Books (April 18, 2019 Issue). The author reviews two books and a documentary... Continue Reading →
Today we say goodbye to "the wearin' of the green." This, the Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, is the Sunday before Ash Wednesday. As part of my preparation for Lent this year, I thought I might spend some time with the Scripture readings for today, and see what light they might shed on... Continue Reading →
In a previous post, I told of "My (year-long) Weight Loss Saga": from just over 205 pounds to 170 in a year (Ash Wednesday - also Valentine's Day - February 14, 2018, to mid-February, 2019). Now, I'm committed to another DietBet "game" during Lent to get down to 165. So committed, in fact, that I've... Continue Reading →
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 →
