PERSPECTIVES
REFLECTION
Motherhood and Christmas
Mother Teresa (known today as Blessed Teresa of Kolkata) told the following story: "Once, I picked up a child and took him to our Children's Home, gave him a bath, clean clothes, everything - but after a day, the child ran away. He was found again by somebody else but, …
AMAZING GOD REFLECTION
A humble end to Advent
This year, the final Sunday of the Advent season falls just two days before Christmas. Unless you are one of the late shoppers, most, if not all of your gifts have been purchased and probably wrapped for placement under the Christmas tree. The tree has been decorated and final preparations …
HOMILY
Where was God in Newtown?
I felt I should say something from the pulpit about the school shooting in Newtown, Conn., but I was at a loss for words. How can you comprehend the incomprehensible?
REFLECTION
Saving your parish: the Church and laity
Today, in my parish alone, there are more than 45 different ministries of laity serving the Church. These were unheard of many years ago: No one could teach the children except sisters, and no one could prepare people for coming into the Church (pre-RCIA) except the priest. How about distribution …
REFLECTION
Remembering a WWII childhood
Coincidentally, I recently had the good fortune to speak with a gentleman from Latvia, the small Baltic country between Estonia and Lithuania. He spent his disrupted boyhood in the middle of tumultuous events of World War II: the occupation of Latvia by the Red Army, then by Germans, then by …
SEMINARIAN'S DIARY
My rights as a Catholic
At what point do my rights as a Catholic begin? As a Catholic who voted in this past election, I went to the polls with one thing on my mind. The choices of who was running for office did not matter in the end, as all I can see is …
REFLECTION
From a Warrensburg parishioner
On many Sundays, the opening hymn at a little church in the Adirondacks is Marty Haugen's "All Are Welcome." This warm anthem is more than just words on a page for the parishioners of St. Cecilia's in Warrensburg; it is a sentiment that echoes throughout their lives.
LENTEN REFLECTION
A guide to reconciliation
This column begins a three-part series on the sacrament of reconciliation that may help and challenge us in our celebration of this wonderful, yet difficult sacrament. During this "Year of Faith," one of the objectives is to focus on the sacrament of reconciliation. The Albany Diocese is participating in an …
LENTEN REFLECTION
Amnesia and reconciliation
As a pastoral associate for faith formation, I'm always seeking new ways to help children and adults deepen their understanding of the sacrament of reconciliation. I frequently use personal stories at parent meetings or RCIA sessions (for people joining the Church) to highlight themes of grace, confession or pardon.
LENTEN REFLECTION
Slow conspicuous consumerism
There is a story about a disciple who separates himself from his Zen master to undertake rigorous self-mortification in order to gain enlightenment. After 30 days, he presents himself to his teacher in the town square, saying, "For 30 days, no alcohol has passed my lips; I put pebbles in …
PARISH PERSPECTIVE
An encore for 'Godspell'
This past fall, the faith community at St. Clement's parish in Saratoga Springs came together to put on a production of the Broadway musical "Godspell." The director, Karey-Hall Trimmings, and our pastor, Rev. Paul Borowski, CSsR, had the vision of using the church itself as the stage.
LENTEN REFLECTION
Whatever happened to sin?
Most middle-aged Catholics can recall the definition of sin from the Baltimore Catechism: "Actual sin is any willful thought, desire, word, action or omission forbidden by the law of God."
PERSPECTIVE
A Good Friday moment
When our six-year-old son, Nate, became ill with meningitis and encephalitis, doctors cautioned my husband and me that Nate might die. If he did survive, Nate would likely suffer some form of permanent disability.
SEMINARIAN'S DIARY
The pope's humility
I've been thinking a lot about the Holy Father's announcement that he's resigning. It shocked the world. Traditionally, this is not the course that a pope would take, as it is a position that lasts until one is called by God to new life in heaven.
REFLECTION
A monument to Aunt Agnes
In family photos, my Aunt Agnes is usually in the background, carrying a platter of food or folding chairs for the card table. She's always smiling from ear to ear. No one loves family get-togethers like my Aunt Agnes - and now we celebrate her, because she is turning 90.
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