There are a few details in today's Mass readings which come together in a remarkable way. The reading from I John says that those who engage in sin engage in lawlessness. This is because sin is something disordered. There is nothing original in sin. Sin is always the distortion or destruction of something beautiful, good and [...]
When they come across a Catholic custom they do not like or do not understand, Protestant Christians are likely to challenge Catholics with "Where is that in the Bible??" One of the Catholic customs most dislike is the veneration of relics. In every consecrated Catholic altar, for example, there are placed relics of the saints. Our [...]
Some time ago I posted a picture of worship at St Peter’s. There was a crowd of altar servers, robed clergy in procession and clouds of incense. Someone criticized, “Would Jesus recognize this as worship?” It sounded like a common misunderstanding of the roots of Catholic worship and the nature of Jewish worship in Jesus’ time. [...]
A tweet I posted has garnered a wide response. I stated that praise and worship was okay for praise and worship events, but not for the liturgy of the Mass. Some folks asked why-- and isn't the point of Mass praise and worship? The fact is, the divine liturgy is not less than praise and worship. [...]