© Lawrence Klimecki Jesus had many disciples (followers and students) but chose only twelve to be apostles, those He would send out into the world to preach the Gospel. When it came time to replace Judas the remaining eleven chose Matthias from among the disciples. “So one of the menContinue Reading
Christ has ascended to heaven and is no longer visible to us. But He is still present through His Body the Church. He feels pain when the Church suffers. There are two seasons centered on the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord. Lent is a time when we recognizeContinue Reading
As Jesus continues to prepare his followers for the time when He will no longer be visible, He imparts to us a great gift, His peace. All too often in our world peace is little more than a ceasefire or even a type of “Cold War.” But the peace thatContinue Reading
Samples from a series commissioned by an RCIA group. May 1st is the feast day of Saint Joseph the Worker. Saint Joseph ©Lawrence Klimecki In early Christian art Saint Joseph was depicted as an old, sometimes decrepit man, in order to accentuate Mary’s virginity and so as not to detractContinue Reading
Jesus once told us, His followers, that the greatest commandment is to love God with our whole heart, soul and mind. And the second greatest commandment is to love our neighbor as ourselves. Today, as He prepares His Church for the time when He will no longer be visible amongContinue Reading
The sheep of the Good Shepherd are a special breed, because they believe. Lex orandi, lex credendi is a Latin phrase meaning the law of prayer is the law of belief. In other words, we believe what we pray. Critics of Catholicism will sometimes accuse us of violating St. Matthew’sContinue Reading
In today’s readings we see established the relationship between Christ and the papacy. The apostles, the fishers of men are unsuccessful in their efforts. But by listening to God they experience a miraculous catch. Peter goes to the Lord and stands beside Him, as Hans Urs von Balthasar would say,Continue Reading
On April 30, 2000 Pope John Paul II recognized Mary Faustyna Kowalska as a saint, numbered among the souls in heaven. At the same time he fulfilled one of Saint Faustyna’s requests, that the second Sunday of Easter be reserved to honor and commemorate God’s infinite mercy. Why the secondContinue Reading
“Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are an Easter people and alleluia is our song.” Pope John Paul II What does it mean to be an Easter people? Easter is the celebration of the risen Lord, it is also called Resurrection Sunday. It is the day the Lord walkedContinue Reading
Palms are an ancient symbol. For the people of the Old Testament they meant the righteous person who walks in the ways of God. To the Romans palms were a symbol of victory. Conquering generals would bring them back as souvenirs of distant lands. It became a Roman tradition toContinue Reading