According to Matthew 21:10-17, Mark 11:15-17, and Luke 19:45-46, Jesus returns to Jerusalem today. Seeing shameful practices in the Temple area, He cleanses it. The Gospels also recount His weeping over Jerusalem and His cursing of the fig tree. Matthew and Mark relate that He
Friday, March 19 is the Solemnity of St. Joseph. It’s also a Friday in Lent — which usually means no meat. At The Pillar, we have heard from a lot of Catholics in the past week, all with the same question: “Can we eat meat on
Sin vs. the call to love In my last column, I noted that the main job for every Christian disciple is recognizing that, because of the Fall, our human understanding of love is hopelessly flawed and woefully deficient. We all want to love and be loved,
In the courtyard of the High Priest, on the evening of Holy Thursday, a palpable fear will grip Peter’s heart. His Master is arrested. The powers of this world are entering into their triumph, and Peter is next in their sights. Christ Himself foresaw this
When you tread again, with Christian tradition, the road to Calvary, you recall the meeting between Jesus and His Mother; but you notice that there is no word spoken, no action done. It is the same at the end: she stands at the foot of
One of the most powerful things Jesus said from the Cross was, “Father forgive them, they know not what they are doing.” It is beautiful in its graciousness and loving in its leniency. But it is also enigmatic. Did they not in fact, know exactly what
Was the season of Lent always 40 days long? Were the apostles the ones responsible for establishing it? If not them, who did? During the first few centuries of the Church, Christians were often persecuted and it was difficult for the bishops of the Church to
On Ash Wednesday, priests in the United States will be changing the way we finish the Collect, or opening prayer, at Mass. For nearly 50 years, we have prayed, “Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity
As we prepare for Lent, we often rely on old habits or patterns. We give up the same thing for Lent or we engage in the same practices each year. Our rituals can become a little too habitual. Sometimes, it’s good to shake things up
I am the truth and the life” (cf. John 14:6). I am the Word that was “at the beginning,” the word of the eternal Father, his concept, his wisdom, the true light that enlightens every man (John 1:9). I am the truth itself and consequently
