Catholic Church

By James Kalb, Crisis Magazine - Christ tells us not to be solicitous for tomorrow. And Alexander Solzhenitsyn notes the Russian proverb, “One word of truth outweighs the whole world.” So why isn’t preaching the word in and out of season better than trying to read the signs of the times so we can fit our message to present points of view?.. We need to keep basics in mind. It’s good to read the signs, but the Church shouldn’t read them the way others do. She gives us what others don’t, so the signs she should attend to are signs that show what’s required for her specific mission.

By Dominican Father Jordan Schmidt, EWTN News - How do we measure success in our lives? Obviously, the answer to that question depends heavily upon what part of life we are talking about.... (L)ike Amos, we will probably never see the full fruit of our cooperative efforts to follow God’s will during our lifetimes. Yet we are assured that our faithful living of the Gospel in the grace of Christ Jesus — even if it remains completely hidden — is the standard by which we can truly be said to be “successful” Catholics, for it is through our observance of the Gospel that we will come to inherit eternal life with God in heaven.

By Msgr. Charles Pope - An additional problem with our worship today is that God has become almost an afterthought. Much of our liturgy is self-centered, self-congratulatory, and anthropocentric (rather than theocentric). We are “the aware, gathered community celebrating itself.” While the Mass should focus on God and summon us to humility and joy before Him, too often it seems more an exercise in self-congratulation. We are very narcissistic, even in a communal setting.