Ruminations of an Amateur Monastic
John Mark was one of the original seventy disciples (Luke 10:1 ff). Tradition holds that he was one of those who left Christ when he preached on the Bread of Life (John 6:44-6:66). Saint Peter brought him back to the faith. He traveled with Paul and Barnabas, who thought him unreliable (Acts 15:37-41). Again he left, again he came back […]
» Read more“Fairy Tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.” (G.K. Chesterton) Today’s feast is of the great martyr, Saint George. Pious legends of dragon slaying notwithstanding, George was a soldier of the Roman army who was killed during the persecutions of Diocletian in the early […]
» Read moreSo. My wife and I live in an urban neighbourhood known as Hilltop, or “The Hill” as I prefer to call it. The Hill is one of the oldest and grittiest neighbourhoods in the city of Tacoma Washington, a place that sometimes calls itself “Grit City”. So that’s a whole lot of grit. There are quite a few of us […]
» Read more…to reform the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCRW). The Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) has called for reform of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) and named Archbishop Peter Sartain of Seattle as its Archbishop Delegate for the initiative. Bishop Leonard Blair and Bishop Thomas John Paprocki also were also named to assist in […]
» Read moreMore inside baseball, I’m afraid! The latest on the SSPX talks from CNS: In what the Vatican described as an encouraging “step forward,” the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X has revised its response to a Vatican document laying out certain basic doctrinal principles and criteria for interpreting church teaching. The latest response submitted by Bishop Bernard Fellay, superior general […]
» Read moreVaticanista Andrea Tornielli is reporting that the Society of Saint Pius X has approved the Doctrinal Preamble proposed by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. If this is true, it’s great, great news for the Church. This particular project is dear to the heart of Benedict XVI, the Pope of Christian Unity, since his election. The translation is, […]
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As he was mobbed by Bavarian well-wishers on the occasion of his 85th birthday celebrations, Pope Benedict XVI today said, I find myself on the last stretch of my journey in life, and I don’t know what is awaiting me. I know, however, that the light of God exists, that he is risen, that his light is stronger than any […]
» Read moreToday, the Second Sunday in the Octave of Easter, is also known as Divine Mercy Sunday. But what is the Divine Mercy? In short, it’s a scandal, perhaps best summed up by Christ’s teaching of the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). We are sinners and turn away from God, but God in His great mercy pours his love […]
» Read moreOn this day in 1204, one of the worst atrocities against Christendom was perpetrated by … Christians. I refer, of course, to the sack of Constantinople. This atrocity was committed to satisfy Venetian commercial interests, who were owed a great deal of money by the Crusaders for transportation. In so doing, they destroyed one of the great bulwarks against the […]
» Read moreThese quotes were published by St. Peter’s List. They’re too good not to share. The sense behind these is pervasive throughout much of Catholicism. God created the world, and it is good. The Catholic Church is like a thick steak, a glass of red wine, and a good cigar. (G.K. Chesterton) In Catholicism, the pint, the pipe and the Cross […]
» Read more[audio:http://www.thomryng.com/amateurmonk/audio/exsultet.mp3] Exult, let them exult, the hosts of heaven, exult, let Angel ministers of God exult, let the trumpet of salvation sound aloud our mighty King’s triumph! Be glad, let earth be glad, as glory floods her, ablaze with light from her eternal King, let all corners of the earth be glad, knowing an end to gloom and darkness. Rejoice, […]
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Today is Good Friday: the commemoration of the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ at Calvary. Ecce lignum Crucis, in quo salus mundi pepéndit. Veníte adorémus. Behold the wood of the Cross, on which hung the salvation of the world. Come let us adore. (Missale Romanum: Friday of the Passion of the Lord) He was condemned by his own people, […]
» Read moreCardinal Dolan answers the question in less than four minutes. He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; Upon Him was the chastisement that made us whole, And with His stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)
» Read moreOur Lenten pilgrimage comes to its end this evening, as we celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. This celebration commemerates the institution of the Eucharist, the source and summit of Church life. Unlike most Protestants, the Catholic and Orthodox (and others of the Apostolic Tradition) believe that God is really there, wholly present in the consecrated bread and wine. […]
» Read moreOn this anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I thought I’d tackle the question “are there non-Catholic saints?” Seems like a simple question. First off, what’s a saint exactly? We turn to our trusty Catechism once more and find the following: 823 “The Church . . . is held, as a matter of faith, to be […]
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