Marilynne Robinson rsquo s new collection of essays is entitled When I Was a Child I Read Books Here rsquo s the opening of the title essay When I was a child I read books My reading was indiscriminate I preferred books that were old and thick and hard I made vocabulary lists Surprising as it
The Good Word
Why Study the Psalms?
Why study the Psalms Henry Wansbrough notes the following Compellingly they were used by Jesus in addressing his Father Martin Luther noted that the entire Bible is contained in the Psalms rdquo The Psalms put our inchoate longings or as St Paul would say groanings into words Wordsworth
After the Fortnight
American school children are taught to revere the sacrifice made by soldiers in the Continental Army during the winter of 1777-78 at Valley Forge Most don rsquo t realize that the following winter outside Morristown New Jersey was even worse Here rsquo s a soldier rsquo s description from Th
A Promise Kept: The Birth of St. John the Baptist
In April of 1947 the then Princess Elizabeth made a radio broadcast on the occasion of her twenty-first birthday She was abroad at the time visiting South Africa with her parents and sister Her birthday address ended with this pledge spoken in an incredibly young voice a tremulous sound stil
Seeds Scatter: A Reflection for Father’s Day
Twin sons were born prematurely to Buzz and Debra in August of 1983 Here rsquo s how the author of Friday Night Lights Buzz Bissinger records first sight of his son Zach Doctors and nurses surrounded him in a tight circle He was a bloody quiver in their hands born thirteen and half weeks too so
The Feast of Corpus Christi
Today rsquo s feast of Corpus Christi originated in the 12th century to specifically celebrate the institution of the Holy Eucharist Jesus instituted the Eucharist at his last supper but since the Last Supper was on Holy Thursday the day before the death of the Lord the mood of individual Christ
Margaret Farley and the Mystery of Human Sexuality
This homily delivered on the Feast of Corpus Christi comes courtesy of Rev Robert Beloin the Catholic chaplain at Yale University It rsquo s been a busy week for Catholics Following on the heels of recent leaked papers from the Vatican the firing of the head of the Vatican bank the arrest of
Wrong but Rather Wonderful
There rsquo s something wrong or at least not quite right about Corpus Christi the medieval feast established by Pope Urban IV in 1263 Like Trinity Sunday and the American holiday of Thanksgiving it involves an ignorance about Eucharist in the ancient Church What rsquo s wrong with Trinity
Sister Digna and the Trinity
Watershed moments are seldom recognized as such at the moment they occur nbsp Usually it takes time to discern which way the water is flowing nbsp I didn rsquo t realize that my young life had reached such a moment with the arrival of my fourth grade teacher nbsp ldquo I am Sister Digna a Si
Pentecost 2012
Today the church brings to a close the annual celebration of the Lenten and Easter seasons Beginning with Ash Wednesday and ending with today rsquo s feast of Pentecost the Catholic community has reflected and celebrated the great moments in the life of Jesus that point to him as our redeemer and
