The Our Father is the most familiar of all Christian prayers. Its constant recitation inevitably leads to a glazing of our mental eyes, rendering us numb to the shocking permission Jesus grants us in the opening words. He invites us, even requires us, to claim familiarity with God. “Pray like this,” Jesus tells those gathered for His Sermon on the Mount: “Our Father, who art in Heaven…” (Matthew 6:9).
The Diocese of Dallas held its synod assembly in December. I was privileged to be a delegate at this historic four-day event filled with discussion, deliberation, exploration, and prayer.
I am sitting down to write this reflection on the morning after the conclusion of the Diocese of Dallas Synod Assembly, long and exhausting days of work and dialogue for the 284 delegates who gathered for the event.
As we gather to celebrate the holy birth of Jesus Christ, our Savior, I pray that your Advent journey has been fruitful and that you and your loved ones are prepared to welcome the Christ Child into your hearts. May His presence bring a deep renewal of faith, filling your lives with love, hope, and peace.
At the beginning of every year, we make resolutions about how we want to live out the new year. Of course, in the coming days we will hear more about new year’s resolutions from many different people.
For Catholics, Advent is not merely a prelude to Christmas; it is a sacred season of anticipation, rest, and stillness.
This December, the Diocese of Dallas is preparing to enter an extraordinary phase in its history with a diocesan synod. This four-day assembly, being held Dec. 1-4, is a culmination of years of preparation, input, and discernment that brought together representatives from across the diocese to offer feedback to Bishop Edward J. Burns in his decisions on governance of the diocese. Here are five essential things to know about this historic event.
People travel for many reasons — some for pleasure, some for business, others for spiritual purposes, and many for other individual reasons. Travel educates us, because by traveling we learn about people, cultures, and places — and sometimes great or weird things as well.
As another election concludes, Catholics should remember we are responsible for helping to unify our country. One way to do that is to announce together the Church’s prophetic call to both parties.
When Moses asks God to provide a name that he might share with the enslaved Israelites in Egypt, “God replied to Moses: ‘I am who I am.’ Then He added: ‘This is what you will tell the Israelites: I am has sent me to you.’ God spoke further to Moses: ‘This is what you will say to the Israelites: The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you’” (Exodus 3:14-15).
What is a man? That’s a wonderful question that seems difficult to raise without provoking strong reactions. On the one hand, there are polarizing responses whose proponents seem almost to enjoy being maligned, since the hostility they experience enhances their self-image as gutsy truthtellers. On the other hand, there are also anxious responses that compulsively censor or deconstruct every effort to define masculinity, lest they or anyone in their in-group feel lacking and called to grow.