Posts By Date - Catholic Herald

March 07, 2019

It’s never too late to say something to a deceased loved one

March 07, 2019

A colleague of mine, a clinical therapist, shares the following story. A woman came to him in considerable distress. Her husband had recently died of a heart attack. His death had been sudden and at a most unfortunate time. They had been happily married for 30 years and, during all those years, had never had

Pope Francis’s Marian devotion is an example to us all

March 07, 2019

It’s considered bad form to respond to negative – or in this case, mixed – reviews of one’s book, and I don’t intend to do that here. But I was struck by a parenthetical remark in a critique of my memoir, From Fire, by Water, which recently appeared in the Tablet. My Catholicism, the reviewer

After Manning’s death, 100,000 paid their respects. No wonder

March 07, 2019

No one was ever more eager to submit to the judgment of Rome than Cardinal Manning, who served as Archbishop of Westminster from 1865 to his death in 1892. Yet one can imagine Manning raising a celestial eyebrow at Cardinal Newman’s imminent elevation to sainthood. “I see much danger in an English Catholicism of which

Dear Fr Rutler: how do I get out of holding hands during the Our Father?

March 07, 2019

Dear Father Rutler, My wife keeps trying to hold my hand during the Our Father. I’m sure it’s very sweet, but I find it annoying. Would it be un-Christian to ask her to stop? Is there a delicate way of doing so? Paul C. from Salem, OR Spouses may hold hands anytime. The real problem

An archbishop’s warning to Catholic politicians

March 07, 2019

Archbishop Joseph Naumann, the chairman of the US bishop’s pro-life committee and Archbishop of Kansas City (pictured), has issued a clear statement that politicians who support abortion should not present themselves for Communion, “for the protection of many others from moral confusion”. For some time now, the faithful have urged bishops to define the expectations

Heretic of the week: Jan Maria Michał Kowalski

March 07, 2019

Jan Maria Michał Kowalski (1871-1942) was a Catholic priest – at least to begin with. Born in Latowicz, Poland, he was ordained in 1897, serving in several parishes before being assigned to the Capuchin church in Warsaw in 1900. A friend of his from seminary introduced him to a secret order of priests, the Congregation

Prize crossword 0583

March 07, 2019

Cryptic across 5 Book business making profit? On the contrary’s one short answer! (10) 7 Erin’s break-up is concerning (2,2) 8 Stephen, for instance, gets sister to yell out line from a classic Children’s author (8) 9 Call this setter previously for being mean (6) 11 PM’s embroiled in battle, evidently (6) 12 Finalize, ignoring

Mass readings

March 07, 2019

Ordinary Form Divine Office Week I Sunday, March 10: First Sunday of Lent Dt 26:4-10; Ps 91; Rom 10:8-13; Lk 4:1-13 Monday, March 11: Weekday of Lent Lv 19:1-2, 11-18; Ps 19; Mt 25:31-46 Tuesday, March 12: Weekday of Lent Is 55:10-11; Ps 34; Mt 6:7-15 Wednesday, March 13: Weekday of Lent Jn 3:1-10; Ps

How to … Deny yourself

March 07, 2019

During Lent, Catholics are urged to pray, give to charity and fast. The faithful also “give things up” as they unite themselves with Our Lord’s self-denial in the desert before His triumph over Satan. Lent should be a time of success but can often end in failure when good intentions succumb to human weakness as

Should you give up chocolate and social media for Lent?

March 07, 2019

I drive down to celebrate Mass with a contemplative community in Hampshire and all along the roadside the hedgerows are white with hawthorn. In gardens almond trees and magnolia begin to show their colours, and it is so wonderful to have the start of Lent coinciding with the arrival of spring in its delicate beauty.

Lent is drill practice for our spiritual battle

March 07, 2019

Each day during Lent has, traditionally, assigned a church in Rome called a “station”. In ancient times the people and clergy would process singing litanies to the station church for Mass. This Sunday’s station is Rome’s cathedral, St John Lateran. “Concede nobis, omnipotens Deus, ut, per annua quadragesimalis exercitia sacramenti, et ad intellegendum Christi proficiamus

Jesus’s temptations – and ours

March 07, 2019

First Sunday of Lent Deut 26:4-10; Rom 10:8-13; Lk 4:1-13 (Year C) “My father was a wandering Aramaean. He went down into Egypt. The Egyptians ill-treated us and inflicted harsh slavery on us. But we called on the God of our Fathers. The Lord heard our voice and brought us out of Egypt with signs