Si bien, por nuestra naturaleza de fe nos ha inculcado que la persecución y la incomprensión por parte de nuestros semejantes seria normal, pocas veces nos preguntamos acerca de su utilidad y sobre su objetivo en cuanto a la salud espiritual de una persona. Cuando confrontamos esta pregunta con a realidad de muchos hermanos en…
A new look at Confirmation
“The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor ,and the day of vengeance…
“…And the Greatest is Love.”
It is generally understood that there are seven (7) sacraments in the Catholic Church: Baptism, Reconciliation, Eucharist, Confirmation, Matrimony, Holy Orders, and Anointing of the Sick. But what if I told you in truth there is only one sacrament and it is the cornerstone for all the others? Would you feel threatened? Perhaps you’d feel…
King of Kings
The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s “Messiah,” the Chosen One.” The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.” There was…
The sacraments: touchstones of God’s love
“A sacrament is a visible sign, instituted by Christ, to give grace.” That’s the technically correct, yet ultimately unsatisfying definition inflicted on untold numbers of Roman Catholic children who prepared for Confirmation by committing to memory the contents of the hoary Baltimore Catechism. The predictable result was generations of RC children who could dutifully recite…
The Sacramental Pilgrimage
I’m at a point in my seminary studies where I’m looking at Christology, namely, the branch of theology relating to the nature, role, and person of Christ. I need to confess that in my youth, I seemed to have a stronger knowing, a somehow more basic belief or even sense of who Jesus was. I’m…
Gnosticism: Sacraments within the Gospel of Philip
The Independent Sacramental Movement is fluid ecclesiastical phenomenon. Clergy will often flow from one jurisdiction to another without much difficulty. The Movement is a continuum of particularities, ranging from Traditionalist Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Old Calendarists on one end and on the other end of the continuum of the movement are Gnostic and esoteric…
Deafening Silence of Christmas
“Silent Night, Holy Night, all is calm, all is bright.” This beautiful carol tells us the true meaning of Christmas. A miracle has happened. The birth of a child, a child that is not like any other. A child with a destiny. In a simple stable the savior of the world arrives. Serenades by…
Bread Transformed
As a priest, I find extreme joy and peace in the celebration of the Eucharist. I truly feel the power of the Holy Spirit working in and through me. It transports me to a different level. I just feel different; I feel the Holy Spirit come upon me and transport me; part of me is…
From the Editor
As I sit here struggling to get all the things in life done, I recognize my own inadequacies in life. I recognize that I am very human and subject to fail. In fact, when I started this magazine almost 8 years ago now, several people told me I would fail. Dear friends of mine told…