BIG C CATHOLICS

Fr. René J. Butler, M.S. La Salette Missionaries of North America Hartford, Connecticut ( Click here for Sunday’s readings ) In the story of creation we are told several times that “God saw that it was good.” There was only one exception: “It is not good for the man to be alone.” The first reading, from Chapter 2 of Genesis, spells out in greater detail what was stated in Chapter 1: “Male and female he created them.” God’s plan is to make a “suitable partner” for the man. This expression is the latest in a long list of possible translations: “Help meet, a helper comparable to him, a helper who is just right for him, a helper suitable for him, a helper fit for him, a helpmate—his like, a helper as his counterpart.” A commentator named Kaiser paraphrases the verse as follows: “I will make (the woman) a power (or strength) corresponding to the man.” He justifies this because the word translated as “help” or “partner” is used most often in the Bible in speaking of God. In Psalm 33

Fr. René J. Butler, M.S. Provincial Superior, La Salette Missionaries of North America Hartford, Connecticut ( Click here for today’s readings ) One thing is certain. For Peter, James and John, after what they experienced on that mountain, everything was changed. For Abraham, after what he experienced on another mountain, everything was changed. One was an experience of glory. The other was a test. And what a test! How could God do such a thing to Abraham? How could Abraham accept it without a fight? How could Isaac, presumably a teenager by this time, let himself be tied up and placed on the altar of sacrifice? These are questions that people raise in perfectly good faith. The whole thing seems incredible to us, impossible; which is our way of saying: “I couldn’t do that!” Even granting, as I often say, that it was “another world,” in which it seems child sacrifice was practiced by the pagans, the sacrifice of Isaac is hard for modern readers to make sense of. The au

God, the author of creation, uses physical realities to make present spiritual realities beyond us. In a similar way, iconography, pictures of Divine Persons and saints, are signs, images, or likenesses that embody and make present that which they portray. St. Athanasius of Alexandria championed the practice of writing, displaying and venerating icons by the faithful. He wrote: "We, the faithful, do not worship the icons as gods. By no means as the pagans, rather we are simply expressing our relation to, and the feeling of our love toward, the person whose image is depicted in the icon. Hence, frequently when the image has faded, we burn it in fire, then as plain wood, that which previously was an icon. Just as Jacob, when dying, bowed in worship over the head of the staff of Joseph [cf. Heb. 11:21] not honoring the staff, but him to whom it belonged, in the same manner the faithful, for no other reason, venerate [kiss] the icons, just as we often kiss our children, so that we

In Matthew 2:11 it is written: "and on entering the house they [the wise men] saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh." Contrary to popular opinion, the wise men were not kings. They were, rather, according to several Church Fathers, men of intellectual renown and considerable means, most likely from the Orient. Whether such wealth was their own or it was bestowed by royalty, on whose behalf they acted, is the subject of debate. The wise men's gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, seem curious offerings to a child no more than two years of age [and perhaps far younger]. Both popular piety and Church Tradition suggest that the three gifts represent different dimensions or unique offices of Christ Incarnate. We Three Kings The verses of the carol "We Three Kings", while not altogether historically accurate, [ The wise men wer

Fr. René J. Butler, M.S. Director, La Salette Shrine Enfield, NH ( Click here for today’s readings ) In today’s Gospel Jesus says he came to bring not peace but division, and he gives a short catalogue of family conflicts. If this makes you uncomfortable, you are in good company. No one likes this passage. After all, at every Mass we hear: “Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles: Peace I leave you, my peace I give you.” In that context, today’s Gospel doesn’t make sense, some may even find it offensive. Where’s the reconciliation we so often read about in the New Testament? Matthew’s version of this saying is even stronger:   “Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.” This is not about dysfunctional families, but about family crisis—caused by choice. It seems the stuff of advice columns. But it’s not just any choice. Jeremiah had enemies because he was saying what God tol

From "Mary the Ark of the New Covenant by Steve Ray (Editor's note: As explained below, the Ark of the Covenant contained the Ten Commandments the sign of the Covenant God made with Moses. The Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus, has been compared to a new Ark of the Covenant in carrying Christ in her womb. Just as the Ark of the Covenant bore the Ten Commandments; Mary bears Christ within her. Parallels between the Ark of the Covenant and Mary are found throughout Scripture. Any first century Jew would recognize the similarities.) God loved his people and wanted to be close to them. He chose to do so in a very special way. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, "The prayer of the people of God flourished in the shadow of the dwelling place of God’s presence on earth, the ark of the covenant and the temple, under the guidance of their shepherds, especially King David, and of the prophets" (CCC 2594). God instructed Moses to build a tabernacle surrounded by heav