BIG C CATHOLICS

He is Truly Risen Fr. Rene Butler Have you ever noticed how repetitious the Psalms sometimes are? For example, Psalm 117 is only two verses long and the first verse says the same thing twice, in different words: "Praise the LORD, all you nations! Give glory, all you peoples!" Here is another example from Psalm 27: "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom do I fear? The LORD is my life's refuge; of whom am I afraid?" This same kind of repetition occurs often in the Prophets. The reason is simple: this is poetry, and one of the most important aspects of poetry in any language is the imaginative use of language to say the same things in many different ways. Here are some examples from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet: "She doth teach the torches to burn bright!","What light from yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun." Shakespeare gives Romeo numerous opportunities to say, "Ain't s

The U.S. Conference of Bishops will lead thousands of people in prayer today as they march toward the Supreme Court to promote marriage as a union between a man and a woman. They are congregating in Washington as the justices hear arguments on the constitutionality of Proposition 8, the California ballot initiative that effectively banned same-sex marriage in the state. Tomorrow, the court will hear arguments on the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which prohibits gay married couples from getting the federal benefits that heterosexual couples can obtain. For more go here .

The incredible moment when Pope Francis left his Popemobile to bless a disabled man before his Inaugural Mass

Heavenly Father, You lifted your dear Son from the grave and made Him a beacon of hope for all mortals. By overcoming sin and death and hell, may He take us by the hand and lead us into the land of bliss and glory where we shall enjoy forever the company of the whole heavenly host. May we trust with all our hearts in His glorious wounds by which He ransomed us for everlasting life. Blessed be the name of Jesus, now and forever.   Amen.

Today's Collect: Grant, we pray, almighty God, that by Saint Joseph's intercession you Church may constantly watch over the unfolding of the mysteries of salvation, whose beginnings you entrusted to his faithful care. And in this day and age when the free exercise of our faith is under attack in our land, the intercessions of good St. Joseph, protector of Mary and Jesus, patron of the Church, is especially needed.

Fr. René J. Butler, M.S. Director, La Salette Shrine Enfield, NH ( Click here for today’s readings ) We are so used to the story of the Passion of Jesus that we forget that each of the four Gospel accounts contains material not found in the other three. Unique to Matthew is the scene where Judas brings the money back to the chief priests and then hangs himself, and the chief priests buy the potter’s field. Likewise, there is the moment when Pilate’s wife sends him a message to have nothing to do with Jesus. Most troubling is the verse which reads: “The whole people said: ‘His blood be upon us and upon our children.’” It is troubling for two reasons: First, because it was a terrible thing to say. Second, and most important, this verse has historically been used – abused – to justify hatred and persecution of Jews over the centuries. We forgot what Jesus said in Luke’s Gospel, as he was being crucified: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are d