Liturgy and the Christian Language - Fr. Douglas Martis

“An olive is never just an olive,” I said to myself, driving through the desert in Tunisia. I was fascinated by the number of olive trees with their gnarled trunks and twisted branches. An olive is not only the fruit of a tree. It is an epic. It contains within itself all that has gone before. The roots are sunk into the earth and also deep into history. These olive groves appear as the sole oasis in the desert where I had gone to retrace the steps of Tertullian and breathe the same air as Augustine of Hippo. Were they moved too, by the antiquity of these branches? Sometimes we linger over the exotic in order to better appreciate what we see...

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Summer Prayer

Creator of all, thank You for summer! Thank You for the warmth of the sun and the increased daylight. Thank You for the beauty I see all around me and for the opportunity to be outside and enjoy Your creation. Thank You for the increased time I have to be with my friends and family, and for the more casual pace of the summer season. Draw me closer to You this summer. Teach me how I can pray no matter where I am or what I am doing. Warm my soul with the awareness of Your presence, and light my path with Your Word and Counsel. As I enjoy Your creation, create in me a pure heart and a hunger and a thirst for You. Amen. Peace and God Bl...

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A New Roman Missal For Canada

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops has received "recognitio" from Rome for all sections of the English translation of the revised Roman Missal. Preparations are underway for the implementation of the revised General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) and the new translation of the Roman Missal on the First Sunday of Advent, November 27, 2011. What is the Roman Missal?Take notice of the red book the priest uses most often during the Mass. This book is called the Sacramentary, which together with the Lectionary for Mass (both the Sunday and Weekday Lectionaries) make up the Roman Missal. The missal is the collection of prayers, chants,...

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Those Long Summer Days

I hope you have been enjoying this first official long weekend of summer. Even though some may have to return to work come Monday, there are plenty of long summer days ahead of us. May you and those you love find all of your days and nights overflowing with God's grace. Prayer for a Summer Day Long warm days... The pace of life slows... A time for picnics and rest in the shade... Lord, help me to rest a while in the cooling shade of your presence. Slow down my restless heart and fill me with gentle compassion for all your people. Amen. Peace and God Bless "The whole earth is quiet and still,it is glad and hath rejoiced!" (Isaiah 14:7) -...

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In Your Light We See Light

Today is the Solemnity of The Sacred Heart Jesus. While paying the Office of Readings for this solemn feast, traditionally celebrated on the Friday after Corpus Christi, I was really moved by the reflection offered by St. Bonaventure. I love the idea of the Church having been formed and conferred with the Spirit's grace and love from the wound in Christ's side as he slept upon the cross. It's so profoundly reminiscent of the creation of Eve from the rib taken from the side of Adam as he slept. I really love the way those Old Testament themes come full-circle in Christ.From a work by Saint Bonaventure, bishopTake thought now, redeemed man, and...

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