ABVM PARISH COMMUNITY

On March 3rd the Church in the United States will celebrate the feast of St. Katharine Drexel, the second daughter of Philadelphia banker Francis Anthony Drexel. Katie, as her family called her, and her older sister Elizabeth, who had lost their mother shortly after Katie’s birth, were lovingly raised in a Catholic household by Francis and his second wife, Emma after they married in 1860. Together they had a daughter named Louise. The Drexels were generous with their wealth to the poor, distributing from their home three days a week food, clothing and rental assistance. When the Drexels would learn of a widow or single woman who was too ashamed to come to the house, they would seek her out and quietly provide assistance. Emma taught her daughters that “Kindness may be unkind if it leaves a sting behind.” When she was twenty-one years old Katharine cared for her mother who was suffering from cancer. During that time, she thought about becoming a contemplative religious

We do not need a linguist to inform us that the addition or subtraction of one word can significantly change the meaning of a text. The Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments acknowledged this in a letter last May to the world’s English-speaking Conferences of Bishops. It noted that there was an addition in the English translation of the Collects for Mass which is not present in the original text (the Collect is the opening prayer). This sneaky little word shows up in the doxology, which is the concluding part of the prayer. Ever since Mass has been said in English the Collects have ended with the following phrase: “in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.” No more. Now we are dropping the “one,” and for good reason. The official text of the Mass and of all the Sacraments in the Latin Rite, to which we belong, is in Latin. Many of these prayers were formulated in the first few centuries of the Church. In the fourth cen

Lent is my favorite liturgical season. I like all the seasons, really, but for me Lent is a time of the year that it is easier to be a Christian. It seems to take less effort to give things up, maybe because there is an extra motivation. Jesus said, “Take up your cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). His instruction applies to the entirety of our lives but feels more urgent in Lent. The liturgies of Lent, and the devotions, help us to spiritually accompany Jesus on the way to Calvary. For some, the six weeks of Lent may seem long, but when we look back on Easter we realize how short it is. “For the sake of the joy that lay before him he endured the cross, despising its shame, and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). For the sake of the joy that lies before us let us sacrifice for Lent. The Church’s regulations for Lent and Holy Week are minimal but important since they unite us in a collective witness. However, I am sure you agree that ea

In his teaching on the Final Judgment Jesus presents a picture of humanity lined up on his right side and on his left. To those on the right he says, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me…Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” To those on his left he says, “Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels… For I was hungry, and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink…Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for these least ones, you did not do for me.” Every Catholic should be familiar with Chapter 25 of the Gospel of Matthew. Living up to what it teaches is a matter of eternal salvation. The apostle James