BISHOP OLMSTED

There is a close connection between service of the poor, freedom and evangelization. Catholic apostolates integrate service to the poor with joyful witness to Christ; they serve because they love Jesus. They freely receive God’s mercy; they freely give mercy to others in turn. They imitate Jesus in His solidarity with the poor.

Una imagen bíblica favorita utilizada por los Padres de la Iglesia para describir la fragilidad y complejidad de la vida humana es la de una arcilla de alfarero trabajando.

In the earliest centuries of the Christian faith, the rite of Baptism with its powerful gestures, words and symbolism had a strong emphasis on conversion, a radical reorientation of one’s whole life away from sin and toward God.

According to a Greek legend, Damocles, from the court of the tyrant ruler of Syracuse, voiced his desire to have the riches and pleasures of the king just for one day. And so, the next day, Damocles was led into the palace, and all the servants were bidden to treat him as their master.

Any pilgrim arriving before St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome immediately feels a sense of joy and majesty, before the immense proportions and exceptional quality of the art and architecture.

Los gemelos experimentan la vida de una manera diferente. A partir del primer momento de su existencia en la matriz de su madre, están juntos.

Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of the Diocese of Phoenix spelled out his thoughts about the Church in Arizona in his inaugural “State of the Catholic Church” address Sept. 23.

Hace cien años, el día 13 de cada mes de mayo a octubre de 1917, la Santísima Virgen apareció a tres niños cerca de Fátima en Portugal, trayendo un mensaje urgente, pidiendo arrepentimiento y oración, un mensaje que no tiene hoy en día menos urgencia.

In the previous part of this series, we looked at the first of three stages of education for human freedom, and saw how it is built on natural inclinations given to us by God and on the discipline of obedience. Now, we shall consider the second stage, where we progressively interiorize what has been learned in stage one. Here, personal initiative comes to the fore and virtues begin to be formed. We develop a consistency of personal intention to act in accord with excellence.

El mes pasado, comencemos a considerar una de las doctrinas cristianas que muchos encuentran profundamente preocupante, a saber, el infierno.