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When I first met Yigal Carmon in November 1988, he was counter-terrorism adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, a position he held under Shamir’s successor, Yitzhak Rabin, until …
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2/15/24
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Clearly Jesus was not the first Biblical personality to spend 40 days and 40 nights in the Judean desert. In fact, Biblical scholars cite at least 24 times when the number 40 can be cited in the …
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2/15/24
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At the start of 2024, Pope Francis offered strong public criticism of surrogate motherhood. His willingness to speak out on this important topic has helped to pull surrogacy out of the shadows, where …
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2/15/24
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This year, we have been reading from the Gospel of Mark, “a gospel in a hurry.” It moves quickly through the events of Jesus’ ministry, jumping right in at his first proclamation of …
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2/15/24
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The Old Testament associates the presence and work of God with the miraculous healing of the sick, the restoration of blind people, deaf people, and lame people to full health. God who is the creator …
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2/8/24
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When a Catholic presents him or herself to the priest for the sacrament of reconciliation, the penitent usually requests, “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.” Now, when the admitted …
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2/8/24
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There are many ways to celebrate Lent with children. I have found the simplest activities are the ones that children enjoy the most and we, as parents, are more apt to do since they don’t …
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2/8/24
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If you attended Catholic school, you probably have the memory of the cold candles touching your neck during the blessing of throats on the Feast of Saint Blaise, February 3. Saint Blaise was a …
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2/1/24
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My friend and colleague Carl Trueman recently observed that “the West is no longer a consortium of serious cultures.” To which I am sorely tempted to add, “…or serious …
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2/1/24
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St. Mark’s writing is possibly the oldest Gospel account but it is most certainly the briefest inspired version of the life and message of Jesus Christ. St. Mark fits into 16 chapters what St. …
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2/1/24
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“What do you want to be when you grow up?” is a question our young people frequently hear, and probably find annoying. No more so, however, than the adults who hear, “What are you …
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By Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger, OSV News
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1/25/24
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The Christmas season offers many depictions of the infant Jesus nestled at his mother’s breast, dozing in his straw bedding, gazed upon by humble shepherds and splendid kings. The seasons of …
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1/25/24
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In November, I had the opportunity to attend a meeting with Governor Daniel McKee and his staff concerning his Learn365RI initiative. The Governor explained his deep concern for the young people of …
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1/25/24
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In the apostolic letter Ad Theologiam Promovendam (To Promote Theology), issued by Pope Francis on Nov. 1, 2023, the Church was urged to do theology contextually: as the motu proprio put it, theology …
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1/18/24
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When my college class graduated from Our Lady of Providence Seminary, Warwick Neck, in 1962, the motto chosen as the theme for the yearbook was “Commitment is written in words of …
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1/18/24
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The popular Ridley Scott film, “Gladiator,” attracted a great deal of attention back in the year 2000 when it was released. The ads for the film had a dramatic voiceover about “a …
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1/18/24
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I hope that the Christmas and New Years celebrations offered all of us a break from routine and time with family and friends. It is good thing to end the year and begin a new one engaged with the …
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1/11/24
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When Pope Francis opened the first meeting of the Synod on Synodality last October in Rome, the 363 voting participants came from all over the world. And for the first time, according to news …
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1/11/24
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Polish Catholics have a 1000-year-old Christmas tradition that I would like to recommend to you. The “oplatek,” or Christmas wafer is a large, rectangular flat wafer made in the same …
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12/21/23
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One standard of the Christmas season for both the secular and the believing worlds is an annual performance of George Frederick Handel’s oratorio, “The Messiah.” The Boston Symphony …
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12/21/23
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