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The Scriptural Holy Land, today most generally known as the Republic of Israel, was, in the time of Christ, easily divided into three portions. Judea, on the south bordering Egypt, was quite solidly …
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1/23/20
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Certainly, St. John the Baptist had plenty of time and much family history to be able to proclaim in the very first chapter of the Gospel of St. John, “Now I have seen and testified that he is …
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1/16/20
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In the 1820s a series of canals was built along the Blackstone River joining the cities of Worcester and Providence. A number of locks are still visible along the shore line. The canal system was …
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1/9/20
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St. Joseph’s name was added in 1921 to the Divine Praises, usually recited after Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, by Pope Benedict XV at the request of the Archdiocese of Quebec. St. …
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12/19/19
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The calendar of the ancient world followed closely the changing of seasons: the plantings of spring and the harvestings of autumn, the brilliance of summer and the gloom of winter. What started as an …
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12/12/19
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Modern technology owes an immense debt of gratitude to the Arabic world for the invention of written numbers — 1,2,3,4, etc. Roman numerals — I, V, X, L, C, D, M — simply would not have …
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12/5/19
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It is easy to appreciate why the sun would become an object of reverence, even adoration, in the ancient world. The sun gave light and provided warmth and encouraged growth and determined the passage …
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11/28/19
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Christian tradition has long given personal designations to honored but nameless characters from Scripture and folklore. Perhaps the most obvious honorees are Anna and Joachim, parents of the Blessed …
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11/21/19
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A phrase readers might not have heard since their days in catechism class is the expression rash judgment. Rash judgment is, of course, jumping to conclusions regarding a neighbor’s conduct. The …
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11/14/19
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Many consider the pre-eminent effect of the Second Vatican Council to be the introduction of the Age of the Laity. More lay participation in the liturgy, more lay persons on parish boards, as well as …
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11/7/19
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Unlike most of Judea’s geography, Jericho is an Israeli city of natural springs. Water flows liberally through cobble stone gutters washing away refuse and cooling the neighborhoods. And there …
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10/31/19
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The Bible presents the faithful reader with one hundred and fifty psalms, expressions of praise, joy, thanksgiving, petition and, of course, penitence. Sometime in the sixth century a Biblical …
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10/24/19
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Along with belief in God as One Supreme Being, Judaism also bequeathed to Christianity a firm belief in the Revealed Word of God: God’s Word as enshrined in Sacred Tradition and God’s Word as …
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10/17/19
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Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman will be canonized on October 13 now that the mandatory two miracles have been substantiated by Roman authorities. Both miracles attributed to Cardinal Newman’s …
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10/10/19
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The grim statistics shared in the Rhode Island Catholic a few weeks back as well as commentary on the state of religion in the northeastern United States in the recent past is certainly cause for …
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10/3/19
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Tip O’Neill was speaker of the US House of Representatives and Democrat congressman from Massachusetts for much of the latter half of the last century. Mr. O’Neill was also a very generous …
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9/26/19
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Perhaps it was a religious sister at the parish school or maybe a lay teacher during a catechism lesson that might have outlined the four ends of prayer and even written a handy reminder of these …
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9/19/19
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The Gospel according to St. Luke has rightly been characterized as the Gospel of Mercy. And no better evidence is needed than the three Lucan parables to be proclaimed at Mass this coming Sunday. …
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9/12/19
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The brief Letter to Philemon, written by St. Paul from his Roman prison cell, will be proclaimed as the second reading at Mass this coming Sunday. The letter is certainly the most personal writing …
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9/5/19
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St. Luke and the Prophet Isaiah rival one another in their expansive thoughts on the prospect of salvation for the worldwide community. St. Luke even stretches the words of Jesus a bit when he claims …
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Fr. John A. Kiley
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8/22/19
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