BLOG: Fr. Raphael Ma, CR
Deacon Pedro is ordained by Bishop Vincent Nguyen on May 26, 2012. Last week we looked, very briefly, at the basics of the Sacrament of Ordination. One of the common challenges to the idea of Sacraments as “a visible sign of an invisible Grace, instituted by Christ” is the “instituted by Christ” part. With Ordination, ...read more
Subject Matters: “Experts in Humanity: A Journey of Self-Discovery and Healing” by Josephine Lombardi, PhD Sunday, May 29 at 8:30pmET / 5:30pm PT This Sunday’s all-new episode of Subject Matters features a wonderful book that brings together Catholic spirituality and contemporary biology and psychology.  Theologian Josephine Lombardi takes us on a spiritual journey towards being our ...read more
On Thursday, May 26, 2016, Pope Francis celebrated Mass for the Feast of Corpus Christi. Below, find the full text of his homily: « Do this in remembrance of me » (1 Cor 11 :24-25). Twice the Apostle Paul, writing to the community in Corinth, recalls this command of Jesus in his account of the ...read more
God is in pursuit of us. He loves us so much. We, in return, should let our hearts be captivated by Mercy, and in turn become pursuers of others, and missionaries of Love. ...read more
For the last couple of weeks we’ve been paying a little more attention to issues of death, dying and suffering. These will touch all of us at some point in our lives and the Church has been journeying with people through these times for millennia. As Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide become legal in Canada, I ...read more
Reflecting on the Third Chapter of Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation on Love in the Family Jesus Christ is at the heart of the family. Only in the light of his love can the love of the family be fully illuminated. This is the message of Pope Francis in the third chapter of Amoris Laetitia. He ...read more
In light of the fact that last week everyone became aware that the early Church had women in the role of deacons or deaconesses (or both, we’re not sure what exactly these roles were), I have begun to deaconstructing the diaconate. But before, let’s take a little detour and look at Ordination. It seems appropriate that as ...read more
(CNS photo/Paul Haring) There is a new Franciscan Custodian of the Holy Land. The Order of Friars Minor elected Father Francesco Patton, OFM as the new Custos. He replaces Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa who ended a 12 year term as Custos in April. Father Patton is 53 years old and comes from the Trent region of ...read more
  Every Catholic knows what life is like in the parish: a faith-filled community that sometimes struggles to share its message, bring about change, or try new things.  A new episode of Subject Matters airing this Sunday tackles the phenomenon of communication in today’s fast-paced world, including what works and what doesn’t.  Rebuilding Your Message: ...read more
Today on Perspectives Pope Francis greets ukrainian children  and we take a look at today’s General Audience ...read more