BLOG: Fr. Raphael Ma, CR
Creation, the Garden, Adam and Eve, the serpent, and the forbidden fruit. What does this story express about our desires and ourselves? ...read more
Airing this weekend: episode 7 of Historia Vitae: Treasures of Our Faith! We bring you to Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal. Tune in Sunday, February 26th at 8:30 pm ET / 5:30 pm PT, only on Salt + Light TV and Salt + Light Plus.   “Faith can move mountains” It is a phrase we ...read more
Pope Francis gave the homily at the Holy Mass with Blessing and Imposition of Ashes on Ash Wednesday. He said that “the rite of the imposition of ashes exhorts us to return to the truth about ourselves and to return to God and to our brothers and sisters.” Read the full text of his homily below: ...read more
Facebook
Twitter
Pope’s General Audience – February 22
Pope Francis
February 22, 2023
In today’s General Audience, Pope Francis reflected on the Holy Spirit as “the protagonist of the proclamation” of the Gospel in the time of the Apostles and today. Read the full text below: Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome! In our catechetical itinerary on the passion for evangelizing, today we start from the ...read more
Joel 2:12-18 “Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people. Sanctify the congregation; assemble the aged, gather the children… Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep. Let them say, ‘Spare your people, O Lord.'” (Joel 2:15, 17) What is the ...read more
Facebook
Twitter
Pope Francis’ Message for Lent 2023
Pope Francis
February 17, 2023
In his message for Lent 2023, Pope Francis reflected on the Transfiguration of Our Lord and the “’retreat’ on Mount Tabor” as an image of the Church’s journey to Easter as well as of the synodal path. The Holy Father said that “Lent leads to Easter: the ‘retreat’ is not an end in itself, but ...read more
Last time I tried to make a case for reading Scripture. Our faith teaches that, not only should we read and study Scripture, but we should pray with Scripture. When I was growing up in the 70s, this was not taught in Catechism class. Although, come to think of it, it’s not like anyone taught ...read more
Many people associate Lent with sacrifice and giving up something they enjoy. However, Lent isn’t just about suffering and repentance: it’s also about spiritual growth. It’s a time for introspection, reflection, and self-examination. As Catholics, we are called to look inward, turn away from our vices, and seek God’s healing, strength, and guidance to make ...read more
  In today’s General Audience, Pope Francis reflected on a portion of Matthew chapter 10 as a guide to proclaiming the Gospel. He said that this “missionary discourse” from Matthew’s Gospel teaches us “why [we] proclaim, what to proclaim and how to proclaim.” Read the full text below: Dear brothers and sisters, good morning! We continue our ...read more
I find that Lent is a certain “dying to ourselves.” Often, we imagine this happens through giving something up, and it certainly does. There are many things that we can remove from our lives to amplify God more: social media, coffee, online shopping.  But what if amplifying God can come about through a different means, ...read more