Two years ago I was home, in Panama for my parents 50th Wedding Anniversary. They were married December 26, 1964. Of course, the priest had to make a comment about how St. Stephen was the first martyr and how Marriage is like martyrdom. We laughed but he had a point. Martyrs are not killed against ...read more

The Christmas story told through the eyes, words and imagination of children. – Special thanks to Anna Boyagoda, Coordinator of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd – Archdiocese of Toronto; St. Benedict Parish, Toronto, for permission to film at their Mary Help of Christians Children’s Atrium, Fr. Mario Villaraza SDB, Pastor of St Benedict and ...read more

Some years ago, in an episode of Perspectives about the truth about Santa Claus we had a wonderful discussion on Perspectives Weekly about teaching our kids that Christmas is about Christ. We’ve never had so many comments on one program! I remember that one of the comments came from Warren Dungen, who suggested that we ...read more

This Advent, Deacon Pedro teams up with Rabbi Aaron Flanzraich to see how Judaism can help us prepare for the coming of the Messiah. Last week, we looked at the significance of light. In this final week, Deacon Pedro and Rabbi Aaron wonder to where do words, signs, symbols and light point and explore the ...read more

This Advent, Deacon Pedro teams up with Rabbi Aaron Flanzraich to see how Judaism can help us prepare for the coming of the Messiah. Last week we looked at signs and symbols and saw that light is both sign and symbol in all faith traditions. In this third week of Advent, Deacon Pedro and Rabbi ...read more

This Advent, Deacon Pedro teams up with Rabbi Aaron Flanzraich to see how Judaism can help us prepare for the coming of the Messiah. Last week, we looked at the significance of words. In the second week, Deacon Pedro and Rabbi Aaron explore the significance of and difference between signs and symbols in Judaism. ...read more

This Advent, Deacon Pedro teams up with Rabbi Aaron Flanzraich to see how Judaism can help us prepare for the coming of the Messiah. In the first episode, Deacon Pedro and Rabbi Aaron explore the meaning of words in Judaism. ...read more

It seems that every year we have the same discussion around this time: what is the real meaning of Christmas? and let’s keep Christ in Christmas. There are even campaigns to boycott department stores that refuse to acknowledge the “reason for the season.” It’s so easy to jump onto that band wagon. To add to this, “Christmas” starts ...read more

In light of the Consistory this weekend, I was going to deacon-struct Cardinals, but seeing as Fr. Rosica wrote a wonderful Reflection on the Role of Cardinals in the Church on Tuesday, I figured I could do something a bit different. Yesterday, Pope Francis made 17 new Cardinals. Thirteen of them will be Cardinal-electors, eligible ...read more

For the last year we have all been hearing of the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. Perhaps the most well-known are caring for the sick, visiting those in prison and instructing the ignorant. Around the world, hundreds of thousands of religious sisters and brothers dedicated their every day to these tasks. But there are ...read more