BLOG: Lent 2017,Lent and Easter,Reflections
On March 19, the Catholic Church celebrates Pope Francis’ election to the papacy with a special Mass of Inauguration. Published below is a message from the Most Reverend Richard Smith, Archbishop of Edmonton and President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. For broadcast times and more information about this historical Mass, visit our dedicated Habemus ...read more
Fr. Tom Rosica, CSB and Sebastian Gomes are working with Fr. Federico Lombardi, SJ (above) in the Holy See Press Office during the papal transition.  In his weekly editorial, Fr. Lombardi reflects on the great challenges during these uncertain times, especially regarding the mainstream media.  In the end, he reminds us that authentic media and communications maintain a ...read more
For one last time before retirement, Benedict XVI is ushering the Church into Lent. Today the Holy Father will preside at mass to mark Ash Wednesday, during which he will bless and distribute ashes to the penitent faithful. Unlike past years, the liturgy will not be held at the Basilica of Santa Sabina, southeast of ...read more
A few weeks ago, during a homily, I suggested that we should take the opportunity of this Year of Faith to do what the Holy Father has proposed: That we learn about our Faith; that we live our Faith and that we share our Faith. Soon after, I thought, ‘why don’t we make this a ...read more
For the last two days I’ve been trying to imagine what our world would be like had Jesus never been born. It’s easy to say that The Church would not exist or that we would have no Pope. There would be no priests, deacons, religious sisters or brothers, nor there would be church buildings. But ...read more
Yesterday I was imagining a world without Christmas. That would mean no Christmas music and no Christmas movies.  But a world without Jesus would mean much more to our popular culture. I also just came from watching the screen adaptation of Les Miserables (isn’t Anne Hathaway fabulous as Fantine?). I couldn’t help but thinking that ...read more
While I dislike having to listen to Christmas music as early as November 25th, I do like that once a year radio stations all over don’t seem to have a problem playing music that mentions the name of Jesus or that glorifies God. This year, listening to Christmas music early in December I found myself ...read more
By Mark Matthews, Salt + Light Radio’s Hollywood Undercover Missionary You’ve heard from me often about what’s good in Hollywood. Today I thought I’d write about what’s bad in Boston! “The Celtics? The St. Paddy’s day parade? C’mon, why you hatin on the Bostonians?” I recently visited Boston and while there I made a pilgrimage ...read more
The feast of the Epiphany is celebrated in the Christmas season and through Matthew’s Gospel we become aware of the visit of the wise men or Magi who come in search of the Christ child so that they might present their gifts. It is interesting that in the homily of an early saint and bishop ...read more
In the Jubilee Year of 2000, John Paul II made a very insightful statement.  He said: “Our Christian witness would be hopelessly inadequate if we ourselves had not first contemplated the face of the Lord.”  The same might be said of our fully entering into the Christmas season. Christmas is a time in which we ...read more