By Glen Argan Very interesting are Cardinal Gerhard Muller’s comments on the four cardinals who issued the in-your-face “fraternal correction” to Pope Francis on the position of his apostolic exhortation The Joy of Love (Amoris Laetitia) on the reception of Communion by divorced and civilly remarried Catholics. Muller, the Vatican’s doctrinal chief, had earlier stated that the exhortation’s pronouncements on
Read moreBy Glen Argan Michael Sean Winters, the Washington correspondent of the National Catholic Reporter, has taken me to task for arguing that New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan should decline to participate in the Jan. 20 inauguration of Donald Trump as president of the United States (www.ncronline.org/blogs/distinctly-catholic/inauguration-and-clergy). Winters points to the long history of Catholic leaders praying publicly for their country’s
Read moreBy Glen Argan Almost lost in the reaction to the retirement for health reasons of Calgary Bishop Fred Henry was the appointment of his successor, Bishop William McGrattan of Peterborough, Ont., and formerly an auxiliary bishop of Toronto. I need to preface my remarks by saying I have never met Bishop McGrattan and do not have the foggiest notion of
Read moreBy Glen Argan No one could remain neutral towards Calgary Bishop Fred Henry whose resignation for health reasons was announced Jan. 4. The moment he stepped off the airplane in Calgary 19 years ago, he caused controversy by criticizing then-Premier Ralph Klein’s reliance on casino revenues to fund government programs. Since then, he has taken on a dizzying array of
Read moreSunday, January 8, 2017 Feast of the Epiphany By Glen Argan So, what about those three “wise men” whose journey to Bethlehem we follow this Sunday in the feast of the manifestation of the Saviour to the Gentiles? First, who says there were three of them? Not St. Matthew’s account; it mentions only three gifts – gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Read moreSunday, January 1, 2017 Mary, the Mother of God By Glen Argan When I form an image of Blessed Virgin Mary at the Nativity, I always need to stop and remember that this is a teenage girl. Too much religious art leaves the impression that she is older, sometimes much older. Age here is important. Too often we assume teenagers
Read moreFor one to love — to follow God’s unconditional commandment — one needs the help of the Holy Spirit, writes Glen Argan. Photo courtesy of Man vyi, Wikimedia Commons By Glen Argan The Catholic Register It’s that time of year again. For Christians, the time from Christmas day until the Baptism of the Lord is the true Christmas season.
Read moreGospel for December 24, 2016 Christmas Eve By Glen Argan The story of the birth of Jesus as told in Luke’s Gospel (2.1-20) is perhaps the most beloved story in the entire Bible. Even in our secularized world, how can we celebrate Christmas without listening once again to this evocative story of our Saviour’s birth? “O little town of Bethlehem
Read moreGospel for December 18, 2016 Fourth Sunday in Advent By Glen Argan The drawing near of Christmas echoes in the Gospel for the fourth Sunday in Advent – the account of St. Joseph’s decision to take Mary as his wife despite her “disgraceful” condition as pregnant and unmarried. It takes an angel appearing in a dream and a carefully massaged
Read moreGospel for December 4, 2016 Second Sunday of Advent By Glen Argan The sacrament of Reconciliation is one of God’s marvellous gifts. The biblical references which we use to “prove” Christ instituted the sacrament don’t point towards anything like the form of private Confession the Church has made available for several centuries now. Yet, when my life starts running askew,
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On the Threshold 