My meditation today was on the pitiless injustice which Roman soldiers heaped upon Jesus prior to his execution. Jesus was mocked, flogged, spat upon, stripped, crowned with thorns and struck on the head with a reed. Jesus was an innocent victim in a bloodthirsty time. Are we any better today? The means of persecution may not be so violent –
Read moreShould the Catholic Church cancel all public Masses during the COVID-19 pandemic? While dioceses across North America and in many parts of Europe are doing just that, some prominent Catholics are saying the public celebration of the Eucharist must continue even if it costs some people their lives. The Eucharist is that essential to our spiritual lives, they say. I
Read moreNearly two weeks ago, I realized I was suffering from low-level anxiety, probably the result of reading too much about the spread of the coronavirus. I had been reading news articles about the epidemic in the Wuhan region religiously since early to mid-January and began to wonder about what the impending pandemic would mean, not so much for me or
Read moreAlthough Nora and I have been reducing our outside connections since the weekend, today, Friday, is only Day 2 of self-isolation for me. The isolation already feels intense; how will it feel after six or eight weeks? Thank God that we have the phone and email. Without such technology, we would really be cut off from each other. However, in
Read moreBy Glen Argan Many who join the Catholic Church or who commit their lives as priests or consecrated persons face stiff resistance from their families. This resistance comes not because the person called to a deep faith has developed a private devotion to Jesus or to one of the saints. Rather, it is when they step beyond the private realm
Read moreNatalka, our faithful canine family member for almost 11 years, died peacefully on the evening of Friday, August 9, 2019 on the deck of the Argan-Parker family home. Her sister Dominique was by her side. Half German shepherd and half mystery dog, Natalka was a rescue dog who brought love to our family and terror to unwitting strangers who dared
Read moreBy Glen Argan Probably, most Catholics do not link Jesus’ Transfiguration on the mountain with the Exodus of the Old Testament. For us, it is a stand-alone, unique event which reveals Jesus as the Son of God. The Transfiguration surely is that (and more as well), but several allusions to the Exodus in St. Luke’s Gospel account make clear that
Read moreBy Glen Argan Few things provoke more greed, anger and mistrust in families than the dividing of an estate. I have seen a will used as a spiteful father’s final stab of vengeance against his least-favoured son. I have seen the surviving children manoeuvre to exclude the descendants of their deceased sibling from receiving any part of the inheritance. And
Read moreBy Glen Argan (Originally published in The Catholic Register) Authors of dystopian novels are bound to get a lot wrong. After all, they are looking into what they believe will be a dark future which is inherently unpredictable. The year 1984, for example, turned out to be nothing like George Orwell’s famous novel of the same name. Still, when I
Read moreBy Glen Argan It is a common today for people to say they are unable to pray to God as Father. Perhaps such people have suffered through a childhood dominated by an overly strict, even abusive father. Or perhaps they see the identity of God and Father as but another feature of a patriarchal society. Some may brush aside such
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