Gospel for Sunday, May 28, 2017 Feast of the Ascension By Glen Argan The story of Christ’s ascension into heaven is a political story (Acts 1.1-11). It is not political in the sense that it would make Jesus and the Church political actors who compete against politicians, corporations and military leaders for worldly power. Far from it. Rather, the Ascension
Read moreReadings for Sunday May 21, 2017 Sixth Sunday of Easter By Glen Argan Our age is one where respect for truth is in decline. Whether it is political spokespersons presenting “alternative facts” or an ideological denial of the very existence of truth, that which is true is increasingly put in the shade. This presents a serious problem for Christian proclamation,
Read moreBy Glen Argan I give Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall full marks for invoking the notwithstanding clause to protect Catholic schools in that province as well as the government’s right to fund the education of non-Catholic students attending those schools. A government that so openly and strongly defends Catholic education is a thing to be cherished in this era of militant
Read moreBy Glen Argan (Published in The Catholic Register, Toronto, http://www.catholicregister.org; issue of May 22, 2017) Students at St. Augustine School in Regina were abuzz in the fall of 1960 when we learned a priest was coming who would reveal a secret message from the Virgin Mary. Until then, my eight-year-old friends had known nothing about Our Lady of Fatima and
Read moreFrom The Catholic Register, May 1, 2017; http://www.catholicregister.org) By Glen Argan By now, the thrill of the Paschal Triduum has receded from the foreground of our memory. We live in the season of Easter, but we may not feel so full of new life as we did when we emerged from the Easter Vigil. Now, the grand spectacle of Pentecost
Read moreBy Glen Argan For decades, I have been hearing that Catholic schools in Alberta face an imminent threat to their existence. Having never seen such a threat materialize, I remained skeptical. There have always been those who want to drive Christianity out of, not only the school system, but the public square itself. However, those who held power in this
Read moreGospel for Sunday, April 16, 2017 Resurrection of the Lord By Glen Argan Mary Magdalene twice suggests that someone has stolen Jesus’ body (Jn 20.13,15). If Jesus’ body were stolen or the belief in the resurrection was the result of mass hallucination, why did the most strident persecutor of the early Church (St. Paul) come to believe in Christ’s resurrection
Read moreBy Glen Argan Most of the attention drawn by the release of Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love) a year ago centred around the issue of the reception of Communion by divorced and civilly remarried Catholics. However, the document is a font of wisdom on many topics, and perhaps the first anniversary of its release on
Read moreBy Glen Argan The April 7 U.S. attack on a Syrian military airfield again raises the question of who is Donald Trump and what does he stand for. Is he a sterling white knight who has ridden to the rescue of beautiful Syrian babies killed in an alleged poison gas attack three days earlier? Is he a chameleon who will
Read morePalm Sunday Gospel for Sunday, April 9, 2017 By Glen Argan Across the centuries, the cross has brought people to conversion. The Church has its members who have entered into its midst because of the will of their king or their parents. Many of those have also come to faith. But faith always means an acknowledgement of the cross-and-resurrection as
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On the Threshold 