VATICAN CITY — Italy’s bishops will need to help their communities participate more in parish life and return to taking part in the sacraments in ways that continue to respect evolving measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus, according to their conference leadership.
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BCW Stories
Thoughts For Our Day
The Anaphora of St. Basil is a complete proclamation of our faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
There are three components to this profession. The first is the mystery of the incarnation, that the Son and Word of God chose to take on the human nature for our salvation. The meaning of this mystery was expressed by quotations from Hebrews 1:3, the Letter to the Philippians 2:6 and the Old Testament prophecy of Baruch 3:38. Continue reading
Virtual Young Adult Retreat
Even a global pandemic couldn’t stop a group of young adults from participating in a retreat.
The annual Young Adult Retreat was scheduled to be held from June 26 to 28 at the House of Prayer at the beautiful grounds of Mount St. Macrina in Uniontown, Pa.
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A gift greater than one could imagine
Glory to Jesus Christ!
Have you ever received a gift from someone that was way more than you could have expected from that person? What did it make you feel?
The First Commandment: You shall not make for yourself an idol
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory Forever!
The Ten Commandments are the basis of our Christian morality and our moral behavior. The commandments are God’s divine laws, unchangeable, given for humanity’s sake once and forever. Therefore, the importance of explaining them, studying them and remembering them should be obvious to every Christian.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in my last article I explained the First Commandment in general as well as in its theological context (Who is my God?). In this article I will reflect on the second part of the First Commandment: You shall not make for yourself an idol or a likeness of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth (Exodus 20, 2-5). We refer to this part of the First Commandment as Pastoral (How do I believe in my Lord?).
This part of the First Commandment strictly prohibits us from creating an idol of any kind. An idol is biblically defined as a created image or representation of a god used as an object of worship. An idol is something that distracts a person from our living God. Something that invites affection and passion. Something a person can serve, given the time or the money.
When a person makes an idol for himself, he overlooks — perhaps abandons — Almighty God. When a person creates, worships and serves an idol, he commits one of the greatest mortal sins — Idolatry, which can vary in kind. Continue reading
Christians called to intercede for, not condemn others, pope says
VATICAN CITY — True believers do not condemn people for their sins or shortcomings but intercede on their behalf with God through prayer, Pope Francis said.
Just as Moses implored God’s mercy for his people when they sinned, Christians also must act as intermediaries because even “the worst sinners, the wickedest people, the most corrupt leaders — they are children of God,” the pope said June 17 during his weekly general audience.
Always, our call is to be loving
Glory to Jesus Christ!
Are you a lover? I’m always trying to be a better lover. We are created in love and for love.
This is God’s way. In Baptism, Chrismation, we are renewed in this love and sent forth to love others. We’re nourished in the Eucharist for this.
There’s no place like home
I did something on June 7 I haven’t done in a long time. Almost three months, in fact. I went to church.
With Allegheny County entering the “Green Phase” June 5, churches in Archeparchy of Pittsburgh have begun reopening their doors to faithful.
God grants us inspiration to create a New Jubilee
Christ is Risen!
God is truly a mystery to us creatures. In this Gospel people claimed to know God better than Jesus. Some scoffed at the son of a carpenter and wanted him to keep quiet and go away. Others were amazed at the miracle but couldn’t understand what Jesus was teaching.
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Singing God’s praises through life
St. Gregory Cantor George Tichi Celebrates 90 Years
After George Tichi left the operating room following bypass surgery to alleviate blocked arteries in 2000, the first words out of his mouth was a Troparion.
“When I was coming out of the anesthetic, I vaguely remember I was singing the Troparion from Theophany,” said the cantor at St. Gregory in Upper St. Clair, Pa. of 45 years.
“The nurses and doctors were startled; (they) wanted to know what I was saying. The nurse there recognized the melody as being a religious melody.
“I still know the Slavonic rendition of it today. I can sing it off the top of my head.”
After turning 90 years old on May 24, George is still using his voice to praise God.
The coronavirus situation didn’t put a damper on his birthday party, as 34 honking cars filled with family and friends from St. Gregory drove past his house in Mount Lebanon, Pa.
“I was so very surprised. You could have bowled me over. They kept it a secret from me…of all the people who ever
knew about it, nobody ‘spilled it out’. I knew nothing about it,” George said.
“They wouldn’t let me go outside where they had all the preparations and everything. Then I heard someone say,
‘Where are they? When are they coming?’ I didn’t know who ‘they’ were and what ‘they’ were doing. Then I saw the police; when they came down, they turned their sirens on and flashing lights.”
George was born in the Greenfield section of Pittsburgh, Pa. and was baptized, made his First Holy Communion and married his wife of 70 years, Patricia, at St. John Chrysostom.
