Posted by Carol Johnson on 6/30/25
Bishops of the Church must go to Rome every five years for the "Ad Limina Apostolorum" visit, which is Latin for "To the threshold of the apostles." The apostles referred to are St. Peter and St. Paul, who were martyred in that city. The bishops go in groups by ... Read More »
Posted by Carol Johnson on 6/23/25
Katharine Drexel was born into a very wealthy family in Philadelphia. Her father was a banker. From a young age, Katharine’s father gave her the gift of role modeling his faith in action. Each day he prayed for half an hour before dinner and he generously shared his material ... Read More »
Posted by Carol Johnson on 6/16/25
How do we understand that God is three persons? The first thing we must do is get rid of our definition of "person." Referring to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is not the same as referring to Charles, Andrew, and Edward or any other three independent ... Read More »
Posted by Carol Johnson on 6/09/25
Ten days after his glorious Ascension into Heaven, the Lord fulfilled his promise to send the Holy Spirit to his disciples. The day this happened was no coincidence. That day was the solemn feast of Pentecost, which the Jews had celebrated for centuries. Pentecost was a feast of thanksgiving ... Read More »
Posted by Carol Johnson on 6/02/25
Forty days after the Resurrection, the Lord ascended to heaven. The Lord's return to the Father from where he had come marked the conclusion of his mission. We read in the book of the Prophet Isaiah, “Thus says the Lord, for just as from the heavens the rain and ... Read More »
Posted by Carol Johnson on 5/19/25
St. John begins his account of the Last Supper with these words, “Jesus loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end” (John 13:1). It was at this time that the Lord washed the disciples' feet. That was unthinkable. On the eve of his Passion, ... Read More »
Posted by Carol Johnson on 5/12/25
“I will appoint for you shepherds after my own heart, who will shepherd you wisely and prudently” (Jeremiah 3:15) was the promise God made to Israel. This is the promise God makes to his Church in all times, including the present. After the funeral and mourning for Pope Francis, ... Read More »
Posted by Carol Johnson on 5/05/25
In today's Gospel reading, St. John describes the scene of seven disciples after they had been fishing all night long. "When they climbed out on shore, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread." That morning, the Risen Lord prepared a meal for them. This meal ... Read More »
Posted by Carol Johnson on 4/28/25
There are two themes on the minds of Catholics today: Divine Mercy and Pope Francis.
The Second Sunday of Easter was instituted as Divine Mercy Sunday by Pope St. John Paul II just a quarter of a century ago. The devotion to Divine Mercy dates to Poland, the birthplace ... Read More »
Posted by Carol Johnson on 4/20/25
The central theme of the Law of Moses and the writings of the Prophets in the Old Testament is that God is forgiving and merciful. These same sacred texts revealed that the full extent of God’s forgiveness was not definitive nor absolute for God’s people. There seemed to be ... Read More »