Take heart – as with any relationship in life, no matter how peaceful, tumultuous, long, or short – that person was in your life for a reason, and vice versa. You may never understand in this life the impact that you had on each other, but you can hope to see one another in heaven (if not reunited before then) where everything will be as clear as day.

If you stop to really look at it, there are many “hidden” figures in the Bible — the not so obvious people lining the details of our favorite stories in Scripture. These men and women may take on a minor role in the pages of your Bible but they have […]

Pope Francis goes on to call for a change in our habits in order to preserve the environment we have been blessed with and called to protect. Following in his footsteps, here are some ideas for how you can reduce your ecological footprint, leaving this beautiful Earth we are privileged to inhabit better than you found it.

Saturday, April 20, 2019 Holy Saturday More for the Triduum Today, there is a great silence.  The Savior has died.  He rests in the tomb.  Many hearts ... Read more>>>

Friday, April 19, 2019 Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion Readings for Today More for Holy Week Ponder today, this dark day, the final words of Jesus.  ... Read more>>>

Thursday, April 18, 2019 Holy Thursday, Mass of the Lord’s Supper Readings for Today More Prayers and Reflections for the Triduum “This is my body that is ... Read more>>>

Paris, France, Apr 19, 2019 / 08:02 am (CNA).- After a massive fire gutted the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris April 15, the cathedral’s rector says a temporary wooden church might soon be constructed in the esplanade, or plaza, adjacent to the cathedral.

Monsignor Patrick Chauvet told France’s CNews April 18 that he was exploring plans to build an “ephemeral cathedral” adjacent to Notre Dame, where cleanup and construction are expected to begin soon.

Seville, Spain, Apr 18, 2019 / 07:00 pm (CNA).- Authorities from Spain and Morocco have arrested a 23 year old man in Rabat, Morocco, who is suspected of planning an attack  during Holy Week celebrations in the Spanish city of Seville.

According to Spanish federal police, Spain’s National Intelligence Center and the Moroccan secret service, 23-year-old Zouhair el Bouhdidi was planning detonate explosives during Holy Week processions in Seville, the city in which he lived.

Paris, France, Apr 17, 2019 / 03:00 pm (CNA).- A copper rooster containing relics and thought to have been destroyed in the collapse of Notre-Dame de Paris has been found damaged but intact. The weathervane had previously perched at the top of the cathedral spire for more than a century.

An informal national symbol of France, the rooster also functioned as a lightning rod for the cathedral, and contained one of the thorns from the crown of thorns, as well as relics of the French saints Denis and Genevieve. It is unclear as of now if these relics survived the damage.

“While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, ‘Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much over him today in a dream.’”  During Holy Week, my meditation often centers on the various characters of the Passion. There are the ones we know well, like the Blessed Mother and Pontius [...]

The post The Dream of Claudia appeared first on Integrated Catholic Life™.

It caught me by surprise that the Carmelite Sisters keep a complete and prayerful silence during the Holy Triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday, not speaking until the conclusion of the evening Easter Vigil Mass on Holy Saturday. I remember when I was the “new kid on the block,” a recently-arrived postulant who was learning more and [...]

The post Crossing the Threshold of Holy Week appeared first on Integrated Catholic Life™.

This week’s poem in the Catholic Poetry Room is by James Matthew Wilson.                                                                                               [...]

The post Solitaire appeared first on Integrated Catholic Life™.

“She hears, upon that water without a sound, a voice that cries, ‘The tomb in Palestine is not the porch of spirits lingering. It is the grave of Jesus where he lay…’” Somber words. One should say, inappropriate words for Easter Sunday. They come from the American poet Wallace Stevens, and they are an excerpt from his poem “Sunday Morning.” The poem is about a loss and lack of faith in the meaning of not only Easter but every Sunday since then, for Sunday is enshrined with significance—not because it is a casual day of leisure but because it is the day when Christ rose from the dead. In Wallace Stevens’ poem, faith in what the event of Christ’s resurrection accomplished in history has been lost. The modern mind is content with the distractions of the news of the day, willing to accept that the frame of reference for life’s…

A short fiction inspired by Luke 22:10. She guided the tiny mouse out of its corner with a gentle nudge of her broom, laughing as she teased it this way and that, helping the frightened creature find its way out the door, down the steps and into a street teeming with merchants hawking apples and herbs, with shoppers, and those hurrying to the temple. She didn’t mind mice very much, but not in this room, and not today. No space being made ready for Passover and the seder meal could be permitted faithless intruders, even helpless little grey ones with adorable pink noses. Moving on to gather dust and cobwebs from the corners, she began, all unconsciously, to hum under her breath—a joyful little melody learned from her mother, who would quietly sing it over and over in rhythm with her movements as she would grind flour: “O praise him,…

The conversations happening today in the field of artificial intelligence, known as AI, are completely mind-blowing. Aside from AI robots using 3D printing to build bridges in the Netherlands or cars in Los Angeles with digital nervous systems, the crucial topic of discussion is the unknown potentialities which AI technology could precipitate. The central question which belabors not only scientists and engineers but also economists, politicians, and Christians is ultimately: “What will happen once AI is let out of the box?” Despite the wide variety of speculation within AI scholarship and social media, everyone agrees that the future of AI is a frightening yet seductive mystery from which no one can look away. “AI could be terrible, and it could be great,” remarked Elon Musk, founder of Tesla Motors. “Only one thing is for sure,” he says. “We will not control it.” The big idea within AI circles is the…

WASHINGTON— Dioceses across the country will be welcoming thousands of people into the Catholic Church at Easter Vigil Masses on the evening of April 20th. As the culmination of the Easter Triduum, the Vigil celebrates the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. While people can become Catholic at any time of the year, the Easter Vigil is a particularly appropriate moment for adult catechumens to be baptized and for already-baptized Christians to be received into full communion with the Catholic Church. Parishes welcome these new Catholics through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA).

Many of the dioceses across the nation have reported their numbers of people who intend to become Catholic on Saturday to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Based on these reports, more than 37,000 people are expected to be welcomed into the Church at Easter Vigil Masses.

WASHINGTON—Amidst the devastating fire taking place at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Pairs, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston and President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a statement to the people of Paris.

The full statement follows:

WASHINGTON—Following a severe storm that brought devastation to the Southeast, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston and President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, expressed sorrow over the loss of life and destruction as result of the storm.

The full statement follows:

“While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, ‘Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much over him today in a dream.’”  During Holy Week, my meditation often centers on the various characters of the Passion. There are the ones we know well, like the Blessed Mother and Pontius [...]

The post The Dream of Claudia appeared first on Integrated Catholic Life™.

It caught me by surprise that the Carmelite Sisters keep a complete and prayerful silence during the Holy Triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday, not speaking until the conclusion of the evening Easter Vigil Mass on Holy Saturday. I remember when I was the “new kid on the block,” a recently-arrived postulant who was learning more and [...]

The post Crossing the Threshold of Holy Week appeared first on Integrated Catholic Life™.

This week’s poem in the Catholic Poetry Room is by James Matthew Wilson.                                                                                               [...]

The post Solitaire appeared first on Integrated Catholic Life™.