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The Church teaches that priests receive the triple Munera when ordained. This Latin word means both gift and service. They are called to govern, preach and celebrate. Governing means forming the Body of Christ. Of great importance, too, is: The preaching of the Gospel, which is the primary role of priests, and celebrating the mysteries of faith, which is the principal role of priests (Vatican Council II, Order of Priests, 5). Romans 10 sheds light on the matter: How are they

Luke is writing to Theophilus (Acts 1). That is, he is writing to you and naming you as ‘Lover of God.’ What a beautiful thought. The love of God is within us: Where did it come from? What is its origin? We take our cue from Pope St. Leo the Great (440-461), an excellent teacher of faith. He says that ‘great mysteries are established and great truths revealed between the days of the ‘Lord’s resurrection and ascension’: The Lord set before the eyes and hearts of his followers

A study of recent popes (Pope John XXIII-Pope Leo XIV) revealed that Pope Francis refers to the devil more than any other. Jesus called the devil a murderer, deceiver and accuser. So, when we read in Acts 8 that ‘unclean spirits came shrieking out of many who were possessed,’ we can be sure that death, deceit and defamation are being confronted and expelled. Pope Francis highlights the accusatorial role of satan: The devil is the arch-defamer of humanity. He revels

Why are people surprised that popes are on the side of world peace? During World War I, Pope Benedict XV was criticised for calling for peace. Pope Leo XIV recently held a prayer vigil for peace with the troubles in the middle east. What is surprising is that some people accused Pope Leo XIV of dumping the Just War Theory. He did nothing of the sort. Notice what the pope actually said: In the context of the 2003 Iraq war crisis, Saint John Paul II said with deep emotion: ‘I b

The Gospel of John has seven ‘I AM’ statements. Today we encounter: I AM the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14). We have a 4,000-year spiritual tradition. It all began with Abraham and Sarah, Christ being the foundation stone. Catechisms attempt to capture some of the richness that has been bequeathed to us. They follow the structure of Creed, Code, Cult, Communion: Jesus is the Truth. We have a Creed (beliefs). Jesus is the Life. We have a Cult (sacraments). Jesus is the

Luke speaks of the ‘narrow door’ (Luke 13). Matthew speaks of the ‘narrow gate’ (Matthew 7). Either way, the metaphor is evocative, challenging: The difficulty of Jesus’ path is not some kind of ascetic self-flagellation either. It is simply the difficulty of choosing and persevering in the distinctive way of life outlined by Jesus (Montague, Companion God, p.117). Experience is helpful. We decide to ‘roll the dice’ and make a lifetime decision. What seems restrictive is, in