Entering the Christmas Mystery with Zechariah: The Dawn from on high shall break upon us!
“In the tender compassion of our Lord, the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Luke 1:78-79). 1. Zechariah, the Seer In the Hebrew Bible (OT), “Seer” depicts a prophet, or […]
My Kingdom Is Not Of This World!
Friends, Whether we are aware of it or not, our earthly experience of power makes us unconsciously suspicious of titles like “King,” “Queen,” “Chief,” “Fon,” and also “President,” as the case may be. The images that may immediately come to mind could suggest for the most part absolute power, force, violence and arbitrariness; it could […]
“All are welcome”: The tempting heterodoxy of today?
Today, we find ourselves dancing to the drumbeats beckoning us into the infernal circles wherein are normalized, as approved human behavior and dispositions, the ideologies of transgenderism, homosexuality, and the unprecedented deification of autonomy, the so-called freedom to say, think, or do whatever the human spirit defends as fitting, right, and doable. The question of […]
THE CROSS STANDS AS THE WORLD REVOLVES
“Stat Crux dum Orbis Revultur” – The Cross Stands as the World Revolves. With these words, the sons of Saint Bruno have, for almost a thousand years (since 1084), devoted themselves to a life of absolute silence and solitude. Seeking to leave no trace, they have for generations sought to immerse themselves more and more […]
Hail to the Cross of our Salvation! Hail to the Crucified King! Reflecting on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Most Holy Cross
In the homily which the then Cardinal Ratzinger delivered during the Mass before the Conclave of 2005, during which he was elected as Pope, he begins by noting that the grace and mercy of God are not cheap. They have come to us at the cost of a dear price, the price of the crucifixion. […]
The Resurrection of Jesus: God’s Verb in the Grammar of Human Existence
When we studied English Grammar at St. Joseph’s Primary School in Mamfe, Cameroon several years ago, we were taught that a verb is a word that it used to describe an action, that is, the doing part of a sentence. A verb therefore connotes an occurrence. To say, therefore, that the Resurrection of Jesus of […]
The Beautiful Catholic Priesthood Today
Perhaps of all the days in the Liturgical Calendar, it might appear out of sync for one to reflect on the meaning of the Catholic Priesthood on Ash Wednesday. After all, this day, as does the Church’s Liturgy, constitutes an invitation to reflect on two not very uplifting realities of human existence, namely, our mortality […]
Men of Sorrows
Every Good Friday, the Church’s Liturgy turns her gaze upon the face of Christ, the suffering servant; the One whom Isaiah describes as “a man of suffering, knowing pain.” Or, as one translation puts it, “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” As we walk with Christ through the pages of the Gospels, we […]
Why God Must Not Be Set Aside
“There is no saint without a past; there is no sinner without a future” Meditations on the Life of Augustine of Hippo (AD 354 – 430) I love the month of August, for particular reasons: It is the month of my birth, but more importantly, August is the month of my favorite saint, Augustine of […]
Fr. Zifac: Never Give Up Looking Up
Yes. Never give up in looking up. Refuse to be discouraged. No bad condition is permanent with Jesus. Solve your problems the Bartimaeus’ way. When Zacheus could not see Jesus bc of a height impediment he climbed a tree; when Bartimaeus could not see Jesus bc he was blind he used his voice. Use what […]