Surprised by joy and rising in humility
What does it mean to be holy? To grow in holiness is to persevere in the life in Christ, to live out our baptism every day. The end goal of the life in Christ is to become a saint, to be divinized, to become like God. In sum, it is to achieve what we Byzantines call theosis: participation in the life of the Most Holy Trinity. This means that we must die to self each day and join ourselves ever more fully to Christ; we must strive to be Christ-like. St. John the Baptist summed this up when he declared, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). This process of decreasing requires repeated acts of the will: to pray daily, to confess regularly, to receive Holy Communion at least weekly, to undertake corporate and spiritual works of mercy, to be disciplined in our lives and to earnestly desire these things.
Government grabs power from parents’ hands
When Lanark, a county on the outskirts of Ottawa, terminated its contract with one child care licensing agency at the end of August, it was a surprise to the agency and families. Parent fees doubled and 12 child care spaces were lost as two daycares closed.
Mother Ukraine turns into freedom’s symbol
I hated her the first time I saw her. That was in 1989. Definitely not a case of “love at first sight.
Keeping Vatican II’s ecumenical spirit alive
Fifty-eight years ago, the Second Vatican Council gave birth to the Decree on Ecumenism, in November 1965. Most have forgotten that the decree was passed by a vote of 2,137 to 11 of the bishops assembled at the Council.