"What movement are you waiting for from God?"

Second Week of Advent: A Celebration of Peace

First Week of Advent: A Celebration of Hope

“The Drama of Being Human” (A Portrait of Father Don Cozzens)

I can’t remember the first time I met Don Cozzens, because once you met him it was as if you’d always known him. Apple-cheeked, kind-eyed, Don radiated deep-seated friendliness and had a high-beam smile. I have not been among the devout who collect priests the way some collect prized antiques, knowing that they’ll cash in on the investment in a time of need. But when he became Writer in Residence at John Carroll University, his office was next to mine. We became friends.

By this time, he’d already published The Changing Face of the Priesthood in 2000 and become a national figure for his critique of the Church’s failure to deal with the priest sex-abuse scandal. But Don was an easygoing prophet who delighted in ordinary pleasures. He was particularly tempted by cafeteria fries and a good beer.

When the Church altered the language of the Mass in 2008, Don and I commiserated. The new translation seemed abstract, vaporizing the body. The priest used to greet the congregation, “The Lord be with you,” and we would reply, “and also with you.” Now we were to say, “and with your spirit.” As if our words were directed at the spirit alone, not the whole person. Don shared my consternation, noting now Jesus was said to take a “chalice,” which Don noted was a weirdly literalistic translation of calicem. A cup is so homely, so human. Like Don was.

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“Let us look ahead to a contemporary, the new Pope Leo XIV, with hope that his guidance will advocate a better course. Initially, he has raised our hope by choosing the name Leo, giving a nod to Leo XIII, a defender of human dignity and the supporter of struggling workers and immigrants during the Industrial Revolution. The new Pope Leo has said “…the legitimate regulation of migration must never undermine the essential dignity of a person.” He, in tune with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, has called on nations to regulate their borders “with justice and mercy.” The obvious common theme running through these selected citations- the compassionate approach to immigration- currently is absent in our very own country.”

A Life Long Catholic’s Take on the Opus Dei Cult

A Fourth of July Reflection by CTA ED Black Moses

Without them he would have died alone, just another criminal executed on a bleak, stoney hillside where trees struggled to find root. Those passing might have stopped briefly, curious at the strange sign above his head.“King of the Jews” it read.

"God’s love calls us to move beyond fear"