CatholicTranscript.org ~ The Monthly Newspaper of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford, Connecticut

El auténtico cristiano desea entregarse al Señor y hacer su voluntad. Cómo hacemos en pleno siglo XXI para lograr esto? Jesús es bien claro y sencillo enseñándonos que “hace la voluntad de Dios quien cumple sus mandamientos” (Jn 14,15). Sin embargo, cada día y en cada circunstancia muchas fuerzas incitan para que nos acomodemos a la opinión del mundo, a lo que está de moda o piense la mayoría y se ve aquello que tradicionalmente ha practicado el cristianismo como algo incómodo o pasado de moda. Incluso dentro de la misma Iglesia hay corrientes que quieren tener una Iglesia de la comodidad, el beneplácito y el relativismo donde cada uno pueda hacer lo que quiera y se sienta a su gusto. A menudo se quiere una Iglesia complaciente, popular, que no tenga reglas y que nunca contradiga los deseos de sus miembros, en lugar de una Iglesia que sea fiel a la revelación de Dios.

A new English translation of the third Latin edition of the Roman Missal, promulgated by Pope John Paul II in 2002, has been submitted for final approval to the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

Q. Wasn’t Lent much more rigorous a season in the past? And didn’t Lenten disciplines vary from country to country? And why is the day before Ash Wednesday referred to as Mardi gras?

The parish priest who has grown in paschal wisdom will naturally demonstrate pastoral charity in his actions and in his person. The experience of this deep and abiding love for the Church and the Lord’s people is the consummation and satisfaction of the priest’s call to holiness through service. Pastoral charity is the hallmark of the priesthood.

I still remember the painful night I learned everyone didn’t think the way I did. I was a teenager among learned adults, a sophomore who had just gotten his driver’s license, along with a ’60 Ford Fairlane with three speeds on the column, fins and a white body that was corroded on the doors and fenders.

We know that Drew Brees quarterbacked the New Orleans Saints to a Super Bowl victory over the Indianapolis Colts, and was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. But there was another quarterback who, on that same day, earned an MVP award for what he did off the field, yet during the telecast of the game.

Tim Tebow is, in the parlance of football aficionados, “arguably” the best football player in college history. He is the first to win the coveted Heisman Trophy as an undergraduate and the first to pass and run for more than 20 touchdowns in the same season (32 passing and 23 rushing in 2007). He also quarterbacked his “Gators” to national championships, in 2006 and 2008. He is accustomed to winning, and his leadership qualities are, as they say, “off the charts.”

Abigail Feinstein is not an easy person to describe. She’s a young professional from Westchester County, N.Y., but she spends weekends in God’s country, otherwise known as Litchfield County. Some years back, Abigail became friendly with one of the priests in the Archdiocese of Hartford. In fact, she sends him a heavily scented valentine each February without the slightest understanding of the whole celibacy thing. She is totally self-centered, obsessed with outward appearances, and, strangest of all, Abigail Feinstein is entirely fictional.

Durante muchos años fui director de nuestra Oficina de Evangelización para los Hispanos. Sabiendo que voy a cumplir mis 75 años el 13 de febrero de 2010, nuestro Arzobispo, Henry Mansell, decidió nombrar como nuevo director al Padre José Mercado.

A few months ago, I was traveling through the spectacular Blue Ridge Mountains of western Virginia on a Sunday morning. It’s not Catholic territory, so I was pleased to locate a Catholic church as I began my journey back to Connecticut.

It was 8:55 a.m. when I pulled into the church parking lot. Mass didn’t begin until 9:30, so I parked in a far corner to rest my eyes. Almost immediately, however, I began to wonder if I was wrong about the Mass time, as cars were streaming into the parking lot.

During my early morning reading on the train to Manhattan, I stumbled upon a full-page ad for the “One Day University,” which offers intriguing courses on topics like Moby Dick, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Beatles and Beethoven, and morality in America.

Midway through the list, I saw one touted as “Harvard’s #1 Most Popular Course.” I knew I was destined to enroll in it because I always wanted to attend Harvard, but the only thing that prevented me was my high school grades.