Association Of Catholic Bloggers

St. Augustine once famously quipped: "Singing is praying twice."  In celebration of the Jubilee Year of Mercy, Contemporary Christian music provides some beautiful insights into the power of God's love and mercy. Click here for five favorite images....

The opening of the Holy Door and the passing through that door on a pilgrimage is an integral part of the celebration of any Jubilee Year.  Both the teachings of the church and the scriptures speak often of "opening the door" of our hearts to the Lord.  One of Saint John Paul II's most recognized exhortation is "Open wide the doors to Christ."  Click here to read my reflections on opening the doors of our heart to the Lord during this year of mercy. 

Year of Mercy: What is it all about? What can we expect? Pope Francis ushered in the Year of Mercy yesterday. This Jubilee Year of Mercy extends to the Feast of Christ the King on November 20, 2016. From now until then, anyone who enters through the “ Door of Mercy…will experience the love of God who consoles, pardons, and instills hope. ” 1 What is this “Year of Mercy” all about? Pope Francis declared the Jubilee Year of Mercy “ so that we may become a more effective sign of the Father’s action in our lives ” 2 . Our world has become so fractured and broken with much hatred. We see it in the... Read more...

The Ascension of Christ , Rembrandt,1636 , Munich [ Web Gallery of Art ] Gospel   Mark 16:15-20  ( New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition , Canada)  Jesus said to his disciples:  “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news   to the whole creation.   The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned.   And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues;   they will pick up snakes i n their hands,   and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.   And they went out and proclaimed the good news everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it. ...