Sacred Liturgy & Sacraments: January 2012 Archives

"As confessors we are called to show mercy and hope, to be fathers more than judges, to take on the penitent's pain and listen with much patience," Cardinal Raymond Burke told CNS correspondent Carol Glatz.

Cardinal Burke spoke on the role of the priest in confession: be merciful, not judgmental. Amazing. You would not know that this is the teaching of the Church given some of our priests. God's minister is not equal to being God. Thanks to the Cardinal!
cardinal birettas.jpgSome segments of the Catholic world are very excited about the Pope's 12th Day of Christmas gift to 22 bishops and priests: being created a cardinal of the Holy Roman Church. The US gets two new cardinals with Archbishops O'Brien and Dolan receiving the papal nod. 


B16 baptizes 2012.jpgToday the Church in the US celebrates the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, in 2012, the day after the Solemnity of the Epiphany. In other places, like Rome, the Church observed the Baptism of the Lord yesterday as the Epiphany was celebrated on the traditional 12th day of Christmas, January 6. Today's feast reminds us that being a Christian is the joy of being "children of God." During his noontime Angelus Address Pope Benedict said that "God is the origin of the existence of every creature and the Father in a unique way of every human being: He has a unique, personal relationship with him or her." At Mass in Rome earlier in the morning the Pope had baptized 16 newborn infants, children of Vatican employees in the Sistine Chapel.

The Church prays

Almighty ever-living God, who, when Christ had been baptized in the River Jordan and as the Holy Spirit descended upon him, solemnly declare him your beloved Son, grant that your children by adoption, reborn of water and the Holy Spirit, may always be well pleasing to you.

This magnificent prayer tells us that what Jesus was by nature, we become by grace through the sacraments.

About the author

Paul A. Zalonski is from New Haven, CT. He is a member of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation, a Catholic ecclesial movement and an Oblate of Saint Benedict. Contact Paul at paulzalonski[at]yahoo.com.

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This page is a archive of entries in the Sacred Liturgy & Sacraments category from January 2012.

Sacred Liturgy & Sacraments: December 2011 is the previous archive.

Sacred Liturgy & Sacraments: February 2012 is the next archive.

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