Welcome to Ash Wednesday! Our website includes our condolences to the church in Los Angeles, saddened by the violent death of Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell.
Lenten Offerings and Activities
From craft activities for young families to reflections by Richard Rohr, Lenten offerings on the web are multiple. Some choices include:
- The Missionary Childhood Association
- The Catholic Agency for Overseas Development
- Cross Catholic Outreach
- Franciscan Media
International News
International news includes an answer to how a U.S. president was sneaked into a war zone, from the Associated Press.
(By the way, the AP is a top-notch source of breaking news.)
Pope Francis
The pope has reaffirmed Vatican authority over limiting the Latin Mass; he also said there are no “guests” or “bosses” in the church.
Parts of the Mass
Jesuit writer Father Thomas Reese has published two columns recently regarding the Scriptures at Mass and the Eucharistic Prayer. Well worth your attention.
- The Jewish roots of the Eucharist
- Eucharistic prayer is the most important and least understood prayer in Mass
LGBTQ
A bishop in France says Pope Francis wants to break the silence on homosexuality. Meanwhile, turmoil continues in Denver over the firing of a Catholic teacher for living in a same-sex relationship, and several women who supported the teacher were denied Communion while wearing rainbow-colored face masks.
Also in the news . . .
French bishops are criticizing recent moves toward legal euthanasia. A Montana state lawmaker who is an ordained Jewish rabbi argues for abortion as religious freedom. Southern Baptists struggle with reform to address abuse, and a Kentucky rolling revival is too successful, disrupting the school and the town.
Politics and religion(s)
Nikki Haley says she’s Christian. That’s a complicated story, says a writer for Religion News who examines the struggle for identity among Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims, Jains and others.
What do ICU chaplains do?
They do a lot more than prayer, according to a recent report.
A welcome suggestion
Monica Marie Kaiser offers us a link to a You Tube video to help us “prepare for the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis next month.” She was present for the talk when it was originally given at the Carmelite Institute in 2017, and recommends it to us.
By the way, followers’ suggestions may be sent to Paul Leingang, auscp.communications@gmail.com or (812) 459-1374.
Black History
At Black Catholic Messenger, Nate Tinner-Williams says a film on a Black Catholic Civil War hero, André Cailloux, is now streaming on Amazon Prime.
And finally, a quiz
What do you know about Artificial Intelligence? Here’s a quiz – just six questions, about the impact AI is already having. It come from Pew Research.
Support Wisdom Wednesday
We hope you have enjoyed this roundup of recent news about faith, politics, and culture. We will return next week with another edition of Wisdom Wednesday.
If you’d like to support our continued work to bring you wisdom each week, please consider making a donation. Your support provides the breath that makes our voice heard in the U.S. and beyond.
The AUSCP is a 501c3 organization and your donation is tax-deductible.