De Omnibus Dubitandum Est.

During his Angelus address yesterday, Pope Francis held up St. Paul as the model of the missionary church: "The experience of the Apostle of the Gentiles reminds us that on the one hand, we must engage in pastoral and missionary activities as though the result depended on our efforts, with the spirit of sacrifice of an athlete who does not stop even when faced with defeat, and on the other, however, in the knowledge that the true success of our mission is a gift of grace,” the Pope told the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square. “Today is a time of mission and a time of courage,” the Pope added, as he explained: "We are required to have the courage to fight, not necessarily to win; to proclaim but not necessarily to convert. We are required to have the courage not to conform to the world, without however becoming polemical or aggressive. We are required to have the courage to be open to all, never to diminish the absolute and unique nature of Christ, sole Savior of all. ...

"Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."  Ps 119:105 Welcome to this, the forty-sixth of my reflections on the theology of the Sunday readings at Mass. I have undertaken this project, regularly posting background information on the readings at Sunday Mass as part of my own prayer life. I have found it helps me to do a little study before I go to Mass about the readings, what the theme of the week is, how it follows on from the previous week's readings and what is being said. In sharing this, I hope to help you too get more from the Bible and Sunday Scripture readings. Perhaps it might give you confidence in the value and legitimacy of the Bible, or perhaps it might inspire you to pray the Divine Office or investigate the weekly readings for yourself. I see this as very clearly part of what the Church teaches about the Bible: This heaven-sent treasure Holy Church considers as the most precious source of doctrine on faith and morals. No wo...