The road to Calvary runs right through the ministry of Jesus. Three times he tells his disciples that he “must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days” (Mk.8:31-33; cf. 9:30-32, 10:32-34).
This week, I wrote to each of our priests to thank them for being available every Monday night for confessions during Lent. During this special time of prayer and penance, each of our parishes is remaining open from 7 P.M. to 8:30 P.M every Monday in March so that there is ready access to the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
At the very beginning of his public ministry, Jesus chooses John and his brother James as his disciples (Mk1:16-20). The two are the sons of Zebedee, a fisherman of some means. The name of their mother is not explicitly stated.
By now, most of us are familiar with the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA). The most radical pro-abortion legislation ever proposed. The contents of this bill are a serious threat to the sacredness of life, the freedom of “conscience clause” for health care workers and to quote Cardinal Francis George, the President of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops, “a threat to Catholic Health Care Institutions and Catholic Charities.”