header icons

Crucifixion

How did he do it? How did Christ endure the ignominy of his people, being branded a criminal, tortured, cursed and crucified, lashed, nailed, pierced, and crowned.   He doubted, felt forsaken, yet he used his last breath to forgive, as love oozed from his pores more red than blood.   Strong, serene, free of… continue reading

The Gospel and Living Catholic Tradition

The Second Vatican Council asks us to read the signs of the times and interpret them in the light of the Gospel. In seeking to do that, we have been trying to make sense of the divisions in our country and our Church, of so much violence, of threats to our climate and the earth,… continue reading

Recognizing the Incarnation in a Broken World

Kevin writes from Sugar Land. He and his wife, Katie, and their teenage and adult children – Brenna, Dan, Aaron, and Abby — volunteer several Saturdays a month at Casa Juan Diego. If Advent and Christmas 2020 are like the rest of the year, we can expect the celebrations of the season to be restrained, maybe… continue reading

The Wedding at Casa Juan Diego

I would like to start off by clarifying that there was no wedding here at Casa Juan Diego in the physical sense but that every day we experience the fruits of Mary’s intercession just as they did at the Wedding at Cana. The time of Advent waiting for the celebration of the birth of Jesus… continue reading

Fratelli Tutti, New Encyclical of Pope Francis

“FRATELLI TUTTI With these words, Saint Francis of Assisi addressed his brothers and sisters and proposed to them a way of life marked by the flavor of the Gospel.” Thus begins the third encyclical of Pope Francis, with words that could change all of our lives if we take them to heart.  Pope Francis teaches… continue reading

Activate Catholic Antibodies Against the Coronavirus and the Virus of the Soul

Facing Crises With the Antibodies of Catholicism How does one continue the Works of Mercy in the midst of a pandemic? How can one help to keep faith and hope alive when people are worried and anxious and ill and some in their desperation become angry and have even sought scapegoats? We often hear of… continue reading

Solidarity and the Unity of Suffering

Evan is a Catholic Worker at Casa Juan Diego. He came to us from a Trappist monastery. Growing up, it was a tradition for my family to travel into downtown Chicago to see a stage rendition of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Though I knew the story well, it never failed to excite my imagination, perhaps… continue reading

A Meditation on the Incarnation

Reflection on the Good News announced by the angel on that Holy Night when Jesus was born brings to us an awareness of the profound beauty and reality of the Incarnation, but also the contrast of the harsher reality of the world of that time, as well as that of our own time in history…. continue reading

Bishop Ramazzini, Friend of the Poor, Named a Cardinal

We received with joy the news that Bishop Ramazzini of the Diocese of Huehuetenango, Guatemala, is one of the new Cardinals that will be created by Pope Francis at the October consistory. Mark and Louise Zwick met Bishop Ramazzini in the in his former Diocese of San Marcos. They were concerned about the plight of… continue reading

Dorothy Day, The World Will Be Saved By Beauty, and Notre Dame Cathedral

Killeen spent eight weeks last year as a part of the Summer Service Learning Program of the University of Notre Dame Individuals, corporations, and even educational institutions like the University of Notre Dame have collectively donated over $1 billion toward the reconstruction of the Cathedral in the days following the tragic fire at Notre-Dame in… continue reading