Whalen

Mater Dolorosa: Keeping Company with Mary near the Cross

Many English-speaking Catholics of a certain age, will recall the Stabat Mater hymn (“At the cross her station keeping”) that was so much a part of the praying of the “Stations of the Cross” during the Lenten season: At the Cross her station keeping, stood the...

Singing at the Threshold of Elizabeth’s Home: Mary’s Magnificat

In his reflection on Mary and her role in God’s economy of mercy, Pope Francis pauses with Mary at the threshold of Elizabeth’s home.  He writes in MV #24: Chosen to be the Mother of the Son of God, Mary, from the outset, was prepared by the love of God to be the Ark...

Mater Misericordiae: Mary, Mother of Mercy

For multiple and varied reasons the month of May has come to be associated with Mary, the Mother of Jesus.  In the United States it is the month in which Mother’s Day, First Communions, many ordinations and weddings are celebrated.  It is also associated in the...

The Madness of Mercy: Jacques Derrida on Forgiveness

The Madness of Mercy: Jacques Derrida on Forgiveness In this brief meditation (and, quite frankly, rather “thick” in the best sense of the term) we will focus on one key idea by one writer-philosopher - Jacques Derrida.  For those unfamiliar with Derrida (1930-2004),...
Singing at the Threshold of Elizabeth’s Home: Mary’s Magnificat

Justice and Mercy on the Way to Love

In the previous meditation, we embarked on an exploration of the somewhat tense if not actually tortured relationship between mercy and justice.  We also highlighted the various “station stops” we would make along the way.  This first such “station stop” simply seeks...

Facing Mercy

Facing Mercy

Facing Mercy: In the Reign of God’s Mercy There Are No Anonymous Faces in Crowds Writers often acknowledge the importance of opening words and lines.  Images grab; words beckon; tones compel; and even official church documents capitalize on this dynamic.  Church...

FAMVIN

FREE
VIEW