Category: Features

“Enough to Go Around”

by Eric Massanari

“We are all standing in a river of Christ,
and we are being carried along by currents we cannot comprehend.”

Those struck me as very wise and timely words when I heard them spoken a few weeks ago by a former Mennonite, and now Catholic, Ivan Kauffman. Ivan was speaking to a group of sixty of us (roughly half Mennonites and half Catholics) who had gathered for discussions on peacemaking and spirituality at St. John’s Abbey in  Collegeville, Minnesota.  We are all standing in a river of Christ, and we are being carried along by currents we cannot comprehend.

They were appropriate words to begin our time together because we soon realized that although many different life experiences (or, “currents”) had brought us to that place, we could find a common place on which to stand because of our common faith in Christ. Continue reading ““Enough to Go Around”” →

“Handing Us Back Ourselves:”
On the Rediscovery of Mennonite Spirituality

by Mary Schertz
Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary

An updated version of this article entitled
“Seeking the Taproot of Anabaptist Spirituality”
is now available at
http://www.cascadiapublishinghouse.com/dsm/autumn04/schema.htm

Have we, as Mennonite people of faith, “lost our spirituality,” or perhaps never claimed a spirituality and, consequently, do we need to look to other traditions, such as Catholic spirituality, in order to recover this vital aspect of religious commitment? These questions emerged recently in the context of the recent consultation on Mennonite-Catholic dialog held at St. John’s Abbey in the rolling hills of Steuben County, Minnesota-Lake Wobegon country. It was a wonderful weekend-replete with Benedictine hospitality, reunion with old friends and the excitement of making new ones, stimulating papers, reciting Psalms with the monks, singing hymns with the Mennonites, good food and great (relatively cool) weather. Continue reading ““Handing Us Back Ourselves:”
On the Rediscovery of Mennonite Spirituality” →

Crisis in the Catholic Church versus New Springtime

by Mark and Louise Zwick

Houston Catholic Worker

Never has there been such a growth in the life of the Church as is occurring today throughout the world.

The Church has entered a new era as many groups burst forth like a new spring. There is a virtual explosion of ideas and commitment as Catholics develop and utilize their skills in living out the faith in their daily lives. This development reminds us of initiation of religious communities of the past.

Catholics, especially young Catholics, are revolting against the usual life scenario to which we have been accustomed: Go to the university, buy a house (a nice house with a nice lawn), have babies, make money for their college, make money for retirement, retire, have a painless death and a nice eulogy. If one is lucky there will be some recognition for one’s wealth creation by church or state. Continue reading “Crisis in the Catholic Church versus New Springtime” →

Christ Brought About a New Kind of Victory

by Father Raniero Cantalamessa
Homily for Papal Household

Good Friday 2004

The following is an excerpt from the homily delivered on Good Friday at the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion by the Papal Household preacher, Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa. The complete homily is available at http://www.zenit.org/article-9864?l=english.

The passion of Christ, described prophetically in the Deutero-Isaiah text [Isaiah 52:13-53:12] and historically in the Gospels in our present liturgy, has a special message for the times in which we are living. The message is: No to violence! Continue reading “Christ Brought About a New Kind of Victory” →

Learning the Ancient Rhythms of Prayer

Why charismatics and evangelicals, among others, are flocking to communities famous for set prayers and worshiping by the clock

by Arthur Paul Boers

Christianity Today

The place was overcrowded and noisy, and the food was unimpressive. Meals and meetings were held outside or in tents, depending on the weather. Visitors slept (and many snored loudly) in tents and overcrowded barracks. One had to stand in long lines (often up to 30 minutes) for everything, especially food. It hardly seemed like a setting for meaningful prayer, but my visit to Taizé turned out to be one of the most spiritually meaningful weeks of my life.

And not just for me. During the hot July week when I visited, Taizé welcomed more than 4,500 pilgrims, mostly young adults, from many denominations and from 60 nations (including a thousand from Eastern Europe). Summer weeks typically see between 2,500 and 6,000 visitors, with a total of 100,000 each year-although Taizé is off the beaten path (in France’s Burgundy region, midway between Lyons and Geneva).

What attracts so many to this place?

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