Cardinal Rigali's weekly message: The Word Became Flesh
The gift of human love
By Cardinal Justin Rigali During the next few days, we will be hearing a great deal about the celebration of Valentine’s Day. Indeed, it seems that no sooner had Christmas passed than the retail world was reminding us that Valentine’s Day was approaching. Let us use this as an opportunity to reflect on the gift […]
Communicating the message of Christ to the modern world
By Cardinal Justin Rigali In the city of Athens, Greece during the time of Saint Paul, there was a famous gathering place called the “Areopagus.” This had originally been a place where judgments were handed down in important legal cases by those who were entrusted with the law. As was their custom, after the Romans […]
Resolutions and Reconciliation
By Cardinal Justin Rigali The U. S. Government’s official web portal (USA.gov) lists the following top five New Year’s resolutions made by Americans this year: 1) Lose weight2) Manage debt3) Save money4) Get a better job5) Get fit If any, or all, of these sound familiar to many of us, it tells us that we […]
A Tragic Anniversary
By Cardinal Justin Rigali One of the most beautiful gifts that God has bestowed upon us as creatures made in His image and likeness, is the gift of memory. Only we possess this marvelous ability to remember. We make use of this ability in a special way when we celebrate birthdays and anniversaries of special […]
Conscious Parenthood
By Cardinal Justin Rigali Next week, I will write about the tragic anniversary of the infamous Roe v. Wade decision of the United States Supreme Court, legalizing abortion in our country. It is necessary that we keep this ongoing tragedy before our eyes. However, in rightfully defending the life of the unborn, we do not […]
Monitoring our young peoples’ use of modern communication devices
By Cardinal Justin Rigali Recently, we have been reading a great deal about the problem of obesity in children and young people. It is certainly an area in which concern is justified because of the ultimate adverse effect on the health of the child or young person that an improper diet and obesity will have. […]
Pope Benedict’s Message for the World Day of Peace, 2009
By Cardinal Justin Rigali One of the themes of Pope Benedict XVI’s pontificate is the building of a “hermeneutic” of continuity or principle of continuity. This concept reminds us that the teaching of the Church represents a continuity, based on the Gospel and the Church’s constant teaching. There is no rupture in the Church’s teaching […]
On the dignity of the human person: Reflections on the Vatican document ‘Dignitas Personae’
By Cardinal Justin Rigali In an Address which Pope Benedict XVI gave to a group of young people, he spoke of the challenge presented by a “widespread prejudice that Christianity, with its commandments and prohibitions, sets too many obstacles in the path of the joy of love and, in particular, prevents people from fully enjoying […]
What is a Doctor of the Church?
By Cardinal Justin Rigali In our human relationships, it is natural to desire to learn more about someone we love. This is especially true in the early stages of a relationship, when love is beginning, but it should be a characteristic of a loving relationship at all times. This is why we say about someone […]
Our Lady as Patroness of the United States under her title of the Immaculate Conception
By Cardinal Justin Rigali We can say that our Blessed Mother has had a special presence in the Americas for over five hundred years. We know that the flagship of Christopher Columbus, the Santa Maria, was named after her and, as part of their evening prayers aboard ship, Columbus’ crew sang the Salve Regina in […]