Writing -

WRITINGS

My writings are divided into two parts: blogs and articles. BLOGS ARE WRITINGS THAT ARE DIRECTLY POSTED ON THIS SITE. THEY ORIGINATE ON THIS SITE AND HAVE NO EXTERNAL SOURCE LINKED TO THEM. UNLIKE blogs, Articles are re-posts to writings that I have done elsewhere. They may contain edits from the original post. However, the original writings are linked below each article for further reading.

BLOGS

“The True Spirt of Liturgy in a Pandemic”

Blog

“The True Spirt of Liturgy in a Pandemic”

By Ray AlmanzaApril 5, 2020Blog

Palm Sunday Of the Lord’s PassionMT 21:1-11 Isaiah 50:4-7 Ps 22 Philippians 2:6-11 MT 26:14—27:66 I can almost smell the fresh cut fronds as I enter the church, the satin-smooth leaflets, the ridges and furrows, satisfying to the touch as I draw them between my index finger and thumb, the snap of a shorn leaf […]

“The Sickness Unto Death”

Blog

“The Sickness Unto Death”

By Ray AlmanzaMarch 30, 2020Blog

Fifth Sunday of LentEZ 37:12-14 PS 130:1-8. ROM 8:8-11 JN 11:1-45 As we continue to hunker down in our quarantine, it is becoming increasingly difficult to focus on any task, be it work or personal, without lapsing into a pensive, even melancholy mood. Instigated by news and newsfeeds alike. Earlier this week the internet responded […]

“Intimacy in a Time of Social Distancing”

Blog

“Intimacy in a Time of Social Distancing”

By Ray AlmanzaMarch 22, 2020Blog

Fourth Sunday of Lent1SM 16:1, 6-7, 10-13 PS 23: 1-6 EPH 5:8-14 JN 9:1-41 If I were to name the single most pervasive form of suffering in the world today, there’s no close second. Loneliness. What prompted me to think about this recently was a video I came across, “The Voices of the Loneliness Epidemic” […]

“Betrothals, Wells, and the Samaritan Woman”

Blog

“Betrothals, Wells, and the Samaritan Woman”

By Ray AlmanzaMarch 16, 2020Blog

Third Sunday of LentEX 17:3-7 PS 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9 ROM 5:1-2, 5-8 JN 4:5-42 On this Third Sunday of Lent, the lectionary presents us with a familiar Gospel narrative, that of the woman at the well. The danger for us, who have heard the well-known Gospel stories many times before, is that they will fall […]

“The Resplendent View from the Mountain Top”

Blog

“The Resplendent View from the Mountain Top”

By Ray AlmanzaMarch 8, 2020Blog

Second Sunday of LentGn 12:1-4 Ps 33 2Tm 1:8-10 Mt 17:1-9 Over the weekend I had the opportunity to lead a session on confirmation with adults first, and later with youth. I spoke with them about the gifts we receive through the sacraments and our call to the responsible exercise of those gifts for the […]

“No one seeks God”

Blog

“No one seeks God”

By Ray AlmanzaMarch 1, 2020Blog

First Sunday of Lent GN 2:7-9; 3:1-7 PS 51:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 17 ROM 5:12-19 MT 4:1-11 Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of a season in which we take up our annual Lenten observances. We embark on a journey which we hope will draw us nearer to God. Many Catholics find this season ideal for returning […]

ARTICLES

All Souls and All Saints

Article

All Souls and All Saints

By Ray AlmanzaNovember 2, 2021Article

All Saints and All Souls days embraced by many Catholic cultures, But this season also holds a character of nostalgia and melancholy. The days begin to shorten and the shadows lengthen as the earth seems to glow in a golden hue, almost sepia-toned. The social reformer/American author Henry Ward Beecher eloquently describes it this way, […]

Reclaiming our Baptismal Spirituality

Article

Reclaiming our Baptismal Spirituality

By Ray AlmanzaFebruary 5, 2018Article

What is the meaning of Lent? It is very likely that the answer to this question, for most people, will have something to do with penance. While penance is a major focus, Lent has a twofold character and it may benefit our evangelization efforts to highlight the other aspect as well. The Constitution on the […]

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Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day actually make a good fit

Article

Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day actually make a good fit

By Ray AlmanzaFebruary 5, 2018Article

This year we have the opportunity to celebrate Ash Wednesday on Valentine’s Day, a day in which eros or romantic love and friendship is popularly celebrated. Some people might shrink at the idea of this juxtaposition, but that is only because of what the world tells us about love. The secular world has taken us […]

On busyness, work, and leisure

Article

On busyness, work, and leisure

By Ray AlmanzaJuly 25, 2017Article

When someone asks me, “how are you doing?” nine out of ten times I reply, somewhat unreflectively, “busy,” or, “very busy!” I’m sure this response is not unfamiliar to most people. Contemporary life feels like a giant ball rolling downhill, it just keeps picking up speed. Work as an economic necessity encroaches on our personal […]

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