2014 articles 2013 articles Darlene's background
Darlene Starrs 2015 articles
Dec 28: We are revelling in God's Glorious Light in this Christmas Season. Today's reading from the First Letter of John, tells us God is Light; In Him there is no darkness; therefore, let us walk in His light. (paraphrased). As we approach the New Year of 2016, I hope we all recommit to walking in the light and take seriously, Pope Francis's Declaration of a Year dedicated to loving others through Mercy. God is the Light of the World, and we desperately need to be living in the light, for ourselves, but, even more so, for our human brothers and sisters near and far.
Dec
14: The Feast Day of St. John of the Cross
What a blessing he is for the Catholic Christian Church, as his
spiritual writings continue to guide even contemporary Catholic
Christians, especially those who are experiencing a Call from Christ to
a Vocation to Divine Intimacy
Dec
7: The
Greatest Revelation
Yes, the paralyzed man is healed, but, that is secondary to
the importance of this scripture. Jesus is revealing that
He is Emmanuel, "God Among Us", and there is no
greater revelation than that, in all of human history
Nov
30: Answering
the Call
Have you ever dropped your "nets" to follow Jesus?
Nov
23: Are
the Right People at the Vatican?
Perhaps there's a vacant office at the Vatican!
Nov
16: Advent Soon Arrives
Advent speaks of the promise of restoring our "sight", allowing each
and everyone of us, to recognize the "salvation of God", in the coming
of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Nov
9: Being
the Temple of the Holy Spirit
There cannot be any higher vocation than being the temple of the
Holy Spirit
Nov
2: Faith
is about knowing Jesus Christ!
Today’s
Gospel reading tells us that it is the “little ones”, the Lord’s
“Anawim” who have received the secrets of the Kingdom of God
Oct
26: Moving Forward
The impression I am left with about this
Synod meeting, is that the Institutional Church has put off talking about
current ecclesiastical and pastoral issues far, far, too long
Oct
19: Seek
ye first
It is truly miraculous how God provides for
me, i.e. income, shelter, clothing etc., while I am engaged in works of
mercy and spreading the Good News
Oct
12: Salty
Words
I
have to wonder what Pope Francis was thinking when Bishop
Durocher presented his ideas
Oct
5: Papal
Visit to the United States
I believe Pope Francis is still a work in
progress
... and his
papacy is still a work in progress!
Sep
28: If God Is For US
Pope Francis is an example of moving forward in Christ, in spite of every
opposition, be it, within the Church, or from without!
Sep
21: Happy
Feast Day of St. Matthew
Just as Jesus called Matthew to follow
Him, you could be called today too!
September
14: Exaltation
of the Cross
The Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross
demonstrates how much God loves us
September
7: Jesus
heals every day of the week
Jesus Christ continues to heal not
only on the Sabbath, but, every day and every where and to
whom He pleases.
August
31: Jesus
reveals who He is….
The rejection of the truth and the truthful person,
or prophet occurs frequently in secular and church life.
August
24: ISaw You Under The Fig Tree
I often wonder whom does Jesus Christ see under the fig tree and
where, in this time, in our secular and religious history
Aug
17: Following
Jesus Christ
The Gospel for Monday has Jesus telling the rich young man that if he
desires perfection, he must sell all of his possessions, give the money to
the poor, and follow Him. This is the scripture that spoke to
Katherine Dougherty, who founded a community and mission called
Madonna House in Combermere, Ontario, Canada. Throughout, Canada,
the United States and in various countries around the globe, you
will find their "Marian Centers." Some centers are soup
kitchens, others are prayer houses.
August
10: Sowing
and Reaping Bountifully
How do you sow bountifully? This is done
when your words and deeds from sun-up to sun-down are acts of
kindness and love. It is a life of perpetual charity.
August
3: Ending
Clericalism
I suggest that women have felt the
"bite" of clericalism more often and with greater
intensity, and is evidenced by the women’s struggle for full
inclusion in ordained ministry.
July
27: The
Extraordinary in the Ordinary!
If you have ever examined a mustard seed, you will know that each seed is
about the size of the head of a stick pin. Imagine such a seed eventually being
compared to the enormity of the Kingdom of God!
July
20: July 16….Feast Day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
The contribution of three
major Carmelite Saints has been a necessary and tremendous gift for the
entire RC Church and I gladly rejoice in this. These three saints are: St.
John of the Cross, St. Teresa of Avila, and St. Therese of Lisieux. Each
one of these Saints contributed an essential element of Carmelite
Spirituality and provided a great teaching and legacy not only for the
Carmelite Order, but for all Christians who aspire to "perfect union
with Jesus Christ" in life and prayer.
July
13: Losing
Your Life for the Lord’s Sake
The Gospel presents a radical new way of living
and being in this world
July
6: Jesus
and Healing
It is curious that while we are cognizant of Jesus "displaying the
power of God"…. Jesus insists it is the "faith" of the
people who seek Him that saves them.
June
29: The
Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul
I truly wish we had another Peter and Paul to
reset the Church on a prayerful and fruitful course. Pope Francis is
doing his best ...
June
22: The
Topic of the Day: Women Deacons?
There are people from all perspectives, in the Church, who believe,
ordaining women to the diaconate is a slippery slope. After all, maybe
women will not be satisfied with playing second fiddle
June
15: At
An Acceptable Time
I pray that
you too, are able to remember and treasure in your heart, all the times,
the Lord "listened to you" and "helped you."
June
8: The
Beatitudes are Central
Enjoy meditating on the Beatitudes today!
June
1: Jesus
Christ, the Cornerstone
Unfortunately,
Jesus Christ being the rejected "cornerstone" is not old news.
We are witnesses and observers every day, the world over, of the rejection
of Jesus Christ
May
25: Happy
Pentecost
To live a Life in the Spirit of Jesus Christ, is
to live a life not of this world, but, truly, a heavenly existence, in
spite of the fact, that we physically dwell on this earth
May
18: Jesus
Christ is Peace
We are to find our peace in Jesus Christ
May
11: Peace
Be With You Says Jesus Christ
To believe that Jesus Christ is WITH YOU is the
starting point of Faith
May
4: How
is Pope Francis doing in regards to Roman Curial Church Reform?
Reform is very, very hard to do. Why else did Luther finally nail his
resolutions to a door and carry on his ministry without Rome?
April
27: Who
is a Saint?
The saints do not put themselves in any
privileged place or position, rather, they wait upon the Lord to raise
them up and send them fort
April
20: International
Catholic Reform Movement took to the Green!
If the exclusion of women from
governance, leadership, and ordained ministry continues, it will indeed
have harmful effects
April
13: Mysteriously
born again
The spiritual life with Christ that follows this
Baptism in the Holy Spirit by fire is nothing less than supernatural. I
regard this experience as receiving the "Keys to the Kingdom."
April
6: The
Greatness of Easter
I hope the Joy of the Resurrection greets you and yours this Easter Monday
morning!
March
30: The
reform of Pope Francis
It’s this lack of his understanding and vision
for the Women, this vacancy, that prevents Pope Francis from being the
ultimate reformer of the Universal Roman Catholic Church and it is
because of this vacancy, that the R.C. Church will struggle and continue
to struggle to be created anew!
March
23: The
RC Church Needs Divine Wisdom
The scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees just cannot compete with the Lord’s
thinking, though they are presumed to be the learned men of the Jewish
faith
March
16: Do
you need Jesus to perform signs to believe?
We are called to believe, even when we cannot see
and understand
March
9: The
fate of the prophet
In speaking the truth, have you ever felt like you
were figuratively thrown off the cliff?
March
2: A
Lenten Message
Pope Francis is relentless in his teaching about Catholic Christians
being compassionate, and he not only preaches this message, but, he
leads by example
Feb
23: Pope
Francis ….Parting the "Red Sea"
It is highly questionable,
whether, maintaining the Curia, which is replete with old
men, is going to bring
about curial reform or bring the Church into the 21st century,
no matter how religious the old men may be
Feb
16: Lent
is upon us
Ash Wednesday is
in two days time ..... and so begins our annual soul searching and soul
cleansing
Feb
9: And
All Those Who Touched Him were Saved
The transformation of the Church will come
with a new emergence of our called Catholic women in many ministries, but,
most importantly in preaching, and in ecclesial duties, hereto, assigned
exclusively to celibate and married men.
Feb
2: We
are stewards of the Word
The
entire structure of the Church Institution will only survive and maybe even
thrive, if there has been a New Evangelization
Jan 26: A Response to Father Gabriel Daly, O.S.A. of Ireland
Jan
19: New
Wineskins for the Church?
As I see Pope Francis making changes at the Vatican, and spreading the
Good News with his preaching, teaching, and personal witness, I see him
creating new wineskins
Jan
12: The
Timeless Message
It seems to me that the Lord continues to proclaim this
message, especially now, when the world is being continually assaulted
with the most heinous crimes against humanity
Jan
5: mmm…….No
Salvation Outside the Church?
I was surprised to read that Pope Francis began preaching in the New
Year that there is no salvation outside the Church