McGrath Institute Blog

Editorial Note: This excerpt is taken from an essay entitled "Mental Illness in Light of the Theophany Icon" by Joel Looper, originally published at Church Life Journal on August 5, 2019.

In times of stress or confusion, the beauty of music can provide a much-needed balm for a weary heart. Sadly, most if not all public music performances have been canceled these past few months, a pattern that is likely to continue in the months ahead. While nothing compares to the gift of attending a live concert, through the gift of technology, we are still able to discover and enjoy and benefit from listening to music.

In the previous installments of this series, I described preaching as a relationship that leads to an encounter with God. But what constitutes “good” preaching? Can it really change people’s lives? How we define “good” preaching affects both how preachers evaluate themselves and how listeners respond in feedback. If preacher and parishioner are to work together to renew Catholic preaching, then what does “good” mean?

As the Church celebrates the feast of Our Lady of Fatima today, the McGrath Institute for Church Life is releasing a free resource: Celebrating Mary in the Month of May: A Resource for the Domestic Church.

In the Gospel of Luke, we hear that as soon as the angel Gabriel departs from Mary, she travels to the hill country “in haste” to see her cousin Elizabeth (Luke 1:39). When Mary meets her cousin, and the unborn John the Baptist announces the presence of the unborn Lord by leaping in his mother Elizabeth’s womb, Elizabeth proclaims the fruit of Mary’s womb blessed, and Mary herself blessed among women. Mary’s response, the Magnificat, reveals how she has been glorified by God, who has always come to the help of the lowly, the poor, and those who fear him. In this canticle, Mary proclaims the greatness of God because of his mercy.