Monthly Archives: June 2022

From Galilee towards Jerusalem

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This coming Sunday the readings return to “Ordinary Time” and reading from the Gospel of Luke. We begin with the 13th Sunday of Ordinary Time. In case you were wondering, the last time we celebrated a Sunday in Ordinary Time was February 27, 2022. It was the 8th Sunday and the Sunday before Ash Wednesday. The gospel that Sunday was from Luke 6; our gospel this coming Sunday is from Luke 9. Both are with a section of Luke labeled as “The Ministry in Galilee” (4:14–9:50). It is a lot to cover so I will post an outline following this posting. Continue reading →

Forever changed

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Do you enjoy magic shows? I do – they are just a lot of fun. Many years ago, as part of a white water rafting trip, we spent several days in Las Vegas. I took the opportunity to see one of the big-time, over-the-top, oh-my-gosh-how-did-he-do-that magic shows.  I am totally willing to suspend scientific inquiry long enough to accept the invitation, enter the moment, and be totally entertained. It is part mystery, part force of personality, coupled with flair, a sense of the dramatic, and showmanship that makes it enjoyable. Of course I was sitting next to a curmudgeon who kept leaning over to whisper, “I know how he did that.”  Since he was unwilling to leave the realm of knowledge and disbelief behind, he was not inclined to accept the performer’s invitation, did not enter into the mystery, and was unchanged by it all. Continue reading →

What the heck – part 2

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In yesterday’s post, we recounted the story of the Queen of Judah, Athaliah, and the murderous manner is which she captured the Throne of King David. She reigned for seven years and profaned the Temple with worship of other gods. Eventually her grandson Joash (or Jehoash), the only one to escape her murderous escapades, emerged from hiding and became, at age 7, the light of rebellion and restoration of right worship in the Temple. Continue reading →

Apostle of the Blessed Sacrament

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This weekend the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, a feast perhaps better known by the Latin Corpus Christi. At its core, the solemnity is a celebration of the Tradition and belief in the Eucharist as the Real Presence of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Many folks wonder why this celebration is not part of Holy Thursday, and it was, mixed in with other themes, e.g., institution of the priesthood. And, all this occurs in the shadow of Good Friday. The placement of the celebration was not one that necessarily lends itself to a joyful celebration. Continue reading →

The Will of God

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When you consider the “Our Father” (or “the Lord’s Prayer” if you prefer), is there a particular part that stands out for you? I have never asked the question of people and parishioners, but based on other conversations, I suspect that “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive others…” is a passage that particularly stands out. It reminds us of what grace and mercy we have received and the too-many-times we fail to be as merciful to others. Continue reading →

What the heck?

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The first reading for today is from the 2nd Book of Kings. I think “what the heck….” is a good first response once you have completed your read. I wonder if I commissioned a poll in which the average person on the street heard the reading and then asked its source, given two choices, which they’d pick? My poll would offer (a) Games of Thrones and (b) The Book of Kings. I am guessing Games of Thrones would win because only the hard core fans remember the names and most people would wonder if the Book of Kings was a real thing…. I mean the names did not sound as though from the English monarchy. Continue reading →

Feeding the people

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This coming Sunday the Church celebrates The Solemnity of Corpus Christi. In yesterday’s post we find the apostles hesitating and falling back on the ways of the world when faced with the enormity of feeding more than 5,000 people.

The feeding of the five thousand had a meaning for the early church in the responsibility of the leaders to feed the flock, particularly with preaching and the Eucharist. This is the one miracle, apart from the resurrection, recounted in all four Gospels. Luke shares the story with the other gospel writers, but does not include Mark’s mention of the compassion of Jesus for the people or the messianic allusion (Mark 6:34). However, the abundance of good stands as a two-fold lesson to the Twelve: abundance is found not in the power to purchase with money, but in the power of the Lord; and, those who give receive back even more extravagantly. Both lessons reinforce what they have learned on their own journey. Continue reading →

Our heroes

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Today’s first reading is from the Wisdom of Ben Sira also known as Ecclesiasticus, a book that is part of the canon of the Old Testament for Catholics and Orthodox, but not for Protestant or Reformed denominations. Why? That’s a topic for another post. The contents of the Wisdom of Ben Sira are of a discursive nature, not easily divided into separate parts, but most scholars agree that Chapters 1–43 deal largely with moral instruction; 44:1–50:24 contain a eulogy of the heroes of Israel – our reading is drawn from this section. There are two appendixes in which the author expresses his gratitude to God (51:1–12), and invites the unschooled to acquire true wisdom (51:13–30). Continue reading →

Our faith and the enormity of the problem faced

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This coming Sunday the Church celebrates The Solemnity of Corpus Christi. In yesterday’s post we find the apostles hesitating and falling back on the ways of the world. When faced with the enormity of feeding more than 5,000 they fall back on sensible courses of action. 13 He said to them, ‘Give them some food yourselves.’ They replied, ‘Five loaves and two fish are all we have, unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people.’ Continue reading →

The Mantle Passes

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In the first reading today we witness the passing of the mantle (אַדֶּרֶת addreth in Hebrew) from Elijah to Elisha. What is a mantle? Although there are variations of the meaning of mantle in the Bible, the main idea is that of a covering such as a cloak or covering as outerwear appearing in the OT (e.g. Joshua 7:21) and NT (e.g. Hebrews 1:12, in the Greek). In biblical times, a mantle was typically a large, loosely fitting garment made of animal skin, probably sheepskin. Several people are mentioned as wearing a mantle, including Job (Job 1:20) and Ezra (Ezra 9:5). The mantle served the practical purpose of keeping people warm and protecting them from the elements. It also served a symbolic purpose, in the case of the prophets, showing they were wrapped in God’s authority – a sign of their calling from God (1 Kings 19:13). Continue reading →