Daily Archives: August 5, 2024

An Unpopular Stand

Posted on by
Reply

It is always a tough thing to take an unpopular stand especially when among people you know will not support. Do we shy away from the moment – I mean, why waste time and effort? But what about as a listener? What about when one message is something you agree with or hope for, but the other message is one which warns things aren’t as they seem, you might be in the wrong, and if so the judgment awaits. Does one message more easily grab your attention? So you dismiss the message that challenges you? Continue reading →

Affliction and Balance

Posted on by
Reply

In listening to the story and pleading of Elias Syriani’s children, it was hard not to be overwhelmed with compassion for them and their cause.  A part of me was in the present, attentive to their stories.  A part of me was already experiencing fear for what awaited them knowing that their cry for mercy would fall on deaf ears. There was little hope for a stay of execution.  Were the children prepared for the new suffering that awaited them?  Would the recent joy of reconciliation and memories of reunion with their father be enough to sustain them through the sorrow that would come? Continue reading →

Getting our bearings

Posted on by
Reply

This coming Sunday is the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, lectionary cycle B. For five Sundays here in the middle of Year B, our gospel is taken from John 6. So, perhaps it is best to see where this reading fits in. John 6 follows the same basic pattern noted in chapter 5: miracle / dialogue / discourse. This pattern is more intricate in John 6 because the chapter narrates Jesus’ self-revelation to two groups: the crowd and his disciples. As such John 6 contains two miracles: one performed before the crowd and the disciples (6:1–15) and one performed in front of the disciples alone (6:16–21). This dual focus is reflected in the discourse material as well. John 6 can be outlined as follows: Continue reading →