Tomorrow the Army-Navy football classic will be broadcast live from Foxboro’s Gillette Stadium, but it will not be the only Army-Navy “classic” this week. Last night was the annual Army-Navy Star Swim Meet – and it was broadcast live on ESPN+ with Rowdy Gaines as the announcer! This is big time! Continue reading
The expression “sensus fidelium” means the sense of the faithful. It played a large role in the dogmatic statement of the Immaculate Conception.
It’s important to understand what the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception is and what it is not. Some people think the term refers to Christ’s conception in Mary’s womb without the intervention of a human father; but that is the Virgin Birth. Others think the Immaculate Conception means Mary was conceived “by the power of the Holy Spirit,” in the way Jesus was, but that, too, is incorrect. The Immaculate Conception means that Mary, whose conception was brought about the normal way, was conceived without original sin or its stain—that’s what “immaculate” means: without stain. The essence of original sin consists in the deprivation of sanctifying grace, and its stain is a corrupt nature. Mary was preserved from these defects by God’s grace; from the first instant of her existence she was in the state of sanctifying grace and was free from the corrupt nature original sin brings. Continue reading
This coming Sunday is the 2nd Sunday of Advent. John the Baptist is a crucial figure in the history of revelation and redemption. In retrospect, his appearance in the wilderness was the most important event in the life of Israel for more than three hundred years. The absence of a prophet throughout this period had been interpreted to signify that the prophetic task was accomplished. Yet all clung to the hope that the “faithful prophet” would appear, the Prophet like Moses, whose coming would signal the events of the “last days” (Deut. 18:15–19; 1 Macc. 4:42–46; 14:44). The very fact of John’s appearance was an eschatological event of the first magnitude, and signified that the decisive turning point in the history of salvation was at hand. It was John, the preacher of radical repentance, who initiated the messianic crisis. To speak of the gospel of Jesus is to speak of the good news which began with John. Continue reading
The first reading today again comes from the Prophet Isaiah. Over the course of the week so far, the readings from the prophet have moved from the promise and announcement of the hoped-for King and redeemer, to the King establishing his rule, to yesterday’s banquet scene to which the faithful are invited and all are welcomed. This is the King more powerful than worldly empires and more trustworthy than all the successors to David’s throne. This is the King who comes to us in the Holy Eucharist. Continue reading
“Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan,” words famously spoken by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as he addressed a joint session of Congress. He finished his speech with a request for Congress to make a formal declaration of war against Japan, thus entering the United States into World War II. Continue reading
This coming Sunday is the 2nd Sunday of Advent. 2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. 3 A voice of one crying out in the desert: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.’”
We often interpret vv. 2-3 in light of Matthew and Luke where they clearly refer to John the Baptist. John is presented before the OT quotes are given. However, in Mark, the only person who has been named prior to the quotes is Jesus. Note also, for those who have difficulty memorizing scripture, Mark’s quote is a hybrid: v. 2 seems to come from Ex 23:20 (LXX) and Mal 3:1 (MT) and v. 3 from Isaiah 40:3, but not quoted exactly. Continue reading
The first reading today again comes from the Prophet Isaiah. In yesterday’s post what has been, in times past, promised and announced, comes to fruition as the Promise One is depicted as ruling. In place of the kings from the line of David which proved to be faithless and fickle, in defiance of the empires such as Assyria, those verses describe a king in who ushers in a reign of safety and security to which the weary exiles may come streaming in return. Continue reading
This coming Sunday is the 2nd Sunday of Advent. In the previous post we considered some questions that are posed by the very beginning of Mark’s gospel. In the previous post we considered the meaning of the words of Mark 1:1 – “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God – taking on the Marcan intent of “beginning” and “gospel.” Now we consider the phrase “Christ the Son of God.” A phrase too familiar to us. But what did the listeners of the 1st century hear, consider, and conclude? Continue reading
The first reading today again comes from the Prophet Isaiah. In yesterday’s post there is some background on the prophet and his writings which might prove insightful in this first week of Advent readings. But in today’s reading the messianic hope which began to be expressed in Isaiah 7:14 (Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign; the young woman, pregnant and about to bear a son, shall name him Emmanuel) and which was amplified in 9:1–6 (The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; Upon those who lived in a land of gloom a light has shone…) comes to full flower. Continue reading
This coming Sunday is the 2nd Sunday of Advent. Mark begins his writing with a statement by the narrator: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ (the Son of God).” For the people in Mark’s narrative the realization of who Jesus is will come only in starts and stops. As readers of this gospel, right from the beginning, we are given the answer to the question, “Who is he?” We already know this narrative is good news for us; news about what will happen to us and for us. Yet even as the opening answers big questions, we are left with other important questions, ones that will help us to plumb the depth of this good news. Continue reading
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