It is but a simple, single verse from our first reading (2 Peter 1:2-7): God “…has bestowed on us the precious and very great promises, so that through them you may come to share in the divine nature, after escaping from the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire” (v.4) And that simple phrase, “to share in the divine nature” has been the fountain from which has flown endless reflection, speculation, and wonder over the millennia. Continue reading
This coming Sunday is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. 16 The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. 18 Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Mt 28:16-20) Continue reading
This coming weekend is Pentecost Sunday. The first reading for Pentecost Sunday is the account from Acts 2 so familiar to every Christian. Luke’s account is a very public event compared to the very private Johannine account. Why the difference? Some scholars defend the basic historicity of the entire Lucan narrative; others conclude that it is essentially Luke’s theological attempt to explain the coming of the Spirit, not an historical account of actual events. Some, holding to the historicity of the Lucan account in Acts 2, hold that John’s account is symbolic only. Continue reading
This coming Sunday is the 6th Sunday of Easter in Lectionary Cycle B. This gospel continues the pericope begun last week (John 15:1-8) that begins “I am the true vine…” The gospel is part of the larger “Farewell Discourse” that occurs during the evening when Jesus gathered with his apostles for the “Last Supper” before his passion and death. Some point from last week’s notes are: Continue reading
In the gospel reading for today we heard Jesus tell some bystanders who wanted Jesus to plainly say that he was the Messiah. Jesus replied: “But you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.” Continue reading
I am sure that you’ve read the overnight news about the container ship collision with Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge. Let us pray for the people driving across the bridge, the workers on the bridge, any others injured in the event – and for the traffic problems Baltimore will face for a long time to come. If you want to see a great technical report on the accident, I’d recommend Sal Mercogliano’s video.
Hamlet, Act III, Scene I offers us the famous line: “To be or not to be, that is the question…” Moses tells us in today’s first reading from Deuteronomy, that the right question is a lot more important than mere existence. God’s admonition to us is that we are to always choose life. The right question is whether we understand what it means to chose life and will we do it? Continue reading
Someone sent me a funny meme this morning. Someone asked a priest: “So what are your Valentine’s Day plans?” The priest responded: “I have to work and remind everyone of their inevitable deaths.” I thought it was funny. My oldest sibling asked if that was from “The Book of Morbid Priest Jokes.”
In today’s readings for Ash Wednesday, we encounter Jesus in the midst of the “Sermon on the Mount” from the Gospel of Matthew. As my friend, Fr. Bill points out, the entire context of these verses is that prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are a “given.” Jesus is operating out of the understanding that faithful people already are doing those things. In other words, Jesus doesn’t recommend a new set of practices, rather he addresses the underlying attitude about those practices. Continue reading
