Yesterday’s post In the Background, has lingered with me since I wrote the piece. In that post, when asked when the pandemic would end, Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University, replied: “It doesn’t end. We just stop caring. Or we care a lot less. I think for most people, it just fades into the background of their lives.” I wonder what part of my life and experience has faded into the background of life. Continue reading
As many of you know, I am a graduate of the United States Naval Academy – and we are coming to that time of year: the annual Army-Navy Football Classic. Army is having a great year with a 7-3 record and putting lots of points on the board. Navy is 2-8 and ….. it is not one of our best years. But when I was a freshman (aka “plebe” in USNA slang) our record was 1-8, but all was redeemed and made whole with a victory over Army. So, despite our record and the apparent prowess of the Black Knights of the Hudson, hope springs eternal!
Continue readingI have to admit I don’t give much thought to “regular flu.” I get my annual vaccination and live as I am called. “Regular” flu is just in the background of living in this modern world. Clearly the pandemic is not “in the background.” When asked when the pandemic would end, Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University, replied: “It doesn’t end. We just stop caring. Or we care a lot less. I think for most people, it just fades into the background of their lives.” Continue reading
Today is the feast day of St. Cecilia, the patron saint of music and musicians. She is one of the most famous of the Roman martyrs with her name being recounted in the Litany of the Saints. She is also a saint, for whom her story was passed on in oral narrative and not compiled until the fifth or sixth centuries. But not is not uncommon given the ongoing persecutions of Chrisitians in the last centuries of the Roman Empire. Continue reading
Is it our hope for the future, or our fear of creating the very thing that will destroy us? Welcome to the world of science fiction, si-fi. Science fiction (SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel universes, and extraterrestrial life. Continue reading
This coming Sunday we will celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King, the one who reigns over “things visible and invisible.” That classic expression from the Nicene Creed covers a lot, but it does remind us that we live as people surrounded by all manner of powers: secular, cultural, familial, demonic, and the list goes on. At some point I am sure each one of us wishes that Christ the King would reign a little more concretely over all those other powers visible and not. But perhaps the core intrinsic value of the Reign of God is love. And love always has to be a free choice. I just might be that for us to truly love, part of that commitment is to give up our freedom such that we have no choice at all except Jesus. Continue reading
The gospel today is in celebration of St. Elizabeth of Hungary. In her short life, Elizabeth manifested such great love for the poor and suffering that she has become the patroness of Catholic charities and of the Secular Franciscan Order. The daughter of the King of Hungary, Elizabeth chose a life of penance and asceticism when a life of leisure and luxury could easily have been hers. Under the spiritual direction of a Franciscan friar, she led a life of prayer, sacrifice, and service to the poor and sick. Seeking to become one with the poor, she wore simple clothing. Daily she would take bread to hundreds of the poorest in the land who came to her gate. Continue reading
In yesterday’s gospel we heard the account of the blind man along the roadside on the way to Jericho. The reading was from Luke’s gospel which leaves the man unnamed – he is named Bartimaeus in Mark’s account. Today’s gospel is the encounter in the city of Jericho with the tax collector Zacchaeus. Continue reading
The gospel today is Luke’s account of the blind man on the roadside who cries out: “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.”
The underlying word is eléos – I don’t know why they translate it as “pity” – the meaning is “to show mercy,” indicating a response roused by an underserved affliction in others. It denotes a kindness resulting from a relationship. Continue reading
Today is Veterans Day as well as the 100th anniversary of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the solemn landmark at Arlington National Cemetery honoring military personnel killed in action who have never been identified. Since 1999, a vacant crypt on the grounds has honored missing service members from the Vietnam War. The quiz below, from the Ashbrook Center at Ashland University in Ohio, provides an opportunity for you to test your knowledge of Veterans Day and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Continue reading
