Category Archives: Musings

Inside and Out

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Tomorrow is Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion in which we will hear the well-known gospel of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem (from outside), The Passion narrative recounts many events inside the city as do the daily gospel readings. But at the end of the Passion, Jesus is again outside the city, crucified and entombed. There were those who cried Hosanna on Sunday and crucify him on Friday. There are those who swore they would stand by him no matter what and then ran away. With respect to the Messiah, Jerusalem and its inhabitants are a divided city. Continue reading →

Enslaved

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If you are attentive to the gospel readings so far this week it is clear that there is controversy in the air. The gospels are from John 8 and follow immediately upon the scene of the “woman caught in adultery.” It is important to note that John 7 is filled with back-and-forth arguments between Jesus and the religious leaders about Jesus’ identity. In John 7 Jesus uses terms like “the one sent” and behind closed doors the religious leaders wonder if Jesus is portraying himself as the Messiah or the great-Prophet-to-come as promised by Moses.  Ranging behind all this is the question of what is Jesus’ relationship to the Father? Is it something so completely different, so unique, that God is his Father in a way that God is Father to no other human being? This controversy ranges through the whole of the chapter; the issue refuses to stay down or go away. 

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Raise your eyes

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The first reading today is from the Book of Numbers 21:4-9:

With their patience worn out by the journey, the people complained against God and Moses, “Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert, where there is no food or water? We are disgusted with this wretched food!” In punishment the LORD sent among the people saraph serpents, which bit the people so that many of them died. Then the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned in complaining against the LORD and you. Pray the LORD to take the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people, and the LORD said to Moses, “Make a saraph and mount it on a pole, and if any who have been bitten look at it, they will live.” Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

The Book of Numbers is the title of the book in English, but the Hebrew title is, more commonly, bemiḏbar, “in the wilderness [of]”). “In the wilderness” describes the contents of the book much better than “numbers,” which is derived from the censuses described in later chapters. Our passage occurs after God has assigned them to wander in the desert for a generation because of their rebellion against the leadership of God. They seem to have to fight their way through the wilderness. 

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Commercial Shipping

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What does a priest do in his spare time? Perhaps the first question is whether I have any free time. Of course – life balance is as important for a priest as it is for any person. One of the “in my spare time” efforts is this blog now in its 14th year and with over 5,600 posts… I started out slow, but have picked up momentum. I also watch YouTube in order to keep up with World Tour Pro Cycling (Tour de France, Paris-Roubaix, Milan San Remo, and etc…), the world of competitive swimming (NCAA, Olympics, etc.), and my nerd channel – “What’s Going on with Shipping.”

According to its YouTube page: “What’s Going on With Shipping focuses on Maritime Industry Policy, and current events in the Maritime Sector, along with Maritime History. The channel features videos that examine the world’s merchant marines, the international maritime sector, current events in the maritime trade, and history.” The host of the channel/videos is Sal Mercogliano.

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The heavy lifting

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The first reading today from the Prophet Isaiah is a companion piece with yesterday’s first reading from Ezekiel. Both readings speak to a people in exile and both offer visions of restoration to the covenant people of God. Yesterday, Ezekiel offered a vision of living water flowing from the Temple to restore life to the land and the people. Today Isaiah offers a similar vision that the Lord “leads them and guides them beside springs of water. I will cut a road through all my mountains, and make my highways level.” (Isaiah 49:10-12) Isaiah reminds the people that the Lord will never forget them.

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The Lord is here

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In today’s first reading we hear from the Prophet Ezekiel. It is from the end of his prophetic writings and there is a lot of “water under bridge” that has led to this amazing vision of a new temple being the source of restorative and living water, water that is so inevitable, so powerful, that even the Dead Sea valley will be restored. The language used echoes that of the story of creation from the Book of Genesis, which portrays paradise as a garden, rendered fruitful by a river flowing out of Eden and dividing into four branches, and which Yahweh visits daily (3:8). The imagery Ezekiel provides finds later echoes in the prophets Joel and Zechariah. Ezekiel’s vision of the stream also lives on in the NT. One may recognize a veiled allusion in Jesus’ words in John 7:38: “As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water,’” presumably as a life-giving agent of divine grace and blessing. There are other NT references for which the use of specific Greek words might connect to Ezekiel 47, but without doubt the clearest reference is found in the last book of Scripture:

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Court Watching

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On March 31, the US Supreme Court will hear argument in Catholic Charities Bureau, Inc. v. Wisconsin Labor & Industry Review Commission. The branch of Catholic Charities involved in this case provides housing and job training to disabled and elderly persons in the Wisconsin Diocese of Superior

The origins of the case go back to 2016 when the Wisconsin Labor and Industry Review Commission ruled that the Catholic Charities is ineligible for an unemployment tax exemption. The state permits exemptions for organizations “operated primarily for religious purposes,” yet the Commission ultimately determined that the charitable works of Catholic Charities serves no “religious purpose” when it ministers to the poor, the elderly, and the infirm. The Commission ruled that Catholic Charities’ work is secular (and thus, non-exempt) because its activities resemble those of secular charities.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court acknowledged that the work was rooted in religious motivations, but that since the work lacked any recognizable religious activities such as worship, ritual, teaching the faith, or spreading a religious message. Hmmmm?

We don’t help others because they are Catholic. We help because we are Catholic.

Musing and Meaning

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Today’s gospel is a familiar part of the Christmas story – the Angel Gabriel inviting Mary into the plans of God for redemption and salvation of the world. I suspect we quickly want to jump the 9 months and have our thoughts move quickly to the Nativity of Jesus. But let us put things on “pause” for a moment and remember we are in the midst of Lent and in that vein let us reconsider this well-known story for this liturgical season. 

The Annunciation is deeply part of the Church’s tradition of religious art. The scene of the Angel Gabriel and Mary has been interpreted by many great artists: Da Vinci, Rembrandt, El Greco and countless other artists and iconographers over the ages.

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In All Circumstances

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In the first reading, we hear the end of the story of Naaman, a Syrian general, who has just been cured of his leprosy. When Naaman comes to Israel he encounters the prophet Elisha. Naaman has come bearing all manner of riches and gifts, but Elisha wants none of it. He simply instructs Naaman to wash seven times in the Jordan River. Pretty simple and ordinary, yes?

Lots of ways that Naaman could react. Scripture tells us he is not pleased. In effect he responds, “Are you kidding me? This nasty little river? I have great rivers in Damascus. Couldn’t I have washed there? And, aren’t you supposed to put on a big show? This was a serious waste of time.” And at that he turns to leave and go home.

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