Category Archives: Musings

Responsible not Privileged

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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 →

St. Francis Xavier SJ

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Tomorrow should be Feast of St. Francis Xavier SJ, however, the 1st Sunday of Advent is celebrated. I remember in March of 2013 while returning from a meeting of the priests of the deanery, the radio announced that Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, a Jesuit, had been elected and taken the name Pope Francis. My first thought was, “that’s a great choice” to take the name of one of the amazing saints of the Jesuit order, Francis Xavier, one of the church’s most widely traveled missionaries. I remember thinking that it was a sign that the universal (katholica) church would increasingly focus its attention on the world of the southern hemisphere.

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Chaos and Kingdom

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In this 34th week of Ordinary Time, in the shadow of the Solemnity of Christ the King of the Universe, we have been reading from the Book of Daniel, a book used in conjunction with Revelation to conjure predictions of the end of the world… depending on whether you are post-millennial, pre-millennial, or amillennial…but then that is a topic for another post. Continue reading →

Someone to preach

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Today is the feast of St. Andrew, the one named the Prōtoklētos – or “first called.” Andrew is so designated because as it tells us in the Gospel of John (John 1:35–42) Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist, whose testimony first led him to follow Jesus. Andrew at once recognized Jesus as the Messiah and hastened to introduce him to his brother, Simon Peter. Jesus called; Andrew answered: Apostle, missionary, martyr. Continue reading →

A random assortment of words

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The Thanksgiving holiday offers a little extra “down time” from the ebb and flow of parish life. It offers time to accomplish things, let the mind wander, read a book, or spend time thinking about a random assortment of words and phrases. With the Thanksgiving dinner complete, the refrigerator brimming with leftovers, one wonders about the phrase “cold turkey.” Continue reading →

Knowledge of Mercy

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In the morning prayer of the Divine Office, we began with Psalm 36: “Sin speaks to the heart of the sinner in the depths of his heart. There is no fear of God before his eyes. He so flatters himself in his mind that he knows not his guilt… all wisdom is gone. He plots the defeat of goodness..” 

Being Irish Catholic and a product of Catholic elementary and high school, there is no chance that I do not know my guilt. One can only hope that there is a residue of wisdom, Given that personally I am a big fan of goodness,  plotting its defeat is not something that is in the cards. I am not saying I don’t bruise goodness from time to time, but it was never part of a large insidious plot. Continue reading →

The Providence of God

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I am grateful for a day in which we, as a people, pause to give thanks. And who do we have to thank for this holiday? Your answer is likely “The Pilgrims.” You would not be wrong, but then not completely correct, either. Certainly, Thanksgiving and the religious response of giving thanks to God is as old as time. When one considers enduring cultures, one always finds men and women working out their relationship to God. There is almost always a fourfold purpose to our acts of worship: adoration, petition, atonement, thanksgiving. Such worship is part and parcel of life. And yet, there is still a very human need to specially celebrate and offer thanksgiving on key occasions and anniversaries. Since medieval times, we have very detailed records of celebrations marking the end of an epidemic, liberation from sure and certain doom, the signing of a peace treaty, and more. Continue reading →