From Matthew to Mark

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This coming Sunday is the 1st Sunday of Advent in the new Liturgical Year. In the movement from the readings at the end of Lectionary Cycle A (Matthew) to the Markan Advent readings in Cycle B, it is noteworthy that the “end time” tone of the readings continue. The final course of Matthean Sunday gospels have the themes of vigilance, preparation, and the coming judgment.

  • 32nd Sunday: The Wise and Foolish Maidens (Mt 25:1-13)
  • 33rd Sunday: The Parable of the Talents (25:14-30)
  • Christ the King: The Great Judgment (25:31-46)

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Free Speech

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It was February 1964 and as was the family tradition we were watching the Ed Sullivan Show, a Sunday evening television variety show that ran on CBS from 1948 into 1971. That evening the BIG event was the first live television appearance of the Beatles. The nation was in the grip of “Beatlemania.” At the end of their performance, my father solemnly announced” “that’s not music, it is just a bunch of noise.” I think we were referred to the true musical offerings of Frank Sinatra, Glenn Miller, either of the Dorsey brothers, Diana Shore, Doris Day and some others. Like so many in the greatest generation the 1960s were confusing times as he watched the country enter a period of cultural and civil unrest. Everything was changing. More than once he lamented that if the world would stop, he might just get off. Continue reading →

Welcome to Advent

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This coming Sunday is the 1st Sunday of Advent in the new Liturgical Year.  Here at the start of Lectionary Cycle B, this reading from the Gospel according to Mark becomes a signpost to the Advent Season in its use on the first Sunday of Advent, the liturgical season that precedes and prepares for Christmas. It is a season of hope and of longing, of joyful expectation and of peaceful preparation. It is good to remember that Advent is a time of preparation and anticipation for the coming of Jesus Christ, both in his historical incarnation as a baby in Bethlehem and his future return in glory at the end of time. The readings during this season are meant to evoke a sense of longing, repentance, and vigilance – not just for Christmas but also for the destiny of Christian life. Continue reading →

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Imagine four people in a room. The first is a powerful dictator who rules a country. He commands armies, directs the lives of millions, and his wishes become law and are enforced. He possesses a brutal power.

Next to him sits a gifted athlete at the pinnacle of his physical prowess. This is one whose speed, strength, and endurance have few equals. His is a graceful power for which he is much admired and envied. Continue reading →

Politics, Marriage, and Young People

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The Washington Post Editorial Board had an interesting post this morning about, as the title hints, what is the state of marriage, is it being affected by current politics/political divides, and how is this all seen by young people entering adulthood? After reading the article I sought out some information on the general state of marriage in the United States. Continue reading →

Salvation or Perdition

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This coming Sunday is the Solemnity of Christ the King: 46 And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” There are only two possible outcomes to the judgment. The phrase “eternal life” is already familiar to us from 19:16, 29 (cf. also 7:14; 18:8, 9) where it has been seen to be synonymous with being saved or with entering the kingdom of heaven. This is, however, the only time we meet the phrase “eternal punishment” in Matthew, or indeed in the whole NT. It appears to be synonymous with the “eternal fire” of v. 41 and of 18:8, and cf. the “fire of Gehenna” of 5:22 and 18:9. 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 →

The Accursed

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This coming Sunday is the Solemnity of Christ the King:  41 Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. The words spoken to those on the left are the mirror image of those spoken in v. 34 to the “righteous:” “depart” instead of “come,” “accursed” instead of “blessed,” “eternal fire” instead of kingship, and a fate prepared in advance, though in this case not specifically for “you” but for the devil and his angels, whose lot the unrighteous are to share. Continue reading →