This coming Sunday is the Solemnity of Christ the King: 31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, 32 and all the nations will be assembled before him.” Matthew, writing to a largely Jewish Christian audience, has, from the beginning, relied heavily on OT imagery and scenes. And as this commentary explores, and has already noted, the verses are particularly dense with OT references. Continue reading
The other days while celebrating Mass, it was after Communion that I noticed a lady bug was traipsing across the altar. The bright red shellback stood out nicely on the white linen of the altar cloth. My first reaction was a warm, cozy reaction likely stemming from childhood books and memories. So I gently picked the sojourning bug off the altar and found a place for it among the plants. Continue reading
The gospel for today tells the story of Jesus and Zacchaeus from the Gospel of Luke. St. Luke is a pretty good story teller. Luke chapter 15 is a wonderful collection of parables about things lost and found: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son. Different kinds of lost, but one kind of found. Continue reading
There are posts that I publish which “upsets the apple cart” so to speak. For example, a post where I show that St. Francis did not write the “Peace Prayer of St. Francis” or dispute various quotes attributed to St. Francis but words he never said. This might be one of those posts. Continue reading
I promise – this is the last background post….This coming Sunday is the Solemnity of Christ the King. It is probably right to read “least brothers” as a description of disciples. But to draw that conclusion does not establish that the “sheep” are commended because their treatment of disciples reveals their positive attitude to Jesus himself. For the striking feature of this judgment scene is that both sheep and goats claim that they did not know that their actions were directed toward Jesus. Each is as surprised as the other to find their actions interpreted in that light. They have helped, or failed to help, not a Jesus recognized in his representatives, but a Jesus incognito. As far as they were concerned, it was simply an act of kindness to a fellow human being in need, not an expression of their attitude to Jesus. They seem closer to what some modern theologians call “anonymous Christians” than to openly declared supporters of Jesus himself. Continue reading
This coming Sunday is the Solemnity of Christ the King. This passage from Matthew is particularly dense with OT references, uses language that has already appeared in earlier Matthean verses (thus already having a contextual meaning), and because of its eschatological setting, invites comparison with other sacred writers, especially, St. Paul. Hence a bit more “context” is needed, or better said, background. Continue reading
This coming Sunday is the Solemnity of Christ the King. Brian Stoffregen, a Lutheran Pastor, writes that he has a love/hate relationship with this gospel:
“I hate it, because it seems to make works the requirement for being blessed by God. There is no mention of faith or justification or forgiveness or the cross — the acts of God that bring us salvation. Rather, the text is all about human actions.” Continue reading
This coming Sunday is the Solemnity of Christ the King, Lectionary Cycle A. The gospel readings for the 29th through 31st Sundays in Lectionary Cycle A all describe a series of confrontations between Jesus and religious authorities of Jerusalem, namely the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 22 and 23). While not a part of Ordinary Time readings, Chapter 24 continues this theme of imminent destruction and coming tribulation (Mt 24:1-28). It is at this point that we turn the page to Matthew 25. It is here in Matthew 25 that we will finish the final three Sundays of this cycle of Ordinary Time: Continue reading
The amygdala is a part of the brain, no larger than an almond. It is the center of our fear response. Such a little thing that can control so much of our life and our choices. St. Irenaeus remarked that the glory of God is the human person fully alive. Amazing! Yet perplexing is that something as small as an almond can keep us from being fully alive and radiating God’s glory into the world. Continue reading
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
friarmusings 