Galilee

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This coming Sunday is the Solemnity of the Ascension. In the Gospel according to Matthew, this is the first scene in which disciples have appeared since they fled during the arrest of Jesus (26:56). Since that point in the narrative, Jesus has been crucified, died and laid to rest in the tomb. In the verses just before our text (Mt 28:7 and 10), the tomb has been just found empty by the faithful women who reported that an angel of the Lord and Jesus himself has appeared with a message for the “eleven disciples:” “Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” (v.10) Continue reading →

The Ascension History and Celebration

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The observance of this solemnity is of great antiquity. Eusebius seems to hint at the already established celebration of it in the 4th century. At the beginning of the 5th century, Augustine of Hippo says that it is of Apostolic origin, and he speaks of it in a way that indicates it was the universal observance of the Catholic Church long before his time. In any case, representations of the Ascension are found in diptychs and frescoes dating to the 5th century. Hymns for this feast are found in the Georgian Chantbook of Jerusalem which also dates to the 5th century. Continue reading →

Hope within

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I will not leave you orphans… (John 14:18)

It is estimated that in our time, there are more than 130 million children without parents.  One aid agency reports that every day ~6,000 children end the day as orphans.  In sub-Saharan Africa there are some 20 million children who became orphans because of armed conflict and disease. In Kenya there are about 700,00 orphans and 2.6 million children who have lost one parent. Continue reading →

On that day

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This coming Sunday is the 6th Sunday of Easter in Lectionary Cycle A. “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you.” (14:20) The expression “on that day” is a standard Johannine expression pointing to the “hour” when Jesus is glorified in the events surrounding the passion, death and resurrection [Brown, 640]. Jesus promises that the events of Easter will be the catalyst for them to realize two things. First, they would understand what they had not previously been able to comprehend (7–11), that Jesus and the Father are one and to see Jesus is to see the Father. Second, they would understand something new: with the coming of the Spirit they would be ‘in’ Jesus, and Jesus ‘in’ them. Continue reading →

Orphans

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This coming Sunday is the 6th Sunday of Easter in Lectionary Cycle A. “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” The second promise of continuing presence is Jesus’ promise of his own return (vv. 18-20). “Orphan” (orphanos) was a common metaphor to describe disciples left without their master but the use of the metaphor here has a special poignancy in the light of the familial and domestic imagery that runs throughout Jesus’ words to his own (e.g., 13:33; 14:2-3, 10-14; 15:9-11; 16:21-24, 27). Jesus’ promise that he will not leave the disciples orphaned recalls his use of the address “little children” in 13:33 and is an assurance that the intimacy of that familial relationship is not undercut by Jesus’ departure. His promise to return thus immediately counters any possible perception of Jesus’ death as his abandonment of his own. Continue reading →

Rules

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Recently someone remarked to me that sometimes the Catholic Church seems to be a collection of rules just for the sake of rules. I could provide a long list of examples, but I suspect you have in mind your own list of rules that give you pause. Of course one always has to discern if what you are hearing is actually a “rule” of the Church or just something someone offers as a rule – but just ain’t so. There are lots of people who offer that it is a “rule” that you have to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation during Lent. Nope. It is “the Easter Duty” to receive Holy Communion during the Easter Season – that’s a rule –  and there is a historical reason for it. Continue reading →

The Advocate

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This coming Sunday is the 6th Sunday of Easter in Lectionary Cycle A. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, 17 the Spirit of truth” This is the first occurrence of the noun parakletos in the Fourth Gospel. This word occurs five times in the NT. It is used in 1 John 2:1 to refer to Jesus; and four times in John’s Farewell Discourse (14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7). Continue reading →

Eye of Sauron

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eye-sauronFor those among us who are fans of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, there is interesting news from the world of  entomology. A new genus of butterflies has been discovered and named after Sauron, the arch-villain of the trilogy whose gaze lingers malevolently over the lands of Middle-earth. The butterfly sports dark, eye-like spots on its distinctive orange wings. An international team of scientists identified two species in the new genus — Saurona triangula and Saurona aurigera — but said there were most likely more.

In addition to the newly designated butterflies, Sauron has a namesake dinosaur, a dung beetle and a frog, according to the Natural History Museum. There’s also NGC 4151, a faraway galaxy that astronomers have dubbed “the eye of Sauron.”

Credits: image Warner Brothers, source for article, Chris Stanford, “New Butterflies Are Named for Sauron, ‘Lord of the Rings’ Villain” New York Times

Hold Dear

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This coming Sunday is the 6th Sunday of Easter in Lectionary Cycle A.  In yesterday’ post we concluded that the Johannine meaning of “commandment” is far broader than the Mosaic laws, rather encompasses the whole of Jesus’ life:  words, deeds and the ultimate measure – love. Now that we have an idea about what we mean by “commandments,” what does it mean to “keep” (tereo) them? Continue reading →

Love and Keeping Commandments

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This coming Sunday is the 6th Sunday of Easter in Lectionary Cycle A.  Jesus’ discourse (at this point) begins to move in a new direction by focusing on the ways in which belief  “into Jesus” (v.1) empowers the believing community (v.12 ff).  Jesus has emphasized that the works he does are not his own but are the Father’s; now Jesus begins to emphasize the link between his works and that of the believing community. Our gospel text describes two dimensions of the believer’s relationship with Jesus: (1) the inseparability of one’s love of Jesus and the keeping of his commandments (vv.15, 21, 23-24) and (2) the abiding and indwelling of the presence of God, even after Jesus’ death and departure with those who love him (vv.16-20, 22-23). Continue reading →