Rummaging

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Although most everyone calls today Palm Sunday, today is properly called Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion. In the opening Gospel we recall the wonderful account of Jesus entering Jerusalem. We get to get to celebrate, wave palms, and greet the Messiah. It is a moment of joy.

It is all rather short lived. Not only in history, but in our liturgy, too. As soon as our entrance procession is over, the readings take on a decidedly different tone. There was a time when I thought that reading the Passion was jumping the gun a bit. I mean, won’t Good Friday arrive in its own good time? Can’t we let the week unfold, walking the journey with Jesus as he spends the week? Can’t we wait to hear about the Last Supper, the betrayal, Gethsemane, the trials, Pontius Pilate, scouring, the crucifixion, and Jesus dead, laid in a tomb? What is the rush? Continue reading →

A guide to Holy Week

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Every year Christians commemorate the week before Easter Sunday with special traditions and devotions that help them enter into the Passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is a special time of the year, culminating in the biggest feast of the Church’s calendar – Easter. Here are the basics of what Catholics look forward to during the week that precedes Easter Sunday.

Palm Sunday. This day inaugurates Holy Week with the triumphal entrance of Jesus in Jerusalem. In the Gospels Jesus comes to the city riding upon a donkey with the people placing palm branches in front of him. At Mass on this day the congregation relives this event with a procession in the church and a solemn blessing of palm branches. The Passion narrative is also read on this day. Continue reading →

God has a Name

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If you are a frequent reader of this blog you know that I am a big fan of The Bible Project. The project/website is a great way to begin or deep dive into Sacred Scripture. As you can see from the menu there are videos to watch, an app to download, podcasts, detailed studies, a blog – and an opportunity to support their mission and ministry.

The-Bible-Project

Today’s blog post was super interesting: “God has a Name”  Here is the opening paragraph:

Have you ever read the Bible, especially the Old Testament and thought God seems to be called by a lot of names? Who is this Yahweh, Elohim, El Roi, Adonai, Savior, Redeemer, and Angel of the Lord? What happened to the simple Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? There are in fact, dozens of ways in which the people of Israel referred to God. Many of these names are revealed to us in Genesis and the rest of the Torah. This multiplicity of names can be a little confusing for those who don’t know ancient Hebrew. So we thought we’d do our best to open up this fascinating can of worms and show you why it’s important to understand the many ancient names of God.

Enjoy!

If you would like to see a video version you can find it here.

 

Leo X – the Protestant Break

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Born Giovanni di Lorenzo de’ Medici, he was the second son of Lorenzo the Magnificent of Florence. Early in his pontificate he oversaw the majority of and the closing sessions of the Fifth Council of the Lateran, but failed sufficiently to implement the reforms agreed. He is probably best remembered for granting indulgences for those who donated to reconstruct St. Peter’s Basilica, which practice was challenged by Martin Luther’s 95 Theses. He seems not to have taken seriously the array of demands for church reform that would quickly grow into the Protestant Reformation. His Papal Bull of 1520, Exsurge Domine, simply condemned Luther on a number of areas and made ongoing engagement difficult. Continue reading →

Perseverance

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As I have mentioned on previous occasions, one of the ministries here at St. Francis of Assisi in Triangle, VA, is to celebrate interment services at Quantico National Cemetery. It is an honor to minister to the families of women and men who served our country with honor and distinction. I am always moved when driving past the rows upon rows of my veteran brothers and sisters.

As I get older, I am not unaware that I am increasingly laying to rest a person younger than I – a little dose of mortality now and then is a good thing. Psalm 90 says that we are given 70 years or 80 for those who are strong. Yesterday I help lay to eternal rest Celestino Almeda. He reached 104 years old – and it was an active 104 years. At age 99 he was roaming the halls of Congress and the Veteran’s Administration seeking to right a wrong, an injustice.

Continue reading →

Ever present

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This week we have been reading from John 8 – it has been a week of tough conversations that followed Jesus’ basic statement: “I am the light of the world.” (John 8:12). And the Pharisees then and us now are challenged to discern what we see by that light. This part of John’s gospel is part of the Book of Signs, the seven miraculous signs that people could see and come to believe Continue reading →

Kept from the best

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In today’s gospel we listen into the ongoing conversation of Jesus with the Pharisees. In yesterday’s reflection I asked, “what will you see?” Today we see part of the answer on the part of Pharisees. And buried in that reply is one small phrase that points to the fact that they heard and inferred clearly what Jesus was claiming: that he was God. They rejected that saying, “We have one Father, God.”

It is often said that “the good” becomes the enemy when it keeps you from “the best.” Continue reading →

A day at my alma mater

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I spent the day at the US Naval Academy with classmates who were dedicating chairs in Alumni Hall for those in their company (35th) who had passed away as well as those who are still with us. It was a touching and moving ceremony – and great to spend time with classmates.

A rainy day view from the Chapel towards Michelson and Chavenet Halls
US Naval Academy Chapel

From seeing to believing

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In today’s gospel we see Jesus in an encounter with the Pharisees as time rapidly approaches the events we know as Holy Week. The Pharisees and other religious leaders have had about three years of reports, stories, encounters and more about this itinerant preacher from Galilee. How is it that the son of a carpenter is so well versed in Scripture and such a gifted orator? What about the reports of healings, driving out demons, healing leprosy, and all the demonstrations over the power of nature? The pieces of the puzzle are all there waiting to be joined into one clear mosaic. He is the one who teaches with new authority, who commands the power of the sea, the one who implies he has the power to forgive sin! But they just can’t put it together. They just can’t see it. Continue reading →