In the background

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I have to admit I don’t give much thought to “regular flu.” I get my annual vaccination and live as I am called. “Regular” flu is just in the background of living in this modern world. Clearly the pandemic is not “in the background.” When asked when the pandemic would end, Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University, replied: “It doesn’t end. We just stop caring. Or we care a lot less. I think for most people, it just fades into the background of their lives.” Continue reading →

Memorial of St. Cecilia

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Today is the feast day of St. Cecilia, the patron saint of music and musicians. She is one of the most famous of the Roman martyrs with her name being recounted in the Litany of the Saints. She is also a saint, for whom her story was passed on in oral narrative and not compiled until the fifth or sixth centuries. But not is not uncommon given the ongoing persecutions of Chrisitians in the last centuries of the Roman Empire. Continue reading →

First Sunday in Advent

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This coming Sunday is the start of a new liturgical year (Year C) and the first Sunday in Advent. The gospel is apocalyptic and seems, at first glance, an odd way to begin to run-up to Christmas. But then Advent was never meant to be a “run-up” to Christmas. The previous Sunday celebrates the Solemnity of Christ the King which portends the “age to come.” Advent is no less striking in its meaning – celebrating the two turning of the ages: the revelation of the reign of God and the birth of the Messiah. It is apocalyptic, but it also is a call to vigilance.

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The King

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I suspect if I asked most people, “Who is the King?” the answer might well come back “Elvis.” There is just part of us that lives in a pop-culture world. Besides, we Americans aren’t too keen on kings. After all, we fought a Revolutionary War to rid ourselves of English monarchs. Of course, we remain fascinated by them. Just look at the television ratings for royal weddings. Continue reading →

Science Fiction I have enjoyed

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Is it our hope for the future, or our fear of creating the very thing that will destroy us? Welcome to the world of science fiction, si-fi. Science fiction (SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel universes, and extraterrestrial life. Continue reading →

Filling in the gaps

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For many years I have “plugged away” at writing commentaries that are not overly technical, but help to give more depth and context to the verses being considered. Sometimes the daily Mass readings reveal “gaps” in my coverage of a particular gospel writer. Today’s gospel is one of those occurrences. So… I filled in one of the gaps. Continue reading →

Taking His place

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The gospel for today is a very short reading from the Gospel of Luke:

Then Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out those who were selling things, saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.’” And every day he was teaching in the temple area. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, meanwhile, were seeking to put him to death, but they could find no way to accomplish their purpose because all the people were hanging on his words. (Luke 19:45-48)

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Things visible and invisible

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This coming Sunday we will celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King, the one who reigns over “things visible and invisible.” That classic expression from the Nicene Creed covers a lot, but it does remind us that we live as people surrounded by all manner of powers: secular, cultural, familial, demonic, and the list goes on. At some point I am sure each one of us wishes that Christ the King would reign a little more concretely over all those other powers visible and not. But perhaps the core intrinsic value of the Reign of God is love. And love always has to be a free choice. I just might be that for us to truly love, part of that commitment is to give up our freedom such that we have no choice at all except Jesus. Continue reading →

St. Elizabeth of Hungary

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The gospel today is in celebration of St. Elizabeth of Hungary. In her short life, Elizabeth manifested such great love for the poor and suffering that she has become the patroness of Catholic charities and of the Secular Franciscan Order. The daughter of the King of Hungary, Elizabeth chose a life of penance and asceticism when a life of leisure and luxury could easily have been hers. Under the spiritual direction of a Franciscan friar, she led a life of prayer, sacrifice, and service to the poor and sick. Seeking to become one with the poor, she wore simple clothing. Daily she would take bread to hundreds of the poorest in the land who came to her gate. Continue reading →