Proverbs and Holy Trinity

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This coming Sunday marks Holy Trinity Sunday (Year C);  You can read a commentary on the readdings here.

Thus says the wisdom of God: “The LORD possessed me, the beginning of his ways, the forerunner of his prodigies of long ago; from of old I was poured forth, at the first, before the earth. When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no fountains or springs of water; before the mountains were settled into place, before the hills, I was brought forth; while as yet the earth and fields were not made, nor the first clods of the world. “When the Lord established the heavens I was there, when he marked out the vault over the face of the deep; when he made firm the skies above, when he fixed fast the foundations of the earth; when he set for the sea its limit, so that the waters should not transgress his command; then was I beside him as his craftsman, and I was his delight day by day, playing before him all the while, playing on the surface of his earth; and I found delight in the human race.” (Proverbs 8:22–36) Continue reading →

What does this mean?

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“And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim… At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd, but they were confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language… They were all astounded and bewildered, and said to one another, “What does this mean?” But others said, scoffing, “They have had too much new wine.” Continue reading →

You will receive power!

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Today’s post is a “guest column” from parish Director of Faith Formation, Barbara Ferreris

One of my favorite worship songs is from John Michael Talbot, “You Will Receive Power” and I would sing it at the top of my lungs in the minivan hauling kids, in the living room, anywhere I could play music! The words are drawn from the Book of Acts: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth.”( Acts 1:8) If you ask any of my three adult children if there is one song, one phrase they remember from their childhood, it would be this one! Continue reading →

He is Risen

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Art Linkletter used to have a radio and then a TV show (1945-1965) called Art Linkletter’s House Party. One of the segments on the show was “Kids say the darnedest things .” A lot of the best one-liners would show up in Reader’s Digest (…. yes, I know I am dating myself…).  Kids still say the darnedest things – and sometime the most profound. Continue reading →

Holy Relics and Marvel Comics

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For those of you who are fans of the Marvel Comic movies – most notably the final two movies of the Avengers series (Infinity Wars and Endgame) –  you certainly know all about Thanos and the Gauntlet . If you are not a fan, no worries, here is synopsis:

  • Thanos – universal bad guy. Thinks the universe is overcrowded, half the populations of the universe has to be gone, so he collects all the Infinity Stones, mounts them in a “glove” called the gauntlet, snaps his fingers (literally) and half of the universe’s population vanishes.
  • Avengers – the good guys who only have a 1-in-1,400,604 chance in defeating Thanos. They need to get the gauntlet to save the universe.
  • …and… well, long odds indeed, but I don’t want to spoil any endings.

Continue reading →

The promise of my Father

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This coming Sunday marks the Pentecost Sunday (Year C);  You can read a commentary on the Gospel here. The commentary covers more than the gospel reading, including John 20:19-31.

19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 (Jesus) said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the holy Spirit. 23 Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”  (John 20:19-23) Continue reading →

Save the Date Sunday

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When I was in seminary, our homiletics professor had lots of advice and pointers for the Sunday homily – I am about to ignore one of the pieces of advice. The professor was pretty adamant about not explaining theology. And I mostly agree with his point – it can make a homily really dry and fill it with language that needs its own explanation. The professor’s final point was that you are likely to give an inaccurate or heretical version of the theology in any case.

The professor in Systematic Theology would also agree. He made the point that almost every early heresy in the early Church came from people trying to explain the Incarnation, trying to explain how it is that Jesus is vere Deus, vere homo – truly God, truly human. The words in the Gospel of John seem so simple: the Word became flesh. And indeed, the heresies of the first four centuries of the Church are filled with controversies, serious in fighting, involvement of the Roman Emperors, and sometimes armies were formed, and battles fought. Explaining theology can be very dangerous stuff. Continue reading →

Ascension and Mystery

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The Ascension of the Lord is a great celebration of the Church. It commemorates the bodily ascension of Jesus into heaven. According to St. Luke it occurred 40 days after the Resurrection (Acts 1:3). It is a feast of great antiquity with liturgies and art of the 4th century already addressing it as a norm of the Church. In the Eastern Church this feast is known in Greek as Analepsis, the “taking up,” and also as the Episozomene, the “salvation from on high,” indicating that by ascending into his glory Christ completed the work of our redemption.

Especially in Western Europe, the Feast of the Ascension, falling on Thursday, traditionally has been a public holiday, allowing the faithful to participate in the holy day of obligation. In modern times, there are no mid-week public holidays in most places, and so, celebration of the feast diminished. There are many Christian traditions that do not celebrate the Ascension. In the early 1990s the Vatican gave permission for the local bishop to move the observance of the Feast of the Ascension from the traditional Thursday to the following Sunday, the Sunday before Pentecost. The permission to move was given so that the faithful might maintain contact with the importance of the feast. Continue reading →

The promise of my Father

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This coming Sunday marks the 7th Sunday of Easter (Year C); however, most dioceses will celebrate the Ascension of the Lord.

46 And he said to them, “Thus it is written that the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day 47 and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And (behold) I am sending the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” 50  Then he led them (out) as far as Bethany, raised his hands, and blessed them. 51 As he blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to heaven. 52 They did him homage and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and they were continually in the temple praising God. Continue reading →