Guardian Angels

Posted on by
2

Today is the Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels. You can find the readings for the memorial celebration here. I thought it would be interesting, instructional and fun to use Catholic.Chat to see what the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) provides about guardian angels. The CCC emphasized their role as protectors and guides for individuals. According to the teachings found in the Catechism, guardian angels are personal, spiritual beings assigned by God to watch over and assist each person throughout their life. Continue reading →

Questions and Response

Posted on by
Reply

This coming Sunday is the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time. As noted in the preceding section, the question is none too genuine. Both Jesus and the Pharisees – and anyone listening in on the dialogue – know that Dt 24:1, part of the Torah (Law), is the basis for the practice of divorce: “When a man, after marrying a woman and having relations with her, is later displeased with her because he finds in her something indecent, and therefore he writes out a bill of divorce and hands it to her, thus dismissing her from his house.” As ever, the Pharisees’ question has little to do with marriage or divorce, but concerns teaching authority (and their desire to trap Jesus so that they will be able to bring charges against him). Continue reading →

Lessons from Suffering

Posted on by
Reply

In the first reading, Job was nearly crushed by the pain of suffering. He tore his robe, shaved his head, and fell to the ground when he heard that his children had died (Job 1:20). He then cries out in despair:

“Job opened his mouth and cursed his day. Job spoke out and said: Perish the day on which I was born, the night when they said, “The child is a boy!” (Job 3:1-3) Continue reading →

The Meaning of Divorce

Posted on by
1

This coming Sunday is the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time. It is clear that it is lawful for a man to divorce his wife. However, the law as written did raise an important question: “What constitutes ‘something indecent?” There were different answers to that question. R.T. France (The Gospel of Mark, 378-88) has a paragraph full of quotes about the marriage: Continue reading →

The Trap

Posted on by
Reply

This coming Sunday is the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, lectionary cycle B. Although not included in our reading, Mark 10:1 indicates that Jesus is again on the move: “He set out from there and went into the district of Judea (and) across the Jordan. Again crowds gathered around him and, as was his custom, he again taught them.” Jesus is leaving his native Galilee and is on the road to Jerusalem. The tense of the verbs indicate that these are crowds that are habitually following Jesus. Perhaps these people were following Jesus in Galilee, have crossed the Jordan, and are moving towards Jerusalem. Continue reading →

Necessary Dialogues

Posted on by
Reply

The first reading today is taken from Numbers. It is during the time of the wilderness trek when Moses and the people have long since departed from Egypt but have not arrived in the Promised Land. There are lots of people on the trek and as you might expect, there are lots of problems and complaints. The Lord directed Moses to select 70 elders to help with the burden of leadership. As promised, the Lord gave the elders the gift of the Spirit and they immediately began to prophesy. At the same time there are two others, not selected as elders, who receive the same Spirit and they too are prophesying. Do the elders rejoice because the Spirit of the Lord is spreading among the people? Seems not. I guess human nature being what it is, the elders complain that the two are not officially elders. I guess their thinking is that the gift of the Spirit is only for elders. Moses corrects their misconception: “Would that the LORD might bestow his spirit on them all!” Continue reading →

A Final Thought: accepting others

Posted on by
Reply

This coming Sunday is the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time. “Greatness in the kingdom” is an odd expression given we are to walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8) but then that is rather Jesus’ point in this Sunday’s gospel. We are all able to cite: “the first shall be last and the last shall be first,” but none of us really wants to be at the end of the line. One only needs to think of the boarding process for any airline. Before the “boarding group” numbers are called people are already crowding closer to the gate. A few years ago on a flight from DC to San Diego, when the attendant called for anyone who needed a “little extra time in boarding”, a very elegant, tanned, fit and handsome couple presented themselves offering that they were “retired.” They seemed a bit oblivious to nearby people in wheelchairs, on walkers, and a mom traveling with two small children and twin infants. Part of accepting others is to first notice them. Continue reading →

In Season

Posted on by
Reply

As a confessor you encounter all kinds of people whose perspective on sins runs the gamut from everything is sin (most mortal!) to “well… I haven’t killed anyone, so I must be good.”  Of course there are very few who inhabit the extremes.  Most folks are somewhere in the middle, trying to be Christ-like in all things and all times, and like us all, falling short now and then. The folks “in the middle” try to be attentive to their life of prayer, worship, and service. They are reflective about their lives and come to the Sacrament of Reconciliation to confess, get some perspective, and above all to receive the healing grace of forgiveness. Continue reading →