The States was founded by insisting on our rights “to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Subsequent history as enumerated further rights — the right to bear arms, the right to free speech. While insisting on rights might be proper in the political realm, it doesn’t work so well in the spiritual. For example,… Read More »

Sunday inaugurates Advent, the beginning of the Church’s year. This week as the end of the Church Year features readings about the end of time. Endings followed by beginnings. At the end, according to the Bible there will be troubles and woes. Jesus concludes the list of catastrophes:  they will put some of you to… Read More »

Preachers don’t talk about God’s wrath much anymore but it is a big part of the Biblical tradition. We read in the book of Revelation: The angel cut the earth’s vintage [and] threw it into the great wine press of God’s fury. This Word inspired the poem/song by Julia Ward Howe, The Battle Hymn of… Read More »

One of our priests told me a story of visiting an elderly woman at her house in Mexico. As he was leaving she pressed a peso into his hand. “This is for the poor, Padre.” He looked at her house — a wattle frame, thatched roof, dirt floor, cooking over an open fire. “Who are… Read More »

One Good Friday Father Murphy was furious to find that the local pub was full of patrons. He stormed in and marched the entire group over to the Church. They he proceeded to rip into them about the meaning of their faith. He culminated by challenging the group. “If you want to go to heaven,… Read More »

Many years ago when I worked at LSU there was a big push on the part of the “non-denominational” church on campus to recruit Catholics. At one point I engaged in a debate with their minister about certain points in the Bible. Looking back it was a mistake. Few there are they come to faith… Read More »

Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out those who were selling things. Jesus driving the “money changers” out of the temple was an important memory for the Church — all four gospel writers report it. The scene is sometimes used to say that it is okay to be angry. However, zeal is… Read More »

When you walk down from the Mount of Olives toward Jerusalem you come to a chapel called Dominus Flevit, Latin for  “the Lord wept.” This site (or one near it) commemorates the occasion when Jesus drew near Jerusalem, he saw the city and wept over it. John the Seer also shed many tears according to the Book… Read More »

The Gospels as we have them reflect a decades long development with three layers: what Jesus said and did, how the Church remembered that, what the evangelist wrote down. The parable of the talents in St. Matthew has a different twist in St. Luke. We take as revelation the text we have received. St. Luke… Read More »

There is a famous painting by 19th century artist William Holman Hunt entitled “The Light of the World.” It pictures Jesus holding a lantern and knocking on a door. The door is overgrown with vines and obviously has not been opened in some time. This, of course, evokes the saying the Book of Revelation: “‘Behold,… Read More »