As St. John tells the story, John the Baptist introduced Andrew to Jesus and Andrew introduced his brother Simon, re-named Peter, to Jesus. A good model of evangelization — no fancy programs just one person inviting another to “come and see.” But what about the other guy? Andrew was not alone in going to see… Read More »
JANUARY32019
The divine indicative always precedes the divine imperative. Which is just a fancy way of saying that what we do reflects who we are. We already are the children of God. “See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are.” We don’t need… Read More »
JANUARY22019
When Jesus appeared before Pilate he said “the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth.” As a result, witnessing to truth is at the heart of the Christian life. That helps explain the concern of the St. John in his first epistle: “Who is the liar?” In… Read More »
JANUARY12019
St. Luke reports in his Christmas story: “the shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem.” Of course they did. The angel told them to. They wanted to get to the action. Everyone hastens to the party, to the event, to the happening thing. But that is not the whole story. They can’t stay in Bethlehem. They… Read More »
DECEMBER312018
A common poetic technique on Greek literature is known as chiasmus: phrases at the beginning of the poem are mirrored at the end of the poem in reverse order. Thus, the theme of the poem can be found in the middle, where the two patterns cross. The prologue of St. John’s gospel is such a… Read More »
DECEMBER302018
The Feast of the Holy Family was added to the Church’s calendar to highlight the importance of the Christian Family and to point to the Holy Family as a model for all families to follow. Even though Joseph and Mary were poor and had external forces against them, they provided a loving home for Jesus… Read More »
DECEMBER292018
“Tis the season to be jolly,” goes a popular song. But for many people this season produces as much sadness as it does jollity. These days often remind people of the rifts that exist in families or accent a sense of loneliness. Even the long darkness of the northern hemisphere can produce a sense of… Read More »
DECEMBER282018
Many Churches at Christmas time put on a pageant with the children dressed as angels, shepherds, Mary, Joseph, the magi and the little drummer boy. (Everybody needs a part!) If there is a newborn in the parish to add to the mix all the better. The cuteness of the scene should not distract us from… Read More »
DECEMBER272018
On the third day of Christmas the Church does not talk about three French hens but rather Saint John the Evangelist. Besides the Gospel that bears his name there are three epistles ascribed to him. The first starts off: “What we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we looked upon and… Read More »
DECEMBER262018
On the day after Christmas we can OD on sweetness — the literal sweetness of all the cookies we’ve eaten and the emotional sweetness of seeing the children happy and excited. But the Church does not indulge is such sentiments. Instead on the day after Christmas we turn to St. Stephen, the first martyr. The… Read More »
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