2nd Sunday of Lent: 2nd Sunday of Lent: What is the Goal? One of the first things a new teacher learns is that you need to start with a clear idea of where you want to end up. If we’re not clear on what we want our students to learn, then our … Continue reading 2nd Sunday of Lent: Keep Your Eyes on the Prize (c)
Remember That You Are Dust – But That’s Not All
“Remember, Man, that you are dust.” The words of the Ash Wednesday liturgy are not simply telling us that we come from mere matter: they are reminding us that God has so much more in store for us. It’s a call to lift our eyes from the dust, and look to Heaven.
7th Day of Christmas: What Exactly is The Christmas Season?
There are some people who don't see the point of all this complexity: why not just celebrate Christmas and be done with it? But the Liturgical Calendar is not just about commemorating past events: it's about experiencing the events of Salvation History in our own lives.
Christ is King of the Universe . . . and of Our Hearts
The End of History? Christ is King! How easily we forget . . . What a fool I was when the Berlin Wall fell forty years ago. I naively thought that the apotheosis of the state into totalitarian forms of government was fully and finally exposed. Everyone knew it was an inhuman, deadly fraud. In … Continue reading Christ is King of the Universe . . . and of Our Hearts
Christ is King of All . . . Even The Holidays
Christ is King of All We know that Christ is "King of All," but do we know what that means? So Paul, standing in the middle of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship, I … Continue reading Christ is King of All . . . Even The Holidays
Keep the “Hallowed” in Halloween
We have forgotten Christ’s Victory, and so are left with only Death and Corruption, apparently unchallenged. A society that celebrates death and corruption for its own sake is, I submit, a society in deep, deep trouble.
There Are No Dead Ends With God (St. Monegundis)
As for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. (Genesis 50:20) There are no dead ends with God. Most of us are familiar with the story of Joseph in the Book of Genesis, how his … Continue reading There Are No Dead Ends With God (St. Monegundis)
J.S. Bach – Lobet Gott in Seinen Reichen (from the Ascension Oratorio)
This coming Thursday is the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord . . . at least in many dioceses (and of course, wherever the traditional liturgical calendar is followed). It may not surprise you, if you are a regular reader of this blog, that I'm not a fan of moving important feasts like Ascension Thursday … Continue reading J.S. Bach – Lobet Gott in Seinen Reichen (from the Ascension Oratorio)
We Are More Than What We Do: St. Joseph the Worker
They say that necessity is the mother of invention but, as today's feast of St. Joseph the Worker shows us, sometimes measures taken for practical purposes can point to deeper truths. Pope Pius XII The memorial of St. Joseph the Worker is a very recent addition to the liturgical calendar. Pope Pius XII, who wanted … Continue reading We Are More Than What We Do: St. Joseph the Worker