A few years ago I ran across an amazing story ("Ancient Sea Rise Tale Told Accurately For 10,000 Years") from Scientific American, detailing how aboriginal Australians have preserved, via oral tradition, accurate information about geographical features that have been underwater since the end of the last Ice Age, circa 10,000 years ago. The article is … Continue reading Aborigines, Atheists, and the Authenticity of the Gospels
Is it I, Lord? (Good Friday)
When Jesus says to them, "You will all fall away” (Matthew 26:31), he’s not speaking only to his Apostles, but to all of us who have been his disciples in the millennia since, as well as all those in the years to come.
Who Are Those Cheering People? Palm Sunday/Passion Sunday
There’s something a little unsettling about Palm Sunday. It appears that the same people who welcome Jesus as a victorious king at the beginning of the week are screaming for his death by its end. The liturgy reminds us of this incongruity by putting Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday together (at least in the Ordinary Form; … Continue reading Who Are Those Cheering People? Palm Sunday/Passion Sunday
Why did Jesus ‘Take the Form of a Slave’?
Christ has broken our chains, but here's the catch: we need to be willing to shake them off, get up, and follow him. "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." (Matthew 16:24) . . .
“Let It Be Done To Me According To Thy Word” – The Annunciation and Us
I often used to admire a stained glass window that looks down on the altar in the cathedral where I used to attend Mass with my family. The scene in the window is the Annunciation. It depicts the young Mary, kneeling on the floor and surrounded by angels, while God the father looks down on her … Continue reading “Let It Be Done To Me According To Thy Word” – The Annunciation and Us
Confession, Jonah, and the Prodigal’s Sons
I had never before considered how closely Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son parallels the last two chapters of the book of Jonah, but the comparison is striking. In the Old Testament book Jonah is sent to warn the people of Nineveh to repent their sins, or face the wrath of God. The Ninevites listen to the words of the prophet: like the Prodigal Son himself, they whole-heartedly repent, and in turn receive God's whole-hearted forgiveness. Who could object to that? As it turns out, Jonah could, and does, object . . .
Allegri’s Miserere- Music for the First Monday in Lent
Today's Music Monday For the 1st week of Lent features Allegri's Miserere, a beautiful and moving composition that also has an interesting history.
St. Paul’s Autographs
Let me tell you about how I became friends with a fellow named Paul, from Tarsus . . .
The Presentation, The Nativity, and The Passion of Our Lord
Today is the mid-point, the end of the beginning and the beginning of the end. Which is to say, today is the Feast of the Presentation, a perfect microcosm of both/and. The official Christmas Season ended a couple weeks ago on the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord, but the Presentation of the baby Jesus in … Continue reading The Presentation, The Nativity, and The Passion of Our Lord