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Msgr. Byrne is a retired priest of the Archdiocese of New York, a kindred spirit of many and well respected by most Catholics in diaspora who yearn for a more collaborative church in line with the thinking of Bishop Geoffrey Robinson, Retired Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney, Australia.

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This link will keep 'parishioners-at-large' in touch with current creative liturgy sources and resources that respect a variety of 'traditions' within the Church.

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A 'lay' Catholic weekly publication with an accent on an intelligent analysis and commentary on curent issues, trends and concerns of interest to Catholics.

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A national Catholic lay newspaper covering events not usually covered or presented with a clerical bias in the local diocesan press or but of concern and interest to Catholics.

Survivos' Network for those Abused by Priests or Religious
A National Network of self-help support groups for people abused by clergy or religious.

Bishop Accountability
Vital information about the disclosure of sexual abuse and related issues affecting Catholics in the pew and the manner in which Bishops continue to exempt themselves from accountability

Voice of the Faithful
A 'movement' of lay Catholics 'inspired' by the abuse scandal calling for greater accountability of bishops to 'Catholics in the Pew.'

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Daily Scripture

Thursday July 24, 2008

+ 16th Week in Ordinary Time

The obvious is not always so obvious.

Readings: Jeremiah 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13 Psalm 36:6-11 Matt 13:10-17

To those who have, more will be given and they will have abundance. As for those who do not have, even what little they have will be taken away. [Matt 13:12]

I have never been comfortable with this text. I simply cannot imagine God deliberately disabling people, especially the poor and disenfranchised. Toward the conclusion of this passage, Matthew references Isaiah 6:9-10 in which the prophet expresses God’s frustration with those who had hardened their hearts.

Ultimately it was Isaiah’s task to ‘soften’ the hearts of the people, to dispose them to hear God’s word.

There is an additional problem with Matthew’s text. It appears that Jesus cultivated ‘insider trading’ by showing favoritism toward his disciples. This is an oversimplification, to be sure. Matthew was holding the outsiders – those who missed the connection between Jesus and the prophets and thus failed to appreciate the day of visitation.

But we ‘insiders’ are not always so open to God’s word and Jesus presence in our midst. Our biases and prejudices often blind us to the reality of God’s presence and the connection of the Gospel to our daily agenda. In fact, we are more prone to pursue our own agenda rather than God’s.

The ‘bottom line’ refers not to money or financial security assets but rather to faith and our commitment to ‘invest’ in our faith through good works. These good works in turn reap the reward of additional graces that sustain our faith.

Daily Scripture Archive»

Articles in the category "sidebar comments"

Computation of Easter

Saturday February 23, 2008

Info supplied courtesy of Jack Fetrow. It IS early this year. Easter is always the first Sunday after the first full moon…Read full entry

Of Interest...

Thursday December 6, 2007

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In the interest of truth, justice, balance and fair play.

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Saturday February 10, 2007

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Wednesday February 7, 2007

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Sidebar Comments - Extra

Wednesday January 10, 2007

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Tuesday January 9, 2007

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Spiritual Abuse

Saturday January 6, 2007

I came upon this article on the Web recently. It hits the nail on the head. Spiritual Abuse by Chaplain Larry…Read full entry

A Time for Tribute

Monday January 1, 2007

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A Chrstmas Meditation

Monday December 25, 2006

As I write this reflection we are fast approaching the winter solstice with its premonition of the end times. But searchers and…Read full entry

Second Sunday of Advent 'C'

Sunday December 10, 2006

Let’s connect all the dots. The word ‘glory’ is mentioned six times in the scripture readings assigned for this weekend. “Glory”…Read full entry

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Thursday November 16, 2006

ARCC spot LIGHT commentary on current issues in the Church provided by the ARCC (Association For the Rights of…Read full entry

The Iraqi Quagmire

Tuesday June 20, 2006

I published the following commentary in our parish bulletin several weeks prior to the United States preemptory strike against Iraq…Read full entry

The latest article in category sidebar comments

Computation of Easter

Saturday February 23, 2008

Info supplied courtesy of Jack Fetrow.

It IS early this year.

Easter is always the first Sunday after the first full moon following the Spring Equinox (which is March 20). This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that the Hebrews used to identify Passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar.

Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22) but that is pretty rare. This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives and only the very elderly of our population have ever seen it this early before.

The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you’re 95 or older, you are the only ones that were around for that!).

The next time it will be earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now).

The last time it was on March 22 was 1818. So, no one alive today has nor will ever see it any earlier than this year!