• Bulletin Board, Announcements, Calendar
• Welcome and Website Protocol
• Editorial - Op Ed
• Article Archive

Print this page

Article Categories

• Book Reviews
• Open Letter
• Editorials
• Notes, Quotes & Comments
• Pastor's Study
• Project Millstones
• Sidebar Comments
• Weekly Message

Links

AMERICA Magazine
A balanced Catholic weekly magazine published by the jesuits of the United States for an intelligent Catholic readership. Go online to subscribe.

Liturgy
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.

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.'

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

National Catholic Reporter
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.

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

Search

Daily Scripture

+ 7th Week of Easter

“Parting is such sweet sorrow.”

Readings: Acts 20:17-27 Psalm 68:10-11, 20-21 John 17:1-11

I am in the world no longer, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. [John 17:11]

Shakespeare ‘penned’ the phrase quoted above. I didn’t understand it as a student of Shakespeare in high school but I began to understand it when I waved goodbye to my family as I sailed off to Italy on September 21, 1963 for a three-year stretch in Rome. In fact, it has multiple meanings and applications that I appreciate now more than ever before.

There is another phrase that perhaps gives credence to my thoughts so poorly expressed and it’s this: “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” Ah, that’s it. At times we need to separate from ‘the source’ in order to appreciate how important it is to stay connected.

The farewell speech of St. Paul in Acts and the farewell ‘prayer’ of Jesus in John’s gospel were more likely composed by the authors of these texts along the lines of the farewell speeches of great leaders of their times in order to attract the attention of Jesus’ followers.

The departure of Jesus and later that of Paul created ‘fallow’ time in the hearts of the neophyte believers that was absolutely necessary if they were to grasp the significance of Jesus’ message and the teachings of St. Paul.

We are once again in ‘fallow’ time as we prepare for Pentecost. It’s a time of discernment during which we are invited to ponder the words and deeds of Jesus so that in his absence, we may come to know his presence in the Spirit that remains within us and around us.

As we ponder, it is important to reflect on the gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and reverence of the Lord. And the fruits of the Holy Spirit are qualities that are characteristic of a community living in Christ: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty self-control and chastity.

There is much to ponder as we wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.

Daily Scripture

Monday June 11, 2007

+ 10th Week in Ordinary Time

It’s a ‘constitutional’ document.

Readings: 2 Corinthians 1:1-7 Psalm 34:2-9 Matthew 5:1-12

“Blessed are the poor in spirit… Blessed are they who mourn… Blessed are the meek… Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice….” [Matthew 5:1-4]

Matthew’s version of the Beatitudes is part of the longer Sermon on the Mount. It seems that it was his intent to depict Jesus as the ‘new’ Moses. Here is a new teaching from a different mount or rather here is the fulfillment of the Mosaic teachings that came from Mount Sinai. Matthew’s gospel is addressed to Jews who would of course be able to make the metaphorical connection between the two mountains.

The word ‘beatitude’ comes from the Latin word, ‘beatus’—pronounced bay-ah-tus—meaning ‘happy or blessed. Some preachers have referred to them as the ‘happy attitudes.’

They were incorporated into Matthew’s gospel at a time during which this new sect within Judaism had become countercultural. Jesus is not to be understood as a warrior whose mission it was to conquer Caesar but a liberator of the soul destined to live freely in the spiritual dominion of God as a daughter and son of God. Matthew’s theology was not refined and he certainly did not intend to separate Jesus from his Jewish roots.

I suppose it is the same tension in which we live today within a divided Christendom and in many ways in a divided Church whose leaders have become so dogmatic and doctrinaire about the minutiae of law abandoning in the process, the ‘spirit’ of the Gospel. They ‘mouth’ the teaching of Jesus but their actions belie the spirit of the Gospel.

“Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them...” [Matt 23:1-5]