• 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

Saturday January 15, 2011

+ 1st Week in Ordinary Time

He just likes to hear the sound of his voice!
.
Readings: Hebrews 4:12-16 Psalm 19:8-10, 15 Mark 2:13-17

“Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus heard this and said to them, “those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.’” [Mark 2:16-17]

It’s no secret that my mother was just a bit opinionated—quietly so in public, for the most part, not so quietly so at our family table. Though I often challenged her in my younger years, I now confess that she was frequently on the mark. She was never cruel in her remarks but made her point. Her lead in was this: “May God forgive me, but….” and then she would make her statement: “That guy loves the sound of his voice but there’s not much substance to what he has to say.”

In fact the guy was a blowhard and had answer to anything and everybody. Some of the scribes and Pharisees were also blowhards who thought they knew more than Jesus. It’s true, they were learned but they used their knowledge not to explore the depth of the divine mysteries but to impose their legal biases on the simple but not all the simple were simplistic. And that’s what attracted them,—sinners and all—to Jesus whose transparency was disarming.

Jesus was not narcissistic, interested only in the sound of his voice but totally absorbed by the Word of his ‘Father / Mother’ in heaven. Over time he became confident in his call, no matter what the consequences, and challenged hypocrisy wherever he found it. Oddly enough, he didn’t find it as much among sinners as he did among the religious leaders who confronted him. Hmm, “The more things change, the more they stay the same!”

When we are among sinners, we are in good company especially if Jesus is at the table because then we will know that we need not remain stuck in sin and that forgiveness is possible.

We too are called to the ministry of healing and reconciliation.