Month: December 2016

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Are We There Yet?

Advent’s Goal

Having already posted some thoughts on this Sunday’s readings, I hadn’t planned on writing a post today. Two things have conspired to change that plan. One, it is now snowing and is still rather cold out there. Two, I came across an idea in Bishop Robert Barron’s podcast homily for tomorrow that I’d like to play with a bit here today. As an aside, if you aren’t familiar with Bishop Barron and his work, do yourself a favor and go to wordonfire.org. You’ll find free podcasts, videos, as well as resources you can order (books and DVDs) that are all very helpful in exploring the Catholic faith and its implications in our time.   Continue reading “Are We There Yet?”

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Emmanuel

Fourth Sunday of Advent (A)

Think of a famous person whom you admire greatly. It could be an author, a movie star, a recording artist. It could be a star athlete, someone successful in business, or a politician. It could be a well-known priest or nun, or even the Pope himself. Now, imagine that, somehow, you have a chance to spend some time with this famous person you admire. You might feel excited as the day approached. But you might also feel nervous, even intimidated. “What would I say?” you might ask yourself. Here is someone who seems to live in a very different world from yours, far beyond anything with which you are familiar. Would you find anything in common with this person you find so admirable? Would you embarrass yourself when you tried to speak?  Continue reading “Emmanuel”

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Renouncing Our Possessions?

Feast of St. John of the Cross

“Every one of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.” –  Luke 14:33

In the Gospel for the Mass of the feast of St. John of the Cross, Jesus is explaining to the crowds that they need to realize that there is a kind of cost to being a disciple. They need to know this. Jesus compares this to someone who decides to build a tower without seeing if that person has the resources to finish the job. Or, a king who needs to determine ahead of time if he can defeat another king in battle or not. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Jesus gives the crowds that line about renouncing their possessions. Somehow, Jesus is saying, this renouncing is at least one “cost” that any disciple must expect to pay.

What can this “renouncing” mean?  Continue reading “Renouncing Our Possessions?”

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Am I Not Your Mother?

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Christopher Columbus died in 1506, still convinced that the lands he had seen on his voyages west from Spain were islands just off the east coast of Asia. By this time, however, other explorers were beginning to suspect something else: that they had come upon a continent hitherto unknown to anyone in the “Old World”, with peoples hitherto unknown. Some came to these lands with the idea of bringing the Catholic faith to these peoples. Others had visions of wealth and fame for themselves and for Spain, and sought to exploit the native peoples for these purposes. Soon, there were debates in the Spanish universities over the question of whether these “Indians” had souls. Some, like Bartolome de las Casas, forcefully defended the native peoples. Others argued that, since these peoples could not be traced to the three sons of Noah, they could not be truly human and therefore did not have souls.

This was not some merely academic dispute. If these native peoples were seen as not truly human, therefore any Christian notions of love or human dignity did not apply to them. They could be exploited without any qualms of conscience.  Continue reading “Am I Not Your Mother?”

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Are You The One?

Third Sunday of Advent (A)

There is something about being confined against our will, even if only for a time, that invites us to stop and reassess our lives. The young Francis of Assisi, captured and imprisoned after a battle; the young Ignatius of Loyola, recuperating after being injured in battle: both of these men were led to ponder their lives and ask themselves if they were moving in the right direction or not. Something similar happens to many of us: an illness, a time in jail, or simply the gradual aging of our bodies, can be occasions to stop and take stock of our lives and how well we have honored our deepest commitments.

In today’s Gospel reading, we meet John the Baptist. When we last saw him (last Sunday), he was boldly proclaiming the need for repentance by the Jordan River, and announcing that this Jesus of Nazareth was the long-awaited Messiah. But now John, in prison, has a question for Jesus. “Are you the one who is to come, or must we wait for another?”  Continue reading “Are You The One?”