Author: The Anchorite

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The End Of The World?

Tuesday of the Ninth Week of Ordinary Time

“Beloved: Wait for and hasten the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved in flames and the elements melted by fire. But according to his promise we await new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”  – 2 Peter 3:12-13

Scriptural references to the “end of the world” have attracted a great deal of attention over the centuries. Despite the Lord’s warning that no one knows the day or the hour – “not even the Son” (!) – people in every generation continue to scan the Scriptures, proclaim that they have broken the ‘code’, and that they have found references to contemporary nations, events and people in places like the book of Revelation. This, for them, ‘proves’ that the End is in sight. In fact, for some, the End can be given a specific year or date.  Continue reading “The End Of The World?”

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Covenant and Sacrifice

Corpus Christi (B)

This Sunday, we celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi – the Body and Blood of Christ. As Catholics, our attention this day naturally focuses on the Sacrament of the Eucharist, which makes present to us – sacramentally – the very Body and Blood of Christ. Yet, the Scripture readings we have for this day speak to us of covenant and sacrifice as well as blood. The first two readings mention the rites of animal sacrifice that were prevalent in ancient Israel.   Continue reading “Covenant and Sacrifice”

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Different Gifts, One Spirit

Pentecost (B)

It was Thanksgiving morning. While eight-year-old Sarah and her siblings were watching the Macy’s parade, their parents were preparing Thanksgiving dinner. When dinner was over, Sarah’s mother told the children, “Now that Christmas is only a month away, be sure to make a list of what you want Santa to give you.”

And so it happened! Sarah’s siblings made their lists, but Sarah didn’t. A week later, her mother asked her why she hadn’t made a list for Santa. Sarah replied, “But, Mom, if I tell Santa what I want, I’ll never know what he wanted to give me!”  Continue reading “Different Gifts, One Spirit”

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Witnesses To The Resurrection

Seventh Sunday of Easter (B)   Acts 1:15-26

As we near the end of our journey through the Easter season this year, our first reading calls our attention to a moment very early in the Easter journey of the early Church. Earlier in this chapter, Jesus told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the promised outpouring of the Holy Spirit. After Jesus’ Ascension, those first followers of Jesus – the Apostles, Mary, some of Jesus’ relatives, and other disciples – are gathered specifically to wait and pray in anticipation of the fulfillment of this promise. We are told of only one other thing they actually did before this first Pentecost of the Church. It is here, in our first reading.

Continue reading “Witnesses To The Resurrection”

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Boundaries

Sixth Sunday of Easter (B)   Acts 10:25-48

Something there is that doesn’t love a wall. – Robert Frost

Boundaries.

Every living thing, from the simplest one-cell amoeba to the complex organisms that we call our bodies, needs boundaries. The boundary separates what is included in the living thing from what is outside it. This boundary needs to be strong enough to enable the living thing to exist as a separate being, but not so strong that it keeps the living thing from interacting with the outside world.  Continue reading “Boundaries”