Deep Calls to Deep Roc Homily (a) – 3rd Sunday Ordinary Time (A) 2017
The Prayer for Christian Unity also serves to highlight our divisions. I understand that there are somewhere around 25,000 different Christian Churches in the US. NOT denominations, churches, and each one claiming absolute truth. Our remembrance of the 44th anniversary of Roe v. Wade also brought up deep divisions in our country around “Who is truly […]
Roc Homily (e) – 2nd Sunday Ordinary Time (A) 2017
Here’s my first attempt at dealing with the meaning of “atonement.” The Oxford-English Dictionary defines “atone” as “making reparation for a wrong or injury.” However, the medieval Latin word, adunamentum, means “unity” from an obsolete verb meaning “to unite.” So, what sounded as a hip dealing with this concept in the 1970’s as “at-one-ment” is actually true […]
Roc Homily (d) – 2nd Sunday Ordinary Time (A) 2017
A few folks asked, “What’s all this about paying a debt?” Here’s a shot at it before launching into John Calvin… Theologians throughout the ages have grappled with “Why did this happen? Why did Jesus die? What does it mean he died for our sins?” This piece from Isaiah, read on Good Friday, seems to […]
Roc Homily (2) – 2nd Sunday Ordinary Time (A) 2017
1. ATONEMENT: St. Anselm and his theory of atonement Thanks to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satisfaction_theory_of_atonement St. Anselm of Canterbury first articulated the satisfaction view in his Cur Deus Homo? as a modification to the ransom theory that was postulated at the time. The then-current ransom theory of atonement held that Jesus’ death paid a ransom to Satan, allowing God to rescue those under Satan’s bondage. […]
Roc Homily – 2nd Sunday Ordinary Time (A) 2017
“Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) One of the first occurrences in Leviticus of the Greek, ‘amnos (one of 3 terms in Greek that means ‘lamb’), happens in 14:1. This passage describes an elaborate ceremony in which the priest ritualizes the return of a leper who has been made […]
Roc Homily – Feast of the Epiphany (A) 2017
The Feast of the Epiphany invites us to consider the Catholic notion of paradox – both/and. We’re asked to reside in between opposites. For example: On the one hand, we have these magi coming from Persia, present day Iran and Syria seeking the newborn king. On the other hand, we see King Herod, the chief […]
Roc Homily – Solemnity of Mary 2017 (fin)
Finally! As we saw earlier, some shepherds were takers and not givers. And the sign of hope for them (us!) was that they came to THE Shepherd. For us, can we recognize how we take without giving? And come to the Shepherd? And Mary “engaged, debated, made war against” all she had seen and heard. […]
Roc Homily (intro) – Solemnity of Mary 2017
From my study of the Greek work, poimén, meaning ‘shepherd’, it seems that we have overly romanticized these characters, made them innocuous. Of course, some have described them as poor, outcasts, smelly, and rude. However, the connections Matthew drew upon tells a different story. Two stories, actually, since the shepherds came to visit THE Shepherd. What might […]
(Belated) New Year’s Reflection
January 1, 2017 + Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God “The LORD bless you and keep you! The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!” (Numbers 6:24-26) This New Year’s blessing taken from the first reading for […]
Roc Homily – Christmas 2016
A belated Merry Christmas to family & friends! The picture sets the scene. The audio says it all. The people who walked in darkness have seen a tiny bright light; Those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them the light has shined. The people whose darkness keep them apart have found a welcoming light. […]
Deep Calls to Deep 