Deep Calls to Deep 31st Sunday Ordinary Time – Audio Version…
Here is the audio of the homily that makes sense of all the references. The mystery of being humbled took on new meaning for me, anyway.
31st Sunday Ordinary Time – Humbled & Exalted #2
Exalted: “To exalt, be exalted” comes from hypsao, Let’s take a look at how it has to do with pride & arrogance: It seems that contentment, the feeling of power that comes from self-inflation, haughtiness, and self-worship / idolatry all fuel self-exaltation. Hosea 13:6 When I fed them, they were satisfied; they […]
31st Sunday Ordinary Time – Exalted & Humbled #1
St. Francis embraced… the inner hypocrite. Seem good? So, how are hypocrites humbled? Well, by insight into our lives. What did the Pharisees resist? Looking within the cup whose outside they just washed. What happens when we look inside the cup? Matthew understands their hypocrisy based upon self-idolatry, inner blindness/ avoidance, and putting up a good front. […]
31st Sunday Ordinary Time – “Breaking News: St. Francis embraces Leper!” Film at 10
This image from the legend of St. Francis of Assisi may prove to be the key to contemporary adult spirituality. Seems to me, anyway. It certainly will be the key to meditating on Jesus’ polemic against hypocrites. (Hypocrisy = our inner leper, BTW) Here’s a new version of that legend I found today: Francis encounters […]
30th Sunday Ordinary Time – Looking back & looking forward…
Here’s a late post of the audio version of my homily from last week. It sums up the studies of the past week and sets the stage for THIS Sunday’s polemic on hypocrisy of the scribes & Pharisees. Matthew seems to recognize how our divided hearts affect both the way we live and the ways […]
30th Sunday Ordinary Time – Love God with divided souls & minds…
Battered hearts, fearful souls, and prideful minds. Yep, back to that again. So, take these connections Matthew makes to psyche, “soul, life,” as the divine Ink Blot test, the Rorschach Jesus puts out there for our reactions. How do you like his ideals? Matthew 6:25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry […]
30th Sunday Ordinary Time – Loving God with Divided Hearts…
Every day I intend to love God and neighbor. Every day I slip back into the Spiritual Alzheimer’s that characterizes my comfort zone. I spend the rest of the day thinking about what I have to do, about whom I ought impress, about old resentments, and the like. So much for good intentions, eh? The […]
30th Sunday Ordinary Time – “You Will Love the Lord your God…”
I found this odd feature of the Greek verb, agapáo, “to love,” used in Sunday’s gospel. It’s in the future tense. There may be scholars better than I who see this future tense used in the command form – “Thou shalt… Thou shalt not…” That sort of thing. What if… What if Matthew (and the author(s) of […]
30th Sunday Ordinary Time – Time for a new St. Narcissus???
Really, I had never heard of St. Narcissus, bishop of Jerusalem from the late 2nd century. How appropriate to discover him yesterday, the 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time. I wonder whether it would be appropriate to promote the canonization of Narcissus, not the 2nd century bishop of Jerusalem, but the person from classical Greek mythology. […]
29th Sunday Ordinary Time – Audio Portion today…
No, it’s not Halloween. I just like the graphic. I invite you to give a listen to Sunday’s homily. I found it helpful to give and to listen again. Perhaps you will. Blessings! –roc,sj
Deep Calls to Deep 