Deep Calls to Deep St. Clare – a prophet for our times
Today’s first reading, Ezekiel 12:1-11, gives us a picture of the prophetic action Ezekiel was told to act out. It sounds crazy. I have tended to domesticate the great saints in order to ward off the impact of their prophetic deeds and saying. St. Clare, I realized today, is one of them. With Francis, Clare […]
Roc Homily – Seventeenth Sunday Ordinary Time 2016
“This gospel is not about prayer in general…” The Lord’s Prayer seems to be “designed” for disciples who seek a path of purification and mission. Asking and seeking and knocking have to do with persistence in asking for the Holy Spirit whose purifying fire made the disciples ready for mission. That’s why we “dare to […]
Prequel 2 to Roc Homily – Seventeenth Sunday Ordinary Time 2016
A second reflection… Dennis Hamm, SJ made this connection come alive for me in his masterful book, Building Our House on Rock: The Sermon on the Mount as Jesus’ Vision for Our Lives as Told by Matthew and Luke. When he looked at the link between the Greek word, hagiazo (“to hallow, make holy”) and its use […]
Prequel to Roc Homily – Seventeenth Sunday Ordinary Time 2016
This is a wholly new way of looking at the Lord’s Prayer for me. See whether it works for you. Consider the placement of this prayer in Matthew’s gospel (6:5-15). It’s set right in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount, the inaugural address Jesus made to his disciples in which he laid out his […]
Here’s a Thought #1
Light a fire! In the USofA, the three political parties are in full campaign mode attempting to fire up their particular bases and keep them lit up through the November election and into the future. Catholic leadership uses the image of lighting a fire in the hearts of believers to get us excited about God, […]
Roc Homily – Sixteenth Sunday Ordinary Time 2016
Here’s the audio of my homily on Martha & Mary. Blessings! _-roc,sj
Prequel to Roc Homily – Sixteenth Sunday Ordinary Time 2016
In my homily for the 16th Sunday Ordinary Time, I proposed that the Martha & Mary passage works as a critique of a life driven by anxiety, worry, & distraction in whatever line of work. May I humbly suggest that it is not primarily about hospitality. The passage concerns the pattern many of us have of […]
Roc Homily – Fifteenth Sunday Ordinary Time 2016
Is it possible that Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan could have contributed to the ire of scribes & Pharisees? Could this parable have led to his death? I follow N.T. Wright’s study of the Pharisees that details how Jesus’ letting go of observance of purity codes could have done just that. Let me know […]
More thoughts on Evangelization #2… 2016
Tuesday, July 5, 2016 gospel = Matthew 9:34-38 …Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he […]
Roc Homily #1 for the Fourteenth Sunday Ordinary Time 2016
Jesus sent forth 72 disciples – “Here’s a thought…” The Gospel: Jesus sent the disciples to preach and heal by revealing reliance on God by manifesting vulnerability. Perhaps this says something about the New Evangelization to adults. An Observation about the USofA: I apply the insights of Sharon Parks (The Critical Years) about young adult […]
Deep Calls to Deep 