Deep Calls to Deep 8th SUN ORD – “Mammon…”
Hmmmm, food for thought. So, what the heck is mammon? The Gr. μαμωνᾶς is a rendering of the status emphaticus מָמוֹנָא of the current Aram. noun מָמוֹן. The derivation is uncertain, though it most likely comes from אמן == “that in which one trusts” [Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Vol. 4, 388] In what […]
7th SUN ORD – “Love your enemies???”
What do I get out of hating my enemies? Of obsessing about them and getting exercised about them? I believe I get – A focus for obstreperous energies & feelings Relief from personal fears and corporate anxiety Distraction from my smallness and impotency to change big things Blame some one(s) else for what’s actually bothering […]
7th SUN ORD 2017 – “You’re kidding me, right…?”
OK, buckle up for safety… or what passes for safety in your world. Here’s where the Sermon on the Mount serves as a great Rorschach (Ink Blot) test. Please note your reactions, as I will do. But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your […]
5th SUN ORD-“Light of the world? Whaaa…???”
Here’s my best guess about what Jesus probably would have taught the disciples in the house. That is, the Light shone on the hidden and night-time parts of their lives (our lives) that disciples, like us, might come into the light as we are. Reading 1 Isaiah 58:7-10 Thus says the LORD: Share your bread with the hungry, shelter […]
Roc Homily – Sermon on the Mount Situated (A) 2017
About the Poor in Spirit… Matthew 5:1 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Jesus, as it were, claimed the high ground – the place from which God instructs and humans worship idols. When he sat to teach, those who were willing to […]
Roc Homily (d) – 3rd SUN Ord Time (A) 2017
I concluded my homily last Sunday with this: “I now fully support the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. I believe that all in this country should receive the same insurance as Senators and members of the House of Representatives. So, take away the first and bring on the second.” Here is the audio version […]
Roc Homily (c) – “Silence” and the Call of the Disciples…
Last night, I viewed the movie, “Silence.” It touched me in many ways and led me to reflect on the Call of the Disciples in last Sunday’s gospel. First, a bit of exegesis on the call. Matthew 4:15f “Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee […]
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 […]
Prepared to celebrate…
Merry Christmas to you, family and friends! Preparations continue at the Church of the Gesu to walk into the night to find Jesus, born in the place where no one wants to go. I sure don’t! It’s too painful. The stable on the outskirts of Bethlehem is the world. Who wants to seek the tiny light […]
Guidelines for an Irish-Existentialist Advent (1)
Let me know whether this exploration works for you… Many of the daily scriptures of Advent come from Second Isaiah (cc. 40-55) or Third Isaiah (cc. 56-66). Second Isaiah addressed exiles in Babylon about 40 years after the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple. All the signs of God’s fidelity and favor had been demolished […]
Deep Calls to Deep 