Back in 2003, while on a sabbatical year, I drove from Toronto to Tucson, Arizona to go on a retreat. What spurred me on to drive the 3600 km was the title of the retreat: “The Soul Tells A Story.” It was a retreat for writers, editors, publishers and, if you happened to be a priest, you could come too. So I went. Ever since then, I’ve had a secret passion to write. From that time on, I’ve discovered …
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Scholars still don’t know who wrote The Letter to the Hebrews, that second reading we heard. But what they do know is that, like all the other books of the Bible, The Letter to the Hebrews is inspired by God. What I find inspirational, personally, is the part where the author says, “We have a great high priest (referring to Jesus) who, although he was in heaven, was never content with remaining there ruling the world from a distance. …
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Without having the text right in front of you, as I do, it’s hard for you to remember a word or a line that may have stuck with you in one of today’s scripture readings. However, the last line of that second reading, the Letter to the Hebrews, stands out for me. It went like this: “Everyone is one in God, therefore he (Jesus) is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.” That text was written almost 2, …
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I am no mind reader. However, I know that questions do swirl around in the minds of many people who form the Church, questions like, “Who’s who and what’s what? Who has the right to say or to do what, when and where? Who’s in and who’s out? These are questions in today’s scripture passages and, as petty as it may sound, are still being asked today. I think a lot of it has to do with control and …
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This competing for power, this desire to be recognized by Jesus as the most important or the greatest Apostle among the twelve is spun out a little differently in the various gospels. It must have been a real problem, though, because it’s mentioned six times in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. Because human nature is human nature, what Jesus has to say to them he also has to say to us.
When these ancient …
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Do we ever know who another person really is? Do we ever know who we, ourselves, are? Sixteen years ago, I participated at a Men’s Rite of Passage Retreat (M.R.O.P.) in Southern California with 50 other men of various ages and backgrounds. After the first night’s talk, the assignment was to go back to our cabins and to share with the other men in our cabin this way. Each man was to describe himself to the others in 10 …
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Once again the Scriptures give us a wicked piece of humour. You may have picked up on it. Jesus encounters a man who was not able to speak, he heals the man of his muteness, and immediately proceeds tells him to shut up and not tell anyone what just happened.
The people in Biblical times were not Scripture scholars any more than we are. Yet, those who experienced Jesus opening the ears and mouth of this …
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We have all heard sayings or proverbs that seem to contradict each other. For example you’ve heard, “Don’t put all your eggs in the one basket.” Maybe it was your financial advisor telling you to diversify your investments so that if one area of the economy crashes you won’t lose all your hard-earned savings. But you’ve also heard, “Don’t spread yourself too thin.” So, which one of these two are true? Here’s another one. You’ve all heard, “Practice makes …
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Peter, the Apostle, is one of my favorite characters in the Gospels, and it’s not because he’s considered the leader of the pack or the first pope of the Church. He’s one of my favorites because he’s so human; he’s so relatable. When he’s on his game, there’s nobody like him. For instance, when Jesus asked the 12, “Who do you say that I am?” It was Peter who gave the brilliant answer, “Jesus, you are the Christ, Son …
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For those of you who enjoy reading, I’m sure have read at least one book in your lifetime that you had a hard time putting down. If the author was good, they were able to get your attention and keep your attention from chapter to chapter. Usually at the end of one chapter, there was a “hook” that grabbed hold of you and made you want to read the next chapter. This “hook” pushed you deeper into the plot …
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