Wisdom and Choice
There are three prayers that I have known for as long as I can remember. “Now I lay me down to sleep …” “Our Father …” and … the Serenity prayer. My grandmother had a plaque hanging by her kitchen sink, that I liked to ask people to read: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
Today’s readings made ...
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As is the case with so many of our Sunday Scripture readings, there is a common theme, an overlap, between the first reading and the Gospel passage. Both deal with “wisdom.” In the first reading, from the Book of Wisdom itself, the author presents wisdom as a strikingly attractive woman. Wisdom in the gospel, however, is preparedness and not alertness. All 10 bridesmaids fall asleep. None of them remain alert, but five were considered wise because they were prepared.
Is anyone ...
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On Consulting the Faithful
In his “Apologia Pro Vita Sua” John Henry (Cardinal) Newman explained that he converted to Catholicism because he recognized that the Catholic Church was the closest to that of St. Athanasius. I was inspired by Newman’s sentiment and chose “The Logos in the Theology of Athanasius” to be the topic of my PhD dissertation. Life got in the way and I never completed it.
However, I also learned that after his conversion Newman narrowly missed being excommunicated for ...
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There are a couple of warning shots fire over our heads in the readings today. They warn us against hypocrisy. The first shot is taken by the prophet Malachi. Even though Malachi lived about 500 years before Jesus, notice how his words are similar to Jesus’ words. Malachi says, “O priests, this command is for you. Your hearts don’t give me glory. You’ve corrupted the covenant of Levi, and you cause many to stumble by your instructions.” Jesus, 500 years ...
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Love is the Greatest Commandment
¯Love, love, love … all you need is love. ¯
The multitudes of songs and poems which talk about love is endless. As a reader, I can attest that it is also a common theme in many books, a universal concept, understood and lived out in a variety of ways. Love really does appear to make the world go round, as someone once said. We are a society which is consumed by various interpretations of love, the ...
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The very first thing I ever remember watching on our black and white television, back in the late 1960s, was fighting in the Middle East. I was shocked at what I was seeing and wondered, as a three or four-year-old, “Why are they fighting and not loving one another? Why doesn’t someone, from the adult world, just step in and stop this?” Of course, I didn’t know anything about the complexities of human behavior; I still don’t know much. I ...
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Time flies. Soon we’ll be into the Season of Advent and with that comes a new liturgical year for the Church. We’ll say “good-bye” and “thank-you” to the gospel writer Matthew, who guided us through his gospel this past year, and we’ll prepare ourselves to welcome Mark as our guide for the upcoming year. But before we say good-bye to Matthew, let’s go back to the beginning of Matthew’s gospel and the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. Matthew started us ...
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Cowboys, Kraft Dinner, and Racism
I recently had a conversation about watching old movies, specifically the John Wayne-type of westerns. In the 1970s and early 1980s you could watch a John Wayne western any Saturday afternoon on one of the two fuzzy channels we received on television in rural New Brunswick. I experience good, warm feelings when I think of these westerns, recalling memories of feeling safe, sitting on the floor in front of the television eating Kraft Dinner and buttered ...
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Nature and the Soul
A few days ago, as I drove around Îsle d’Orléans outside Quebec City (near Montmorency Falls and Sainte Anne de Beaupré), I was pleased to see so many families enjoying themselves outdoors. Apple orchards, one after another, were busy with families clambering in and out of tractor-drawn wagons taking them to and from the u-pick orchards. Seeing people, young and old, escaping the world of electronic gadgetry to enjoy the outdoor was telling on a number of ...
Another parable and another conundrum. Jesus’ technique seems to be that he tells a parable, walks away without explaining it, and leaves people scratching their head for the explanation. Only those interested in growing in their faith bother to chase after him with the request, “Tell us more. We hunger to be fed with the food that’s nourishing you. We noticed you praying; teach us how to pray.” Others fall away thinking, “If he isn’t going to do a miracle, ...
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