Daily Theology
Kingdom of God
The Pope and the Power of Humility
Few events have defined Pope Francis’s young papacy as much as his monumental decision to break from tradition in the Holy Thursday ritual of washing the feet. The moving witness of him bending over and cleaning the feet of twelve marginalized poor (non-Italian) young men and women may be remembered as an important moment in … Continue reading
Happy Are the Poor. (Yes. Really.)
Just days after his election the Cardinal-Formerly-Known-As-Bergoglio commented that he made the unprecedented choice of “Francis” for his papal name because he was inspired by St. Francis of Assisi, whom he calls “the man of poverty, the man of peace, the man who loves and protects creation.” He then went on further to comment, “How … Continue reading
The Necessary Terror of Holy Saturday
I’ve always appreciated the awkwardness of Holy Saturday. It’s like, ok, the dark part is over now. Goodness is on the way….we can start to arrange Easter baskets and maybe even have a Holy Saturday party! Indeed, the all-encompassing “Easter Vigil” Mass/Service (depending where you hail from) happens in the late afternoon of Holy Saturday. … Continue reading
A Christian Case for a Third Party
Two weeks: the remaining until the population of the United States will vote for one man (this time around, at least) to hold the most powerful political office in the world. As is usual every four years, we–the faithful public–get to choose between two imperfect candidates as representatives of the two most powerful and longstanding … Continue reading
Easter Sunday: The Resurrection Was Not a Victory March
A few years ago I attended a Passion Play/Musical at a megachurch where I used to live. The play ended up being a sort of Cirque-du-Soleil performance of humanity from Adam and Eve to Jesus with a glorious ending in the resurrection. When I say glorious, I mean people dancing in the streets, crowds shouting … Continue reading
Love is Never Mere Security
Some thoughts for the 32nd anniversary of the martyrdom of Archbishop Oscar Romero: It is a strange thing – being commanded to love. For it seems that loving so as to fulfill a commandment is not loving at all, but submission to a rule. Rather, this greatest of all commandments is only fulfilled when we … Continue reading
Returning to the Camp
A reflection on the readings for the First Sunday of Lent “The one who bears the sore of leprosy shall keep his garments rent and his head bare, and shall muffle his beard; he shall cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean!’ As long as the sore is on him he shall declare himself unclean, since he is … Continue reading
The Humanity of it All
The question: “Why am I (still) Catholic?” The answer: “Because I am a human being.” I did actually leave the Roman Catholic Church for several years. Because there are a host of issues over which my well-formed conscience puts me at odds with some of the more vocal members of the Roman Church’s leadership, I … Continue reading
Nothing Will be Impossible for God
Reflection on the readings for the Fourth Sunday of Advent Only one more week until Christmas, and that of course means there’s only one more week to fret about Christmas shopping before the start of the after-Christmas sales. One more week to rack up credit card debt, to wrap the presents, to hide them from … Continue reading
Two Lonely Pregnant Women Rejoicing…A Reflection for the Third Sunday of Advent
Joy, hope, spirit, and suspense are all themes of this Sunday’s readings. While any one pastor or reader may gather various meanings from a single set of scripture, I offer today my personal take on the readings for this Gaudete (Rejoice!) Sunday, the third of Advent. It is rare to find a week with such … Continue reading
