Here the bishops and priests are the officers, who train us lay people and lead us into battle. We are the common soldiers who apply our “training” to the fight on the front lines, i.e., in the world. If instead we try to knock our general off his horse and hop up in his place, we are really fighting for the enemy.
The Church’s First Decision: St. Matthias
The Church's First Decision The Church's first decision (of consequence, anyway) concerned the first successor to the Apostles. That would be the choice of today's saint, St. Matthias, whom the Apostles designated to take the vacant place of Judas among the twelve. How the Apostles came to their decision gives us an enlightening look at … Continue reading The Church’s First Decision: St. Matthias
Body and Soul, or, When A Church Is Not A Church
The interior of St. Ann's Woonsocket, RI (rimonthly.com, photo by Sarah Farkas) Body and Soul The Devil is in the details. He is indeed. Take this whole body/soul thing, for instance. We have a very hard time giving each its due. The world of the flesh is constantly trying to pull us away from the life of the spirit. It’s … Continue reading Body and Soul, or, When A Church Is Not A Church
This Is No Time to Despair
Church for sale in Christchurch, NZ (stuff.co.nz) We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. (2 Corinthians … Continue reading This Is No Time to Despair
More Than a Building: A Church is Much, Much More
More Than a Building A church is more than a building. Before I get back to that point, however, let's look at the following scripture passage: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . . . And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us … Continue reading More Than a Building: A Church is Much, Much More
Catholics, This Is Your Language
Latin is still the official language of the Mass. If you're lucky you may hear some of the traditional language, your language, in church.
Newspeak and the Word of God
If you want to change the Church, if you want to change the beliefs that have animated Christians for two millennia, you need to take away the concrete images, the traditional words, and the familiar actions that embody the traditional understanding of the faith.
Put Not Your Trust in Princes, or, The Autumn of Our Discontent
"My kingdom is not of this world," Jesus says to Pontius Pilate (John 18:36). Our journey to that kingdom lies along a via dolorosa in this one: we can depend upon the powers of this world to save us no more than Jesus could rely on Pilate to save him from Calvary.
The End Point of Progressive Christianity
Where there is no prophecy the people cast off restraint,but blessed is he who keeps the law. (Proverbs 29:18) We're not cats, bats, or moray eels, as I pointed out in a recent post. "We humans are different. We are, again, unique among the world’s creatures. We’re not governed by instinct, we alone can make free choices about how … Continue reading The End Point of Progressive Christianity
Has Tradition Become a Dirty Word?
Picture Sunday Mass in a typical parish. A mother comes up for communion holding a small child in her arms. As she approaches the priest, she awkwardly holds on to her infant with one arm in order to free up the other to take the Eucharistic host and quickly pop it into her mouth before … Continue reading Has Tradition Become a Dirty Word?