A reflection for the 1st Sunday, Advent, Year A. The readings are Isaiah 2:1-5; Psalm 122; Romans 13:11-14 and Matthew 24:37-44.
We begin our new liturgical year with the first Sunday of Advent as we do every year with readings about the “eschaton”. Don’t you know the eschaton? It is not a pre-historic sea creature that lurks in the depths of the ocean. Eschaton is a Greek word that refers to the end of times. You may have read about eschatology or heard about things that are eschatological. Those are things that have to do with the end times.
That’s what Jesus is talking about today in the Gospel. He has just told the disciples about the destruction of the Temple and they want to know when that’s going to happen. He then goes into a long speech about paying attention to signs and that there will be wars and earthquakes and famines and that when they see these things happen they should flee to the hills. And then he tells them that it will be like in the days of Noah; that is the Gospel that we heard today. It doesn’t sound so bad if we only read what we heard today, but if you put it in context and read the whole story, it’s easy to think that Jesus is speaking about the end of the world.
But Jesus is not talking about the end of the world or the end of the human race. He’s talking about the eschaton: the end of the age; the end of this age.
Perhaps a better way to look at it is the way Isaiah does in our first reading today. Isaiah is talking about the same thing, the eschaton. And it’s a beautiful picture. I imagine it as a beautiful landscape, with a towering mountain with vibrant technicolours. He says that in those days nations will stream towards the Lord’s mountain and swords will be turned into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against another nation, and they will learn war no more. It will be a time of peace.
But there is a deeper and more beautiful meaning here.
Read more…Homily for the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed (All Souls Day) The readings are Wisdom 3:1-9, Psalm 116, Revelation 21:1-5a, 6b-7 and Luke 7:11-17.
Today we celebrate the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed – a day commonly known as All Souls Day. It is a day the Church gives us to remind us to pray for those who have died.
The most common prayer we pray is called the “Eternal Rest” (requiem aeternam) prayer:
“Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon them.
Read more…
May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.”
A reflection for the 3rd Sunday in Lent, Year C. The readings are Exodus 3:8a, 13-15; Psalm 103; 1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12 and Luke 13:1-9.
Turn away from sin and believe in the Gospel.
With those words, most of us received ashes on Ash Wednesday. Let’s keep those words in mind as we take a look at today’s readings.
I love the beginning of the Gospel today because it makes it clear that the Gospels are not just made-up stories. They are not myth or fiction. These things actually happened. If we had proper historical accounts of events happening during this time, I bet that we would find the time when Pilate sent soldiers into the Temple who killed some Galileans; and it is likely that at some point during the building of the tower of Siloam, there was an accident and it collapsed killing 18 men. And like today, people at the time wanted to know about those things that were happening. And Jesus used local events; things that were on the 6 o’clock news, to teach people. And the message is very clear: Suffering and death is not a punishment for our sins. God does not punish us by causing us to suffer and die – which is what Jews at the time of Jesus believed.
But, sin does have consequences; sinful behaviour – and often, behaviour that may not objectively be sinful – will have consequences. Smoking – objectively is not sin – but it has consequences that may lead to suffering and death. If you spend all your money gambling; it will have consequences. If you drink too much and get behind the wheel of a car; it will have consequences. If you continually don’t guard your tongue and watch what you say to whom… it will have consequences. So, yes, our behaviour and, in particular, sinful behaviour, will likely have consequences. Sadly, sometimes, we suffer as a consequence of someone else’s sin or behaviour. But suffering is not caused by God as punishment. In fact, I would say that God may reward us by allowing us to suffer – that is a mystery. But suffering in this life and physical death is not punishment.
A reflection for the 6th Sunday, Ordinary Time, Year C. The readings are Jeremiah 17:5-8; Psalm 1; 1 Corinthians 15:16-20 and Luke 6:17, 20-26.
This reflection was originally posted on Feb 13, 2022.
Everyone wants to be happy. And you know what? God wants you to be happy too. That’s all God wants. He wants you to be happy in this life but more than that, He wants you to be happy with him in Heaven. But if we listen to today’s Gospel, we might think that Jesus doesn’t want us to be happy at all. Blessed are you who mourn…? Who wants to be poor? Who wants to be hungry? Sad? Attacked and insulted?
I don’t think so.
Three hundred years before Christ, a Greek philosopher named Aristotle wrote about happiness. For Aristotle and the Greeks of his time, happiness was the ultimate end and purpose of human existence – so it wasn’t exactly the same as we define happiness today. It was a bit more. And Aristotle argued that there are four levels of happiness. Have you heard of them?
deacon pedro 