Faith calms the storm

3rd Week OT (Sat)

Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP

St. Joseph Church, Ponchatula

You only need to read Mark's gospel once to realize that the disciples aren't among the Lord's brightest angels. They come around eventually, of course, but until then Mark portrays them in less than flattering terms. So, when someone tells you that Mark's gospel is their favorite of the four, you can bet that this person struggles mightily with being the Lord's faithful student. It might be that this gospel made it into the canon of authentic scripture precisely b/c the disciples are portrayed as men who often speak out in real confusion when Jesus starts teaching. Those of us who want to be good disciples but have problems “getting it” need role models too! Mark's gospel also gives us a chance to see and hear Jesus as a teacher thoroughly frustrated with his sometimes block-headed students. Just count the number of times Jesus says something like, “Don't you get it yet? Do you still not understand?” This morning, Mark tells us about the time Jesus and the disciples find themselves on a boat in the middle of a storm. The disciples cry out, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” In my cranky, teacherly imagination I can hear Jesus grumbling, “How many times do I have to show them? Are they even paying attention?” Of course, what he actually says is, “Quiet! Be still!” And both the storm and the disciples are calmed.

The disciples are more than just calmed. Mark reports that they are “awed,” saying, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?” Better question: who is this that the wind and sea obey but we do not? Keep in mind here the root meaning of “obey.” In Latin, “obediere” means “to listen to and comply with.” You cannot comply with a request or an order until you have listened. The disciples seem to hear Jesus, but do they listen? Truly hear and understand what he is trying to teach them. The wind and sea comply with Jesus' order to be calm without question or complaint b/c they have no choice in the matter, no decision to make about obedience. The disciples do have a choice. And so do we. This is why Jesus asks, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” To put this question another way: Why are you afraid? Why have you not chosen to trust me? 

In the life of Abraham, we have an ancient example of trust. The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews recounts this faith. He writes, “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out. . .to receive as an inheritance; he went out, not knowing where he was to go. . . By faith he sojourned in the promised land. . .By faith he received power [to have children with Sarah in their old age]. . .By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up [his son] Isaac [as a sacrifice].” Abraham listened to God and complied. He didn't know where he was going; or what he was doing. Despite his ignorance, he chose to trust and flourished b/c he did. In choosing to trust in God, Abraham realized—made real—all that he hoped for. Yes, he anguished; yes, he hesitated at times. But without evidence, without any proof of divine good will, he welcomed God's will into his life and made it his own. What the disciples lack and what we might sometimes lack is the willingness to risk our ignorance, to put our need for control in danger of being taken away. 

Jesus calmed the storm, and he awed the disciples. They had good reasons to trust in Christ. So do we. Look around you. Here we are with all our faults, failures, anxieties, hopes, and our singular love for God. Here we all are giving Him our thanks for showing us the way out of the storm, for inviting us into his eternal life.

Coffee Cup Browsing

The weakest part of presidential politics:  the party nominating process.  I agree.  The best candidates never seem to get very far.

Bishop Robert Vasa is sent to the diocese of Santa Rosa.  Only a couple of more retirements/appointments on the left coast and the episcopal bench will be revitalized completely.

I've often used "Father Hollywood" and "Father Oprah" to describe two kinds of pastors--the It's All About ME pastor and the It's All About How You Feel pastor.  Meet the real Fr. Oprah.

Tolerant Spanish progressives demonstrate their chief virtue.

On the restoration of Catholic identity and the new translation of the Missal. 

The march the MSM missed.  Of course, the MSM "missed" the march.  All those unaborted young people marching around, enjoying life.  Creepy.

Zimark on The Rite:  "Such movies, when they are done well, peel back the Norman Rockwell veil we'd all rather stayed in place and show us what lies behind it: Hieronymous Bosch."

Married priests are not the Magic Bullet we think we need.  The financial problems of maintaining a married priest and his family alone are enough to make a parish pale. 

Just say NO to an internet "kill switch" for the US.

Get the quarterback!

Cute pic of the week. . .warning:  potential sugar coma.

Things My Five-Year Has Said:  "This is not about tasting amazing. This is about fried chicken cake.”

If you "get" this pic, you probably watch Criminal Minds.

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Kindle Breviary?

Has anyone found a Kindle version of the Roman Breviary?  Anyone. . .anyone?

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Being weighed by your own measure

3rd Week OT (R)

Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP

St. Joseph Church, Ponchatula

Hear once again Jesus preaching at the end of the Parable of the Sower: “. . .those [seed] sown on rich soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.” Think of yourselves as seeds of God's Word sown into the world. And think of this particular time and place as the rich soil when and where you have been planted. Are you bearing fruit thirty, sixty, one-hundredfold? If so, gives thanks to God for His abundance in your life and pray that both your charity and good works increase! If you are not bearing fruit, why not? Jesus hints at one possibility: “Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed, and not to be placed on a lampstand?” This question challenges us to consider the possibility that despite having been sown on rich soil and despite having been given all the attention and care necessary for growth and abundance, we are not bearing fruit. Jesus hints that the key to becoming fruitful, the key to growing in holiness lies in making your life all about revealing God's living Word for all to see. He says, “For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible; nothing is secret except to come to light.” So, if you are not producing good fruit, ask yourself: how do I fail to bring God's love to light? How do I become a living revelation of God's loving-kindness?

Jesus gives us help with diagnosing the problem and solving it. He says, “The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you, and still more will be given to you. To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” If you are not producing the good fruit that you could be producing, it might be b/c you are not using the same standard to measure both your own life and the lives of others. Think in terms of forgiveness. Do you expect immediate and unconditional forgiveness from God and at the same time nurse grudges against those who have sinned against you? If so, the measure you use to weigh sins committed against you is the same measure God uses to weigh your own sins. The same balancing equation goes for weighing your generosity; how you forgive; and the quality of your daily witness. Dole out meager measures and not only will you receive less than what you give, what little you have will be taken from you. Mete out large measures of kindness, patience, and forgiveness, and receive from God even larger measures in return. 

Our lamps shine brightest when we receive from God and give to others; when we receive in gratitude and give generously. This is not as difficult as it might sound. The key piece to remember is humility—the virtue, that is, the good habit of knowing that everything you possess, everyone you love, all your gifts come from God, freely given to you to be freely given away in return. God doesn't love us, forgive us, and bless us because we deserve to be loved, forgiven, and blessed. We are loved, forgiven, and blessed so that we can love; so that we can forgive; so that we can bless. By what measure does the Father love, forgive, and bless us? That is His measure (pointing to the crucifix)! Sacrificial love. And if we will produce abundant good fruit, if we will shine His light into the world, that (pointing again) must be our measure. He died b/c he loves us. We can nothing less than follow him, dying to self and rising again to a new life as living measures of His Good News.

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The Mystery of the Kingdom Solved

Ss. Titus and Timothy

Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP

St. Joseph's Church, Ponchatula

What do we need in order to understand the Good News? What is it—in addition to the message itself—that we must have to ensure that we see and hear the gospel as Jesus preached it? You might want to ask: why do you assume that we need something beyond the Word itself in order to understand? Good question. Think about it. If simply hearing the Word read and preached were enough to convert someone, then about 90% of the world would be Christian. We also have Jesus' strange admission to his disciples, “The mystery of the Kingdom of God has been granted to you. But to those outside everything comes in parables. . .” Why use difficult-to-interpret parables when trying to explain the Kingdom-mystery? Basically, Jesus admits to using parables in his preaching in order to keep some from understanding his message! He intentionally hides the truth from some and reveals it to others. What is it that those ignorant of the mystery need in order to join the enlightened? Seeing and hearing the mystery preached is not enough for conversion. What's required is an act of faith, a commitment to trusting in God's promises, and a life lived in charity. These virtues reveal the mystery of the Kingdom.

It seems exceedingly odd to those of us living in the tolerant 21st century that Jesus would intentionally obscure the truth of the gospel in order to exclude anyone. His secrecy seems somehow unjust, or maybe a little paranoid. Maybe so, but we could take this secrecy to be a practical precaution. The Pharisees and the Roman collaborators among the Jews are plotting to have Jesus executed. They follow him around waiting for him to say something blasphemous or to do something that would betray him as seditious. Cloaking the gospel in the riddles of a parable seems prudent in light of the political situation Jesus finds himself in. But there's more here than just political expediency. The parable of the sower itself reveals a truth about the Gospel that we cannot ignore. When sown freely, the seed of God's Word falls on different sorts of ground, different sorts of hearts and minds. Some are fertile, some are barren; others are rocky or choked with thorns. The point here is that merely sowing the seeds of the Word is not enough to guarantee a harvest. More is required.

Understanding the Gospel is not simply a matter of comprehending doctrine or memorizing scripture. We aren't solving math problems, or reading a map, or carrying out a chemistry experiment. We aren't dealing with an engineering problem, or logically working out a philosophical argument. The mystery of the Kingdom must be lived to be understood. Faith is a daily commitment to trusting in God. Hope is not a gamble but the firm conviction that God's promises have already been fulfilled. Charity, loving-kindness is the way we express this hope. If we trust in God's providence and firmly believe that His promises have been fulfilled, then we must live now as if we already live with Him in heaven. When we do this, we ourselves become the seeds of the Word; seeds sown freely into the world to take root and produce an abundant harvest.

The question now is: where have you been sown? Are you living in such a way that God's kingdom is revealed to any and all who see and hear you? Are you growing his His holiness and sharing the fruits of your holiness? The Psalm we recited this morning says it all, “Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations!” Mystery solved.

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Coffee Cup Browsing

Superficiality of the hyper-focused undegrad major. . .yet more reasons to give serious thought and prayer to sending your kids to schools like the University of Dallas!

PA Abortionist might just be America's most prolific serial killer.  Here's a good question:  where were all those dozens of state agencies and throngs of bureaucrats that love to regulate our lives?  Why weren't they kicking in the doors of this butcher shop?  Hmmmmm. . .I wonder.

Lest we forget. . .this "doctor" used an abortion technique that the current occupant of the White House believes to be perfectly moral.  

Speaking of expensive and largely useless bureaucrats:  House Committee considers cutting the U.S. budget for the U.N.'s Human Rights Commission.

An E.T. Jesus?  If there are "people"  on other planets, was Christ's sacrifice on the cross efficacious for their salvation?   Did the Son incarnate on their world?

I believe they call this "Rubinesque"?

Um, if you're married to the Fire Chief. . .you prolly shouldn't divorce him.

Shanghai:  1990 vs. 2010.  I was in Shanghai in 1990.  Capitalism at work!

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Once for all. . .into the Kingdom

St Francis de Sales

Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP

St Joseph's Church, Ponchatula

Jesus preaches the Gospel: “Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For Catholics living in the American South, Jesus' urgent call for repentance might sound a little too Protestant, a little too evangelical. We've all seen the cartoon with the disreputable prophet on the street with a sign that reads, “REPENT!” Or, we've heard the TV preacher screaming about repentance and the fires of hell that await those of us who refuse to turn away from sin. We Catholics—no more or less than anyone else—are called to turn our hearts and minds away from disobedience and toward the obedience of the Cross—a life lived in sacrificial love and service to others all for Christ's sake. Perhaps the difference between Catholics and the TV preachers is one of style rather than substance. If the flavor of repentance is distasteful to you, maybe it's just the spice used rather than the meat of the dish that turns your tongue. Let's hope and pray that this is the case b/c refusing to repent of one's sins constitutes blasphemy against the Holy Spirit and such a refusal will not be forgiven. In fact, refusing to repent cannot be forgiven. God will not save us against our will. He will love us right into hell.

This sounds harsh, I know. But this a truth of the Catholic faith that cannot be spiced up or sugar-coated or hidden away. The Catechism is starkly clear on the issue: “There are no limits to the mercy of God, but anyone who deliberately refuses to accept his mercy by repenting, rejects the forgiveness of his sins and the salvation offered by the Holy Spirit. Such hardness of heart can lead to final impenitence and eternal loss” (n. 1864). Theologically, this makes perfect sense. We have two truths in balance here. First, God wills that all His people return to Him through Christ. Second, He wills that we do so freely. So that all may return to Him through Christ, the invitation to salvation is made unconditionally, without limits, to everyone. The effect of Christ's sacrifice is not limited to one tribe or people or region of the world. To demonstrate His love for us and to see us come to Him without coercion, God has willed that we must accept His invitation to salvation. If we accept, we are saved in love. If we refuse, God respects our decision to live eternally outside His love. The Church defines Hell as “state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God. . .” (n. 1033). In other words, we send ourselves to hell by stubbornly refusing to repent. Our final refusal, our last rejection of God's invitation to join Him in love is called “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.” 

Fortunately, the Letter to the Hebrews lays out for us how our salvation is accomplished: “. . .once for all [Christ] has appeared at the end of the ages to take away sin by his sacrifice. Just as it is appointed that human beings die once. . .so also Christ, offered once to take away the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to take away sin but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him.” Christ came to us first to take away our sins. He will come again to bring salvation for those who wait in his love. Whether you wait in love or not is a free choice. If you will wait, then follow Christ, live and die as he lived and died—a life and death of sacrificial love and service, a life of obedience and humility. Know that you are not alone. The whole body of Christ serves along side you. We are a single body on pilgrimage from here to the kingdom to come.

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A Semi-rant about cell phones, etc.

In her new book, Alone Together, MIT professor Sherry Turkle attacks the destructive potential in all the new technology floating around, especially Twitter, Facebook, and cell phones.

"Turkle's thesis is simple: technology is threatening to dominate our lives and make us less human. Under the illusion of allowing us to communicate better, it is actually isolating us from real human interactions in a cyber-reality that is a poor imitation of the real world."

Like most ideas put out there for pushing sales of a book, this one is overstated.  However, there is a kernel of truth here.  As Catholics, we are naturally sacramental thinkers/doers; that is, we think and act in ways that reveal and enact God's grace to ourselves and others.  Technology can certainly be used to reveal God's grace, but it can be abused as well.

The distinction between the use and abuse of a good is as old as the Bible.  St. Augustine made it a central feature of his moral theology.  Aquinas followed his lead.  And the Church continues to teach that any Good Use can be turned to Abuse.  Think of food, alcohol, sex, money, relationships, etc.  

My biggest complaint with cell phones is that they tend to interrupt face-to-face contact by demanding immediate attention.  Like a small child who hasn't quite learned the social skills to politely excuse himself, cell phones ring/sing/squeal until they are attended to.  Of course, its the cell phone owner who abuses the personal contact by dropping the conversation and answering the phone.  

At the root of the Evil that is the Cell Phone is the notion that we must all be 100% available 100% of the time.  The lie told by the cell phone is that we are 100% available 100% of the time.  We aren't.  Sometimes we are at Mass or in the confessional or visiting with a friend or shopping for the family.  We are occupied and the squealing cell phone is a rude intrusion. 

Now, before the comboxes fill up with stories about how having a cell phone available helped to save a life, etc.  I know.  I know.  I really do.  They are more than just convenient sometimes.  But tell the truth:  how many times have you answered your cell since you've had one?  How many of those times have been calls that were truly urgent, meaning to have missed the call would  have meant injury or death to a loved one?  How many times do you hear people in the check out line or at the gym or even in church just shooting the breeze with someone on the cell instead of attending to the business and the people right in front of them?

A story:  I was looking for a book in a Borders one night.  The place was packed.  The guy standing next to me was on his cell.  He was telling the person on the other end of the line that he was bored and that he had no one to hang out with.  He's in a bookstore with literally thousands of books and he's bored.  He's in a bookstore with more than a hundred people and he's all alone.  Really? 

If there's a better scene for a play on the postmodern human condition than this one, please let me know.

P.S.  The irony of grousing on my blog about the alienating effects of technology has not escaped me. 

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Repent. . .and do not empty out the Cross

3rd Sunday OT

Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP

St. Joseph's Church, Ponchatula

We who live in darkness, all of us who dwell in a land overshadowed by death—for us, a great light has arisen, a light that shines through our darkness to prove that death is not our end, that death is not undefeated, that death is nothing for us to fear. Anguish has taken wing and darkness is dispelled. The light brings us abundant joy and even greater rejoicing. No longer slaves to the master of sin—his yoke and rod are broken—we are free to flourish as the children of God, to await the coming of His reign, and the beginning of our lives beyond the death of this world. The light that lights our way back to God shines from the Cross of Christ, and it shines without condition or prejudice, without preference or exclusion. All are invited to rejoice in the freedom of God; all are invited to participate in His divine life; no one is left to stand unwillingly in darkness. Open your eyes to see Christ's light and the darkness of sin and death vanish. Close your eyes to his light and division, dissension, gloom, and distress will overwhelm you. Therefore, in order to open the eyes and the hearts of God's people, Jesus goes out and preaches, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”

We know that a heart turned away from the Cross of Christ empties both the heart and the cross. Paul warns the Corinthians that their factional divisions threaten more than just the social peace. The dissension among them tears at the foundation of their eternal peace—their lives in Christ as witnesses to God's mercy. Like all of us who have died and risen again with Christ in baptism, the Corinthians have vowed to serve in the world as living testimonies to the Father's love for His children. Once, the Corinthians saw the light of the Cross; they turned to the Lord, repenting of their sins, and flourished as a single witness to all that Christ's death and resurrection can do. Now, they are split into factions, each faction giving allegiance to one teacher or another. Appollos, Cephas, Christ, Paul. You can hear the distress in Paul's letter when he writes, “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” Our Corinthian brothers and sisters—once bright with the light of the Cross of Christ—live again in darkness. Having turned away from Christ, eagerly putting themselves back into the sin-master's yoke, and submitting themselves once again to the devil's whip, the Church in Corinth foolishly empties out the meaning of the Cross. Therefore, Paul preaches as Jesus himself preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”

Why must the Corinthians repent? Why do we have to repent? The kingdom of heaven is at hand. So what? Why is repentance such an urgent need? First, let's look at what “the kingdom of heaven is at hand” means? When something is “at hand,” it is close by, coming near. A tool “at hand” is easy to reach, easy to grasp. An “at hand” exam is coming up soon, probably tomorrow or sooner. When Jesus preaches that the kingdom of heaven is “at hand,” he means that his Father's kingdom is nearby; it is coming and will arrive soon. But what exactly is it that will soon arrive? In Mark's gospel, we usually see the phrase “kingdom of God.” Matthew tends to prefer “kingdom of heaven.” Both of these mean “God's sovereign rule.” So, Jesus is preaching the imminent arrival of his Father's reign over His people. What's left to figure out is who will be among His people.

Who will live in heaven's kingdom depends entirely on who turns away from disobedience and embraces the obedience of the Cross. Remember: the light of the Cross shines without condition or prejudice, without preference or exclusion. All are invited to rejoice in the freedom of God; all are invited to participate in His divine life; no one is left to stand unwillingly in darkness. If no one is excluded from the light, then why should anyone bother with repentance? Look at the Corinthians. Once, they lived and flourished in the light of Christ. But they fell into division and dissension, emptying their witness of all meaning. Paul calls them back to Christ—not with the wisdom of human eloquence—but by asking a simple question: “Is Christ divided?” He smacks them with an image of a Christ himself, undivided, one body. Come back to the unity of God's singular love and bear witness to His mercy. If the Corinthians can live in the light and turn away from it, then it must be the case that the light of Christ can be lost through sin. All are invited. No one is excluded. But to receive an invitation is not the same as accepting it and then showing up at the party. Even those who are intentionally included can choose to exclude themselves. The light of Christ shines on us all. But not all of us open our eyes to see, open our hearts to receive. Therefore, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!

If the Lord's rule over His people is coming soon and repentance from sin includes us under His rule, what should a life of repentance look like while we wait for the kingdom to arrive? Ideally, the life we live day-to-day should look as much as possible like the life we will live in the kingdom. No division among us. No dissension. No factions claiming different teachers, alien teachings. As a body, we would honor and encourage the variety of gifts given to our members, each member perfecting the love of God by loving others in turn. There would be one heart and mind, the heart and mind of Christ; that is, a devotion to sacrificial service, giving up self so that holiness might thrive. True obedience—faithfully listening—to God's Word would be our first instinct. There would be no jealousy, no rivalry, no gossip or lying. We would eagerly serve the poor; all those oppressed by disease or disability; we would seek out and live in peace with one another. 

While we wait for the coming of the kingdom, we can live lives of repentance, lives lived constantly aware of both our gifts and our failures. Constantly aware of both what we have to give and what we need to receive. Most of all, a life of repentance is a life of humility, believing/feeling/acting fully aware that everything we have and everything we are is a gift, a freely given boon from God. We are wholly dependent on God. For this life here and now and for our lives to come. 

If we will serve in His kingdom, we must turn in obedience to the Cross. Open our eyes. Open our hearts. And receive the gifts He has given us. Therefore, repent. . .for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

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Bring on the crazzy!

NB:  This homily had a much better ending, but as I went to "save as" Open Office crashed and I lost it.  The Devil really is after me these days!

2nd Week OT (Sat)

Fr. Philip N. Powell, OP

St. Joseph Church, Ponchatula

Jesus' family thinks he's nuts. They've heard about him roaming around the country healing and preaching, arguing with the Pharisees and challenging the scribes. They've heard that the crowds are so thick sometimes that he and the disciples couldn't even eat. Hearing all of this, his family sets out to seize him, saying, “He's out of his mind!” Knowing what we know about Jesus, we can sympathize with his poor family. Think about the claims Jesus makes. He can forgive sins, heal the sick, cast out demons. He claims to be the promised Messiah, the Son of God. This hometown boy from Nazareth is running around telling folks that he is the Anointed One whose coming is prophesied by Isaiah. His poor mama and daddy might worried sick! The Pharisees are worried too. . .for very different reasons. They too want to seize him. . .also for very different reasons. We know that Jesus isn't crazy. We know that we aren't crazy b/c we believe his Good News. But let's admit the truth about our faith: living in this world as followers of Christ can make us a little crazy. Trying to be Christ for others is not only difficult, it is dangerous to our mental health. And this is a risk well worth taking. Being sane in this world is its own kind of crazy.

You don't have to spend much time with the biographies of some our greatest saints to realize that there is a fine line between being holy and being nuts. St. Rose of Lima rubbed lye into her beautiful face so that her beauty wouldn't be a temptation for others. St. Catherine of Siena ate nothing but consecrated communion wafers for weeks on end. Other holy men and women lived in caves; sat on top of pillars; walled themselves up into houses. Some voluntarily moved into leper colonies or violent slums. St. Maximilian Kolbe volunteered himself to be starved to death by the Nazis in order to save a fellow prisoner who had a family. Are these men and women insane or holy? By the world's standards, they are surely as crazy as belfry bats. Following along behind Christ is dangerous; following him can put your sanity at risk. But if being sane in the world means rejecting the promises made by divine love, I say, “Bring on the crazy!”

On its own terms, our world offers us everything a self-aware animal wants and needs. Food, shelter, clothing, work, status, relationships, intellectual and emotional development. Given the right circumstances, a little hard work, and some luck, we can be comfortable and look forward to staying that way. But there's a price for this comfort. To get all we want and need in this world, we have to surrender any hope for living beyond the world. If we spend our time and energy trying to live here and now as if there were something, somewhere more than what we see and hear, we forfeit the riches of the here and now; we sacrifice comfort, security, maybe even family and friends. When we make decisions as if heaven and hell really exists, as if God is real and the gospel were true, everything we have becomes a chance to show this world that the world itself is a divine gift. 

Take a risk today. Live dangerously. Pray fervently, “Lord, bring on your crazy and give me what I need to be crazy for you!”

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Coffee Cup Browsing

Gruesome report on the "doctor" who murdered the children who survived his botched attempts at aborting them.

What happened to the anti-war movement?  The movement seemed nearly ubiquitous between 2000-2008.  Haven't heard much from them since, say, Jan. 20th 2009. 

Fantastic article on a NJ lawyer who's fighting the Good Fight against abortion.  (H/T:  M. Shea)

Bishops and college presidents will discuss the Catholic identity of U.S. Catholic higher education. 

A conservative is a liberal who's been mugged.  Pro-union publisher fights his employee union.  Why?  He seems to understand that there's no point in his magazine having an employee union if there's no magazine to employ them. 

One of the settings for the "Gloria" in the corrected translation of the Roman Missal.  I like it.  The music seems just a tad somber for the text of the "Gloria". . .but it is a thousand times better than 90% of the settings we use now.

Advice to Young Conservatives.  Best advice:  "Don't become infatuated with politicians — Save the crushes for actors, rock stars, and the cute blonde in your U.S. History class. . ." 

Physics Nerd cartoon

Why the pool was closed. . .

Post-It Note art. . .some of these are amazing.

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Kindle Weirdness (um, nevermind. . .)

Ignore the question below.  I figured it out.  Amazon sends an email notice that a Kindle Book has been purchased and I have to "accept" the gift.   How VERY Catholic!  

Thanks to HancAquam readers:  Will, Tanya, and Katie!  I will pray for you guys every time I click my little reader on.  You help keep me sane.

Oh, I should also report that that problem I was having with the Kindle randomly restarting has been resolved.  I was turning it off with the novel still open.  I tried returning to the Home Page before turning it off and that seems to have fixed the problem.

Here's a question for the HancAquam Techie Geeks. . .

My Kindle Wish List indicates that kind, generous, much prayed-for HancAquam readers have purchased three "books" from the K.W.L.  Mille grazie!

However, the "books" do not show up for download on my Kindle account.  Nor do they download when I connect wirelessly.

Any ideas out there, Beloved Geeks?

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Kindle Wish List. . .

FINALLY!

I figured out how to set up a Kindle Wish List.

You will note that all of the books listed are historical fiction. . .no serious academic books, no poetry, no nothing I need for school.

Just books to keep me sane when Contemplating the One becomes too much to bear. . .

:-)

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No demonic witnesses

3rd Week OT (R)

Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP

St. Joseph Church, Ponchatula

We never really want to say that Jesus behaved strangely while he preached and taught, but doesn't it seem odd that he would go around publicly performing healing miracles and at the same time order the unclean spirits who recognize him as the Son of God to be silent about his identity? I mean, if Jesus didn't want his sonship widely known, why cure diseases, expel demons, and claim to have the Father's authority to forgive sins? Mark reports that the crowds were so large and so eager to touch him that he had a hop on a boat in order to avoid being crushed! His message was getting out, so why silence the unclean spirits? Maybe we didn't want to risk being discredited by his religious enemies. They could accuse him of being an agent of the Devil if unclean spirits started witnessing to his identity. Maybe he didn't want his enemies to know too much about him before the proper time. There are a lot of maybe's. But one thing is clear: the demons know him as the Son of God. And though they know who and what he is, they do not believe in him; they do not share in nor benefit from the faith, hope, and charity of those whose eyes and ears are opened upon seeing Jesus and hearing his Word. Demons are not atheists. They believe in God's existence; however, unlike those who are healed by his touch come to trust in him, resting assured in his promises and loving as he loves them, demons do not trust, love, or live in hope. Therefore, there's a difference between knowing who the Son of God is and living in faith with him.

Jesus' public ministry of healing and preaching is something more than just an introduction to his identity. The author of the Letter of the Hebrews writes, “. . .[Christ] has obtained so much more excellent a ministry as he is mediator of a better covenant, enacted on better promises.” The author here says that Christ's ministry is “more excellent.” More excellent than what? In context, he is referring to the ministry of the High Priest of the Jewish temple; he is comparing the priestly work in the temple with Christ's priestly work in heaven. Christ's priesthood is more excellent b/c his work is one and done, b/c Christ himself is both the sacrificial victim and the sacrificing priest. The covenant established by the cross and resurrection are “better” than the covenant with Moses b/c who Christ is and what he does is the fulfillment, the perfection of God's covenant with Moses. Where before the coming of the Messiah God's people received forgiveness in an earthly copy of the heavenly sanctuary, now we receive His mercy in a living sanctuary, the body and blood of the risen Christ—a better covenant, a more perfect promise of eternal life.

In the same way that Christ's covenant is a perfection of God's covenant with Moses, our faith in Christ is the perfection of simply knowing who he is. In other words, if merely knowing who Jesus is is a good thing, trusting in him is all the better. Even the unclean spirits know who he is; they know that Jesus is the Son of God. But they do not and cannot trust, hope, love. We can. Living in the hope that Christ reveals and loving as we are loved—these are what distinguish us from the unclean spirits. Perhaps Jesus silences the demons b/c he wants God's people to do more than simply come to know who he is. He wants us to trust him, to rest assured in his promises, to love. This cannot be the testimony of an unclean spirit. Only those with eyes and ears opened by his merciful Word can speak truthfully in faith.

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Silence & Suffering

2nd Week OT (W)

Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP

St. Joseph's Church, Ponchatula

During my novitiate, I broke my glasses. Instead of asking for permission to buy a new pair, I taped the broken ones and stubbornly insisted that what I had was just fine. Finally, the novice master called me into his office to talk. He pointed out that glasses were a necessity for me. He pointed out that there was money in the budget for a replacement pair. Over and over I dismissed his attempts to make me see reason. Obviously frustrated, he said, “Philip, ask me for permission to buy a new pair of glasses.” When I couldn't do it, it dawned on me that my reluctance to buy new glasses had nothing to do with spending money; it was all about pride. Asking for help was just too much. I was a self-sufficient, educated, 35 year old man who could not bring himself to acknowledge that someone else had the authority and resources to hand me a gift. All I had to do was ask for it. Unfortunately, my heart was hardened against receiving what I needed. It took an order from the novice master to break through my pride. I asked and I received. Now, I see. . .figuratively and literally! There is no truer sign of a hardened heart than silence as an answer to suffering.

Our Lord grows angry with the Pharisees for their silence at the suffering of the man with a withered hand. He grieves their refusal to look at the man as a beloved son of the Father, a son in need of healing. Rather than treating the man with the compassion he needs, they treat him as an occasion to trap Jesus in violating the Sabbath law. What makes this scene all the more horrible is that there was no law against doing good on the Sabbath. There was no consensus among the scholars on whether or not healing was considered work. Jesus puts the question to them, “Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” Now, if there had been a philosopher among the Pharisees, he might have distinguished between healing a broken hand and saving a life. Saving the man's life on the Sabbath is clearly legal. Healing his hand is questionable. A philosopher would have pointed out that not healing his hand on the Sabbath is not an intentional evil. However, instead of debating the issue, instead of offering a reasonable answer to Jesus' question, the Pharisees remained silent. And it is this silence that makes our Lord angry.

We have to ask: why do the Pharisees remain silent? And why does their silence grieve the Lord? The Pharisees are trying to trap Jesus. They are setting him up so that they can take him down. Rather than answer him, rather than heal the man, they sit quietly, giving him enough rope to hang himself. And does just that. Jesus heals the man's hand and the Pharisees plot to have him executed. What grieves the Lord is the willingness of the Pharisees to refuse the man compassion in order to achieve an immediate political end. In other words, they were willing to silently tolerate the man's suffering in order to catch Jesus breaking the Law. Their hearts were hardened against the only gift that the Father gives us: love. 

We cannot give what we ourselves have not received. We cannot love if we refuse the gift of love that our Father offers us. To remain silent in the face of suffering is to refuse the one gift we need more than any other—the loving care of the One who created us and redeemed us. The voice of a heart hardened against the Lord is silence.

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Coffee Cup Browsing is back!

P. J. O'Rourke:  on the NYT not resisting the temptation to make nonsense of the shootings in Tuscon. 

You are not a leader if no one is following you:  ". . .a lot of 'extremist' discourse is really just inconvenient truth-telling by political opponents the liberal establishment would rather not hear from."

Give this pilot a medal. . .and put his name of your prayer list!

The Catholic Church in the U.K.

Fascinated by the variety of American English accents?  Check out this map.  Click on a region and you will see a list of states with links to Youtube vids of natives showing off their particular way of speaking English.

Isn't it ironic?  Feds use Manhattan College's own recruiting material and canon law to rule that the college is not a Catholic institution.  The USCCB ought to make refuting and dismantling the Land O'Lakes Statement a top priority.

Enrollment in Catholic schools is dropping b/c parents don't see much difference btw the Church's schools and the local public school.

The Church of England is considering a proposal to rewrite its baptismal service to diminish or outright exclude all those pesky Christian words and concepts.  The reason?  To get non-Christians into the pews.  In other news. . .a local liquor store stops selling liquor in order to get more people to buy more liquor.

But there's hope for Anglicans!

MT state trooper runs 50mph to catch drunk driver.

No Comment Pic of the Day

I'd definitely live in this house. . .we'd need to build a chapel though.

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Mississippi snow pics

Our patio after Sunday's snow (Jan 9th). . .

A snow tree. . .

A baby deer wandered into the yard. . .his mom and brother were somewhere nearby. . .

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Parish Life so far. . .

So far, so great!

My current assignment as parochial vicar at St. Joseph's Church marks the first time I have served in a regular parish.  I started my priesthood as a campus minister and from there moved to Rome to live in the Contemplative Clouds of the Academic Ivory Tower.  Though I've only been on the job for two days, I can say, "I love it."

I was enthusiastically welcomed by the folks here.  Our pastor, Fr. John Dominic, mentioned at Mass that I love fried chicken and cornbread.  When he and I returned to the rectory after the 5pm Mass on Sunday, a parishioner was waiting for us in the driveway with a plate of fried chicken and cornbread!  News travels fast in a small town parish.  Oh, and both chicken and cornbread were delicious. . .

So far, Fr. John has asked me to introduce the parish to the new, corrected translation of the Roman Missal. . .a job suited to an old English teacher, right?  I am hoping to offer some adult faith formation classes and start a reading group.  The parish has a large LifeTeen group and a school, so there will be opportunities there for some teaching as well.  

Now, how do I convince the parish cooks that my doctor will explode if I gain 15 lbs while I am here?  :-)

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Kindle

Question:  Did you get that Kindle you mentioned before?  How do you like it?  You should add some Kindle books to your Wish List.

Answer:  Mom came through with the Kindle and I have been enjoying it immensely.  I'm having a small problem with it though.  For no apparent reason it will simply stop and restart.  This results in me losing my place in the book I was reading.  Any ideas?

Look for a longer review of the Kindle in a future post.

I've updated the Wish List. . .but I haven't figured out how to transfer my Kindle account to the Wish List just yet.  I'll let you know!

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The heresy of novelty

NB.  This is not the homily I preached this morning.  It is either a very good homily and the devil didn't want it preached. . .or a very bad one and God intervened.  The computer in my office didn't recognize the homily's format.  Fixed that.  The printer was jammed.  Fixed that.  The printer was out of black ink.  Tried to print it out in blue or red.  Also out.  Found a replacement cartridge. . .wrong size.  Finally, I gave up and preached without a text!

St. Anthony

Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP

St. Joseph's Church, Ponchatula, LA

When I am in Rome I live with about 70 other friars in a 16th-century monastery located just two blocks from the ruins of the Imperial Forum. We live about five blocks from the 1st-century Colosseum and less than a block from the Emperor Trajan's 2nd-century market. You can't look out a window of the priory without seeing history layered upon history—pagan, imperial, Christian, Renaissance, and fascist. And even though Rome is a thoroughly modern European city, those heavy layers of history tend to insulate Romans from one of the most pernicious habits of modern American culture, namely, the worship of novelty for the sake of novelty. Here in the U.S. our daily battle-cry is “Make it new!” and it is no accident that this call to arms came from an American expatriate poet living in Italy, Ezra Pound. So in love with the notion of novelty are we that we have built a nation, a culture, and a religious heritage on a foundation of “making it new,” on the promise that we can always start over, always pick ourselves up for a “do over.” So in love with novelty are we that even we Catholics sometimes believe that our life in Christ is all about me just setting my mind to the work of growing in holiness and getting it done: I can renew myself by myself if only my will is strong enough to endure all the trials and temptations thrown at me. I can make myself into a New Me and present myself to God as a lovable soul. Here's the bad news: this is not the gospel.

Now, here's the Good News: the Old You is a lovable soul; in fact, the Old You is loved—by God, if no one else. God is not waiting to love you until you figure out how to transform yourself in a New Lovable You. He is not hanging around heaven twiddling his thumbs waiting for you to get busy with growing in holiness so that you eventually become holy enough for Him to love. If this were the case, He would be waiting on a lot of us for eternity. So, instead of waiting for us to get lovable, God created us through His love, making us loved creatures from day one. From the very beginning, we are loved. From the very instant that space and time popped into existence from nothingness at His word, we are loved. There is nothing we can do, say, or think that will change this hard fact of creation. To believe otherwise is to believe that we have the power to change the very nature of God. 

You are loved—by God, if no one else. If you are struggling to change yourself into new wine, fighting temptations and trials to make yourself into someone wholly new and different in order to be loved by God, stop it. Just stop it. Do something more useful with your time and energy. Instead, receive God's gift of love with humility and gratitude. Acknowledge your total dependence on His mercy. Make your day all about saying, “Thank you, Lord.” And in your sincere humility, with all the thanksgiving you can muster, love as He loves you. We cannot make ourselves new. We are made new wine by Christ. And only in Christ can we be new men, new women. Our American love of self-made novelty can become a competition for a prize we already possess. If there's a race for us to run, it's a race toward the goal of holiness, the perfection of our lives in Christ day to day, hour by hour.

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Adventures of a Flying Friar

Another friar and I shared a taxi to Rome's airport on the morning of Dec 18th.  We got out at Terminal 3, the "local flights" terminal.  Took me a few minutes to realize that I had to be in Terminal 5, the international terminal.  Long wait for the shuttle bus. . .arrived at T5 to find the place largely empty.  Quickly got to the Delta counter for check-in.  

Once there I was told that the flight to Atlanta was overbooked.  The clerk offered me a travel voucher to switch my reservation from Delta to an Alitalia flight arriving in Boston.  I was told that this flight would get me to Memphis 30 mins earlier than my original flight.  I took the voucher and waited for the clerk to switch my reservation.  All this done, I was told that the Alitalia flight was departing from Terminal 3.  

Back to T3 where I was greeted by thousands of passengers waiting in what counts as "lines" in Italy.  After about an hour waiting in line, I asked one of the clerks on the floor if we would be able to depart on time.  She informed me that all the flights to the US were delayed by two hours.  Great.  She then told me that I was in the wrong line for Boston.  Another hour in the "Boston line."  In the next thirty minutes or so the "Boston line" was shifted twice to different desks.  At one point, the throngs of American students in front of me grew very, very agitated.  Turns out that Alitalia was charging passengers for overweight/extra bags.  My checked bag cost me 100 euro!

We arrived in Boston twenty mins before my Memphis flight was due to depart.  When I went to check in, the clerk said, "Mr. Powell, you're late."  I responded--in a flat, "don't mess with me" tone--"No, your plane was late."  He tells me that I probably won't make the Memphis flight and offers to shift me to a later flight going through Atlanta.  I say, "No.  Put me on the plane to Memphis."  He escorts me to security and I rush through, practically running to the gate.  I arrive at the gate, sweaty, winded, and oh-so-aggravated.  

The clerk there tell me that the plane has pushed back from the gate.  I keep my cool. . .barely.  The clerk must've noticed my resolve not to go postal b/c she politely rearranged my reservation and offered her personal cell phone so I could call my dad and let him know that I was going to arrive in Memphis four hours late.  As she handed me my new boarding pass, the clerk tells me that she's bumped me to first class and included two meal vouchers for the airport.  This flight marks the first time I was ever flown first class in some thirty-five years of flying!  

We arrived in Memphis on time.  My mom and older niece were there waiting for me. . .Deo gratis!

The lesson:  never accept an offer from an American airline to switch your reservation to an Italian airline.  Never. 

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Made it. . .

I've arrived safely in Ponchatula.  Not yet unpacked.  Ugh.  

Delta Airlines has been entered on my list of Never Fly With Them Again list.  Charged me $90 for an overweight bag.  Moved ten lbs of stuff to my carry-on to avoid paying $190!  Question:  what difference does it make if that ten pounds goes in the cargo hold or above my seat?  I've been flying since I was twelve and no one has ever charged me for checking a bag!

Anyway. . .HancAquam will be revving back up in the morning.  Off to bed.

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MPH to ATL to NOLA to Ponchatula!

I am off this morning to Atlanta and then New Orleans. . .and then Ponchatula, LA!

Pray for the safety of our flights, please.

God bless, Fr. Philip

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Amongst the squirrels again. . .

I made it home.  Only four hours late.  The trip here was. . .interesting. . .I'll tell the whole story once things are settled in Louisiana.

A piece of travelers' advice:  never, never, never accept a voucher from an American airline in exchange for changing your reservations to fly on an Italian airline.  Never.  Ever.

Merry Christmas!

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Last Coffee Bowl Browsing of 2010

OK. . .one more CBB!

No royal wedding invitation for B.O.

Hmmmm. . .Cuba banned Micheal Moore's "documentary" on its health care system.  Apparently, there are some leftists with a little shame left.

"Sustainability" on the campus. . .BIG waste o'tax dollars.

Mao is the greatest mass murderer in human history.

BXVI on the limits of the historical-critical method in Biblical interpretation.  H-C has its uses, but it can't be the only method used.  I prefer the more literary Patristic methods of interpretation.

The Manslator!  Using a patented FemLogic chip this device translates FemSpeak into ManSpeak.

Feline jihad. . .

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Winging my way home. . .

Venturing out into the cold, wet Roman morning. . .headed to Fiumicino.  Three hour layover in Atlanta and then on to Memphis!  

Travel reports from N. Europe aren't good.  Looks like the U.K. is getting snowed in.  Glad I'm not changing flights at Heathrow.

Mom and Pop tell me that the squirrels miss me reading to them.  Ahhh. 

Homilies, Coffee Bowl Browsing, etc. will pick back up again after Jan. 15, 2011.

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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Snow in Rome!

 

Frs. Rick, Dominic, and Philip Neri

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Being members of the family of God

NB.  I laid around in bed 'til 6.00 this morning, so this homily is a little more muddled than usual.

3rd Week Advent (F)

Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP

Ss. Domenico e Sisto, Roma

My paternal grandmother was a genealogy machine. Give her a name and a basic family relationship—aunt, cousin, sister-in-law—and she could calculate exactly how that person was related to everyone else in the family. On occasion, I would try to trick her by making up a complicated relationship to see if she was really as good as she seemed. She never missed. It was an amazing talent nourished by the great southern tradition of knowing “who your people are.” Of course, American southerners aren't the only ones who cherish this tradition. Knowing your family, your tribe, the history of your house is as old as creation. The most basic decisions in one's life can be made based on who you are within a family, within a nation. Who inherits the property? Who gets married? Who takes care of the children if the mother of a family dies? Who is expected to serve in the temple, the Church? We are who we are largely because of who our family is and who we are in that family. Genealogy is more than just a science of calculating familial relationships; it's the art of picking yourself out of the crowd so that you can be part of the crowd without losing your unique place among those you love and those who love you. When we hear Jesus' genealogy read aloud at Mass every December 17th, we are reminded again that he was and is a member of a family, an extraordinary individual who belongs to history, a man who is deeply rooted in the long, long story of Jewish people's history with God. And because we are heirs to His kingdom, Jesus' family history is our family history. Quite literally, we are the sons and daughters of the Father.

Knowing our family roots in the generations that precede us is vitally important to knowing who we are right now. But the work of the Church is not done in the past. We are not charged with spending our time and energy looking back to Achim, to Eleazar, to Ahaz. Our work is done today and tomorrow. We have the roots of the Jewish people firmly grounding us in the story of God's creation. We have the sturdy trunk of Jesus' preaching and teaching to support us when the Enemy comes against us. We have the thriving branches of our Church family to spread out and grow, reaching out and up to declare the Good News. And we have each one of us—the leaf, the flower, the seed—taking in the graces our Lord gives us, feeding the whole tree and bearing witness to His abundance. Our work as members of God's family is to flourish in His mercy and love and to make Him known to every tribe, every nation and people. With roots growing back to the day of creation, we are to spread out and plants the world's fields with the seeds of the Word. This is who we are in God's family. This is what we do as His sons and daughters. And our inheritance is nothing less than eternal life.

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Updates, etc.

Many thanks for the prayers for my father.  He will likely have surgery before Christmas.  Nothing life-threatening.  Please, keep storming heaven anyway!

Add my maternal grandfather, Clyde, to your prayer list.  He was born the year the Titanic sunk.  Over the weekend, he suffered a mild heart attack.  I will see him and my grandmother for the first time in about five years over Christmas.

I leave for the U.S. on Saturday (18th).  Long Christmas vacation in MS before heading south to LA to be a parish priest for the first time in my life. Pray that the rioting students and strikers stay home.

Several HancAquam readers have asked me what I need for Christmas.  Honestly, nothing. . .other than the prayers requested above.  If you are so moved to send me something more material, the Wish List is always full.  :-)

I've embarked on a serious attempt to trim down.  At 46 and 320lbs., I am WAY too fat.  Being in the U.S. will only make this untenable situation worse.  No tricks, gimmicks, etc.  Just plain ole calorie counting and increased exercise.

There will be one more homily post before I leave Rome.  I have the English Mass in the morning.  After this, no more homilies 'til things get started in LA in mid-Jan 2011.  Internet access in MS is very limited, so comments, emails, etc. will be received but probably not answered for at least a month.  

As always, I appreciate my readers and pray for you everyday at Mass! 

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More Roman rioting from Tuesday

The poster of the video below claims that the gov't infiltrated the protesters and started the riots in order to give the police an excuse to crack some heads. Entirely possible, even probable. Of course, it could be the case that the "gov't agents" are really communist agents pretending to be policemen so that the protesters can later claim that it was the police who started the riot. 

[Insert infinite regress. . .]



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Rome is burning! (again. . .)

It's good to see that the Pretty Boys of the Carabinieri got a little dirty. . .








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Coffee Bowl Browsing

Rome riots!  If you know anything about Rome's almost 3,000 year history, you know that rioting here is a fine art.

A short BBC vid of the rioting.

Why does the Church need a new English translation of the Missal?  'Nuff said.

Atheists are doing believers a huge favor in Ft. Worth.  

Lame Duck Dems offer a 1,924 pg. $1,100,000,000,000 budget. . .no review, no debate.

Manufacturing "hate crimes" at Harvard.  NB.  Christians were blamed for this.

". . .at opposite ends of Europe, Islamist radicals continue to probe for weak spots where they may carry out their atrocious acts."  And all of Europe is a weak spot.

The CIA, the LAPD, and the FBI go rabbit hunting. . .

Harry Potter. . .ermmmm, I mean hairy potter.

Kids tell us the naked truth about dating and marriage.

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Chant: Benedicamus Domino

Roman Catholic chant sung by an Orthodox master. . .



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Old Roman Catholic Chant: Popule meus

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Coffee Bowl Browsing

Great!  VA federal judge declares the individual mandate of ObamaCare unconstitutional.  The link includes the 42 pg. decision.  It is well worth the read--clear, concise, and persuasive.  

Key points of the judge's decision summarized.  Bottomline:  Congress cannot regulate commericial inactivity.  Duh.

Euro debt crisis caused "accidentally on-purpose" in order to expand E.U. political control?  I wouldn't be surprised at all.

A lefty HuffPo blogger/ColumbiaU prof was recently arrested for having an incestuous relationship with his adult daughter.  Given the Supreme Court's decisions on same-sex relationships and current litigation around SSM, this question was inevitable:  should incestuous adult relationships be illegal?  (Fair warning:  this article is not obscene but it deals frankly with the legal issues of the question.)

". . .report details the rise of a secularist attitude in European societies that increasingly leads to intolerance against Christian beliefs."

 

10 Manly Christmas gifts for the men in your life.

Is the Church skeptical of Marian apparitions?  Yes, she is. . .and she should be.  Everything necessary for salvation is contained within scripture and taught by the Tradition of the Church.  Apparitions are "extra" and never necessary.

Good vs. Evil comic:  Zombie Jesus!  Not sure what to think about this.  It combines two of my fav subjects--Jesus and zombies. 

I want one. . .

Lazy, lazy Christmas decorations

A little Tuesday Cynicism

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Are you ready to die for that answer?

3rd Week of Advent (M)/St Lucy

Fr. Philip Neri Powell

Ss. Domenico e Sisto, Roma

The chief priests and the elders are growing more and more frustrated with Jesus. At every turn, he manages to spoil their efforts to discredit him. He beats them at their legal game. He outperforms them at their religious game. He's certainly more politically popular among the common people. All of these defeats at the hands of a disreputable preacher from a backwater town are really starting to sting! Finding him teaching to a large crowd in the temple area, the priests and elders decide to go for the gold medal and ask a very basic question, a question that should either establish Jesus' credentials or expose him as a fraud: “By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?” You can almost hear the frustration in these questions. What exactly are these men after? What answers are they hoping for? Of course, Jesus is too smart by half to answer them directly. He already knows that the question is a trap, so he answers with his own question, “Was John's baptism of heavenly or human origin?” Now they are stuck! If they say that John's baptism was heavenly in origin, then his preaching about Jesus is true. If they say that he baptism was human in origin, then these men face an angry mob of John's supporters. Given these options, the priests and elders say, “We don't know.” Since they don't know the answer or won't give an answer, Jesus refuses to address their question about his authority to teach and perform miracles. In other words, he refuses to reveal himself as the Word made flesh, the Word authored by the Father and sent with His authority to preach the Good News.

Now, no doubt the priests and elders are just a little curious about this reckless prophet who's going around upsetting the rules of their playground. They are certainly frustrated by their failed attempts to expose Jesus as a fraud. But it is telling that they willing to confront him directly about the origins of his authority. They risk an outright public declaration from Jesus that he is the long-promised Messiah. Once spoken, such a claim is explosive; it cannot be unspoken. Once revealed—true or false—the claim will have to be addressed. The religious and political rulers will either have to accept Jesus' authority and see their world turned upside-down, or reject his authority and risk a violent reaction from the mobs that follow this preacher around. They opt for the predictable politicians' response: do nothing and hope to keep their jobs and their lives. It should go without saying that this sort of response is not what God demands of us. Hedging our bets for and against the Christ is no hedge at all. We either accept his authority, or we reject it. We follow, or we walk away. 

Half-measures, hedged bets, lukewarm hearts will not get us any closer to Christ. In fact, standing on the sidelines of the Way, watching from a safe distance, will get us nothing more than left behind. If the priests and elders were to ask you, “By what authority does Jesus do these things? And who gave him this authority?”—how would you answer? Are you ready to die for that answer? Because regardless of how you answer, you will be called upon to defend yourself. . .to death or all the way to eternal life.

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Prayer Request

Please add my dad, Glenn, to your prayer list. . .

He got some bad health news yesterday.  Nothing fatal but nothing good either.

Grazie!

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Coffee Bowl Browsing

The number of waivers from the insurance mandates of ObamaCare is doubled in just two weeks.   Lesson:  if you have to free businesses from your mandates in order to avoid disaster, then your mandates are probably inherently disastrous.

More "unintended consequences" of ObamaCare:  Orphan drug discounts canceled.

The "science" is settled!  Global Warming fundamentalists partying in Cancun sign petition to ban dihydrogen monoxide. . .that's water (H2O).   Meanwhile, Paris receives its largest snowfall since 1987.

Speaking of the Church of Global Warming:  BXVI on the "new polytheism" and the dangers of paganism.

Louisiana school board (rightly) rejects an attempt to have creationism included in biology textbooks.  Religion is not science.  Thanks be to God!

Lots of student rioting in London. . .apparently, asking them to pay for part of their education is riot-worthy.

B.O.'s bud in Venezuela allows Iran to place missiles within range of the U.S.  Fortunately, the Iranians will only allow Chavez to use in the missiles "in case of emergency."  Whew.

Just how radical is Pope BXVI?  Pretty radical, dude!

Chapter and verse:  on an inconvenient visit from one's pastor

The next generation plots its fiscal revenge

Calvin & Hobbes pit their wits against the raging elements

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Listen, follow, act

2nd Week Advent (F)

Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP

Ss. Domenico e Sisto, Roma

To the prophet Isiah the Lord says, “I, the LORD, your God, teach you what is for your good, and lead you on the way you should go.” The Psalmist echoes this truth when he writes, “Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.” Developing the idea even further, Jesus says to the crowds, “. . .wisdom is vindicated by her works.” The Lord leads. We follow. And wisdom is upheld in His deeds. If there's a formula to living in Christ, this is it: Go where the Lord leads; do what He asks; and the truth of His Word will manifest in the fruit of our works. This sounds so easy, so straightforward. But we all know how often things go so horribly wrong. Jesus gives us a good reason for our frequent failures. Instead of listening to the Lord and following Him, we prefer to do the talking; we prefer to lead Him where we want Him to go. Needless to say, this is the formula for spiritual disaster.

Speaking to the crowds, Jesus compares his generation to children in the marketplace who complain that no one dances to their music, no one mourns when they sing. The people of this generation accuse John the Baptist of being possessed by a demon b/c he neither eats nor drinks. When Jesus eats and drinks with sinners, they accuse him of being a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax-collectors. Like the children in the marketplace who whine b/c no one dances to their tunes, those who hear John and Jesus preach reject what they hear b/c it's not what they want to hear. Perhaps we shouldn't be too quick in condemning the crowds. John and Jesus are preaching some difficult truths: repentance, humility, charity, and obedience. There's little here to soothe a sinners' mind, almost nothing attractive to a heart steeped in sin. Regardless, let's not miss out on Jesus' principal concern. By accusing both John and Jesus of the same crimes for different reasons, the people of this evil generation expose a deeply seated unwillingness to listen to, follow after, and uphold the wisdom of God. John and Jesus are preaching a consistent message of repentance and salvation. The stubborn crowds are living lives of destructive contradiction. In other words, when the heart and mind are divided against themselves, truth cannot take hold and thrive. 

If you hope to be a follower of Christ and not just a fan, you will unite your mind around the light of life; you will close your heart around the radical openness of God's love. When we listen to, follow after, and act on the Father's wisdom, we will not only be made whole, we will be vindicated—upheld and glorified as Christ himself is glorified.

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