Baruch 5:1-9 Ps 126 Phil 1:4-6,8-11 Lk 3:1-6   A favorite memory from my time Temple Medical School in ‘72 was the night six of us scrounged together enough money for dinner at a restaurant in Center City Philadelphia after which we walked to the Forrest Theater to see "Godspell" a rock musical that had opened on Broadway in 1971.  Godspell is subtitled, “A Musical Based  Upon the Gospel According to St. Matthew.”  It was quite a romp.  Though it was later made into a movie I much prefer the play. Today’s readings bring back the memory the joyful opening number ..read more

  1 December 2024 Jer  33:14-16 1 Thess 3:12-4:2 Luke 21:25-28, 34-36   Today begins a new church year with a new cycle of liturgical readings.  The Sunday gospels will come primarily from Luke rather than Mark who is now so last year.  The first Sunday of Advent is a New Year’s Day on which the Church enters into a liturgically subdued mood.   Thus, the Gloria is omitted during most Masses.  The green vestments are at the dry cleaner having been replaced by violet.  The general instruction for the Roman missal notes that, “The organ and other musical in ..read more

  We read in Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, “Luke the beloved physician sends you his greetings . . .”  Though the evidence is slim, tradition holds that Luke was a physician. That tradition suggests the overlap in the vocations of priests and physicians.    Few books capture the reality of the demands, sacrifices, and pain that are part of the vocations to medicine or priesthood.  Among the small number that do is a 1947 novel written that proved prophetic when covid emerged.  While relevant to all who had to cope with the biological, psychological, social, and ..read more

  Wis 3:1-6,9 1 Cor 15:20-26 Jn 12:23-28   The sonnet begins with a challenge directed at death as if it were a person:   "Death be not proud, though some have called thee Mighty and dreadful, for, thou art not so . . . "   It ends ten short lines later with gentle reassurance and a sense of hope directed to those who are dying and to those who survive and must go on.   "One short sleep past, we wake eternally, And death shall be no more, death, thou shalt die."   In his tenth holy sonnet, the 17th century Anglican priest and poet John Donne, tells the personifica ..read more

  The names are familiar: WW I:             Gallipoli, Verdun. WW II:            Iwo Jima, Anzio, D-Day Korea:            Inchon Viet Nam:      Tet, the Fall of Saigon Today:           The Gulf War and subsequent involvements.   The changes in the way wars are fought and the reasons underlying wars emerged from changes in society and changes in those who fight them.&n ..read more

  Dt 6:2-6 Ps 18 Heb 7:23-28 Mk 12:28-34   “Hear O Israel The Lord our God is Lord alone!”   These words begin the shema, the central prayer of Judaism.  Observant Jews recite it twice daily.  It is written on the small scroll that is held within the mezuzah, the small container affixed to the door posts of Jewish homes.   The Shema became central to Judaism beginning in the late Second Temple period,that extended from 530 BC to AD 70.  The scroll encased within the mezuzah is inscribed by a qualified scribe trained in law and scripture related to his task. a ..read more

  Ps 126 Mk 10:46-52 "Master I want to see." What did Bartimaeus' voice sound like? Was it high or low, loud or soft? Was his tone angry, demanding, desperate or pleading? What did his face look like? Was he standing, kneeling, or bowed down before Jesus? Enter the narrative as if you were in a movie. Place yourself in the scene. Recreate it in your mind. Compose a scene in your imagination placing yourself in the action and feeling the wind, or heat, or rain on your skin, is one of the fundamental practices of Ignatian contemplation as described in the Spiritual Exercises. Remain there ..read more

  Wis 7:7-11 Ps 90:12-12, 13-15, 16-17 Heb 4:12-13 Mk 10:17-30   Some of the most exquisite images in scripture describe the attributes of Wisdom.  Wisdom is not innate or genetic. It is never present at birth or the early stages of development, which go up to 25 or older.  It has nothing to do with IQ. It has even less to do with educational level or number of advanced degrees.  Wisdom is acquired and molded through long experience of success and failure, of the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. It is the special possession of those with a listening heart who ..read more

  Gn 2:18-24 Ps 128 Heb 2:9-11 Mk 10:2-16   There are certain readings that make a homilist break out into a cold sweat when he looks ahead for the coming week.  Today's readings are of that type. There are, of  course, a few ways to avoid saying anything controversial. Tell a few cute stories from your past about how your family stopped at Dunkin' Donuts after Mass every Sunday, Toss in a joke about a rabbi, a priest, and a minister . . . . . Use a few pious platitudes.  Decide it would be a good day for the deacon to preach Or plunge in.   Were a teacher or prof ..read more

  Nm 11:25-29 Ps 19 8-14 Jas 5:1-6 Mk 9:38-43, 45, 47-48 None of today's readings elicits warm, fuzzy, or comforting feelings.  There is nothing to soothe a troubled soul.  If anything, the gospel has the potential to cause discomfort. Both the first reading and the gospel consider the question of who should prophesy and evangelize.  The short answer is everyone. In response to the concerns that two men--Eldad and Medad--were prophesying along with the other elders despite having been absent when the spirit descended,  Moses replied, "Would that all the people of the L ..read more