We Can't Say We Weren't Warned
11/28/10 05:17
Just a guess, but I wonder if many people in Noah’s time thought there was nothing wrong with their lifestyle and that the warnings were meant for other people.
Just a guess, but I wonder if the same biases could lead us into ignoring Jesus’ warning. We are so immersed in our own culture that we might fail to see the warning signs all around us Read More...
Just a guess, but I wonder if the same biases could lead us into ignoring Jesus’ warning. We are so immersed in our own culture that we might fail to see the warning signs all around us Read More...
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The Foolish Virgins
08/27/10 04:27
In today's parable, the foolish virgins simply weren't vigilant. Their sin was not one of commission, but omission. They didn't bring enough oil. When the groom arrived and caught them off guard, they were found wanting. All because they lost track of time. Like the sign in the coffee shop says, "Life is short. Stay awake." Today's reading is an opportunity to reflect on the precious present and ask ourselves what we might do this very day to be a light to the world. Read More...
The Future Ain't What it Used to Be
08/22/10 08:35
When someone asked Jesus about the end times, he was told that many would be caught unaware by His second coming. In other words, it isn’t something you can pencil in on your calendar. In order to be saved, you have to live every day as if it were your last. Read More...
Time Out for the Lord
11/03/09 02:39
In our hectic 24/7 world, more than 87,000 books have been published on the subject of time management. They all emphasize the need to distinguish between the urgent tasks and the important ones. In the parable of the banquet, the three invited guests thought they were too busy handling urgent matters to answer the more important invitation of their Lord. Read More...
The Warning Signs
10/22/09 09:26
There is a way that we can forecast the future with some accuracy, and that is to live our lives in such a way that we leave this world a better than place than we found it. The best “sign” that we are succeeding is our children. If we raise them to be God-fearing, responsible adults, generations to come will be blessed by our efforts. Read More...
Signs of the Times
07/20/09 09:29
Our first duty in times of struggle is to receive the sacraments. Those are the signs that will point the way we should go. Read More...
Mary Chose Life
03/25/09 08:14
“And Mary said, Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.” (Luke 1: 26-38)
As a historical document, the Bible is remarkable in that it contains so few dates. To complicate matters, the books of the Old Testament are not arranged chronologically, as you might expect in an historical work, but rather, in descending order of authority of the authors, starting with Moses.
The Jews had a different view of the passage of time than we have. Our innate sense of time has become distorted by our 24/7 lifestyle. We multi-task, speed dial, work in “real time,” ship our packages “just in time,” and even engage in speed dating. Read More...
As a historical document, the Bible is remarkable in that it contains so few dates. To complicate matters, the books of the Old Testament are not arranged chronologically, as you might expect in an historical work, but rather, in descending order of authority of the authors, starting with Moses.
The Jews had a different view of the passage of time than we have. Our innate sense of time has become distorted by our 24/7 lifestyle. We multi-task, speed dial, work in “real time,” ship our packages “just in time,” and even engage in speed dating. Read More...
The Pharisees Seek a Sign
03/04/09 08:16
“This generation is an evil generation: it seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it but the sign of Jonah.” (Luke 11: 29-32)
The Jewish leaders failed to read the signs of their times. Jesus had already performed amazing miracles such as curing a blind man and exorcising a demon; yet the Pharisees and scribes demanded more miraculous signs.
Jesus knew they were blind to the truth and refused to meet their demands.
I wondered what Jesus would have to say about the signs of our times. To get a fresh perspective on our culture, I Googled the archives of “Time” itself; that is, I scanned back issues of our leading news magazine. Read More...
The Jewish leaders failed to read the signs of their times. Jesus had already performed amazing miracles such as curing a blind man and exorcising a demon; yet the Pharisees and scribes demanded more miraculous signs.
Jesus knew they were blind to the truth and refused to meet their demands.
I wondered what Jesus would have to say about the signs of our times. To get a fresh perspective on our culture, I Googled the archives of “Time” itself; that is, I scanned back issues of our leading news magazine. Read More...
New Year's Resolutions
12/27/08 11:40
“They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we know not where they have laid him." (John 20: 2-8)
The juxtaposition of last week’s nativity story with today’s reading about the open tomb is a jarring reminder of how little time any of us has on earth. For Jesus, it was a mere 33 years; for most of us it will be twice that amount and more. But today, we live in an era of accelerating change in which our sensation of passing time is quickened by the rapid rate of innovation. Read More...
The juxtaposition of last week’s nativity story with today’s reading about the open tomb is a jarring reminder of how little time any of us has on earth. For Jesus, it was a mere 33 years; for most of us it will be twice that amount and more. But today, we live in an era of accelerating change in which our sensation of passing time is quickened by the rapid rate of innovation. Read More...
The End of Time
11/25/08 07:55
“...Take heed you be not seduced; for many will come in my name, saying, I am he; and the time is at hand: go ye not therefore after them.” (Luke 21: 5-11)
I had dinner recently with a man who has been diagnosed with a rare form of incurable cancer. He has already been through two rounds of chemo therapy (“rat poison,” he calls it), radiation and surgery. The doctors want to perform another surgical procedure but he has refused. For him, the “end times” are a very real and imminent prospect. He can’t be sure if he will live to see another Christmas. And he is not alone.
On any given day, approximately 6,350 Americans will die. For those aware of their approaching death, talk of an apocalypse at some point in the distant future must seem like the ultimate fantasy. Read More...
I had dinner recently with a man who has been diagnosed with a rare form of incurable cancer. He has already been through two rounds of chemo therapy (“rat poison,” he calls it), radiation and surgery. The doctors want to perform another surgical procedure but he has refused. For him, the “end times” are a very real and imminent prospect. He can’t be sure if he will live to see another Christmas. And he is not alone.
On any given day, approximately 6,350 Americans will die. For those aware of their approaching death, talk of an apocalypse at some point in the distant future must seem like the ultimate fantasy. Read More...
Jesus on After-Life
11/22/08 07:40
“Jesus said to them: The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: But they that shall be accounted worthy of that world, and of the resurrection from the dead, shall neither be married, nor take wives.” (Luke 20: 27-40)
The Pharisees and Sadducees were at odds over the existence of an after-life. The Pharisees believed in one while the Sadducees did not. It was a point of contention and they tried to draw Jesus into their debate. But He adroitly answered by quoting scripture and by stating the obvious: heaven lies beyond human experience and comprehension. We can scarcely imagine what the after-life might be like.
Time itself is an enigma. Our perception of it is subjective and skewed by our own personal experience, memory and imagination. Read More...
The Pharisees and Sadducees were at odds over the existence of an after-life. The Pharisees believed in one while the Sadducees did not. It was a point of contention and they tried to draw Jesus into their debate. But He adroitly answered by quoting scripture and by stating the obvious: heaven lies beyond human experience and comprehension. We can scarcely imagine what the after-life might be like.
Time itself is an enigma. Our perception of it is subjective and skewed by our own personal experience, memory and imagination. Read More...
Jesus On End Times
11/14/08 04:04
“Whosoever shall seek to save his life, shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose it, shall preserve it.” (Luke 17: 26-37)
Armageddon. Deep Impact. The Day After Tomorrow. Battlefield Earth. Hollywood’s steady drumbeat of apocalyptic films with their emphasis on chaos, carnage and calamity misses the whole point about the end times’ prophecies.
The New Testament contains more than 300 allusions to the Second Coming - - not to sew fear and apprehension - - but to instill hope by making clear that evil will be vanquished in the end. What’s missing from the dissonant drumming of the fear mongers is the triumphal sound of heavenly trumpets.
The films succeed at the box office because the faithful have been looking forward to the end times ever since the beginning of the Church. Read More...
Armageddon. Deep Impact. The Day After Tomorrow. Battlefield Earth. Hollywood’s steady drumbeat of apocalyptic films with their emphasis on chaos, carnage and calamity misses the whole point about the end times’ prophecies.
The New Testament contains more than 300 allusions to the Second Coming - - not to sew fear and apprehension - - but to instill hope by making clear that evil will be vanquished in the end. What’s missing from the dissonant drumming of the fear mongers is the triumphal sound of heavenly trumpets.
The films succeed at the box office because the faithful have been looking forward to the end times ever since the beginning of the Church. Read More...
Parable of the Banquet
11/04/08 04:38
“Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant: Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the feeble, and the blind, and the lame.” (Luke 14: 15-24)
We’ve all seen or heard about people talking on cell phones in elevators; applying make-up during rush hour traffic; eating lunch during classroom lectures. When their boorish behavior is questioned, they’re apt to say, “Excuse me for living.” But living isn’t the problem. It’s the pace of living that’s the problem. We’re all over-committed, over-stimulated, over-due for a change.
It’s as if we’re characters in Alice in Wonderland where “… it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!" But like the scared rabbit in Wonderland, the hurrieder we go the behinder we get. Read More...
We’ve all seen or heard about people talking on cell phones in elevators; applying make-up during rush hour traffic; eating lunch during classroom lectures. When their boorish behavior is questioned, they’re apt to say, “Excuse me for living.” But living isn’t the problem. It’s the pace of living that’s the problem. We’re all over-committed, over-stimulated, over-due for a change.
It’s as if we’re characters in Alice in Wonderland where “… it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!" But like the scared rabbit in Wonderland, the hurrieder we go the behinder we get. Read More...
Jesus Interprets the Times
10/24/08 09:22
Psychologists say we ignore problems that we feel powerless to solve. But if we do not read the spiritual signs of the times; if we allow drug use, violent crime and sexual promiscuity to continue growing; if we don't get involved in the problems of society; if we don't heed today's Gospel message, the day may come when the area code for this entire country will be 911. Read More...
Holy Leisure
10/07/08 03:15
End Times Foretold
08/29/08 08:29
Every day is Judgment Day for someone. It isn’t given to us to know when our day will come, but that uncertainty leaves us with no alternative than to live each day as if it were our last – as if we were about to come face to face with our Maker. Read More...