Tag: featured

Sunday Lectionary: Travelling Light

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Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: July 15th, 2012

In our Lectionary this week we learn about the calling of the Prophet Amos, a regular blue-collar worker who was called by God to be a prophet to the Northern Kingdom of Israel, away from his home in the Kingdom of Judah.

The notion of a “calling” is also found in our Second Reading. St. Paul says “In [Christ] we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all things”. In our baptism we too have been chosen and sent out as prophets into the world, to preach a life-giving message which is so often received with nothing but hostility.

Finally, in our Gospel Reading, Jesus sends out His Twelve Apostles to preach and to heal, to advance the Kingdom of Heaven.

A man of prayer is capable of everything. Hence it is very important that missioners dedicate themselves to this practice with great affection, because without it they will accomplish little or nothing, whereas through it, more than by letters or persuasive speech, they will be capable of touching hearts and winning souls to their Creator. -St. Vincent de Paul

Our Lord instructs the Apostles to “travel light”, taking only the simplest of supplies and to trust in the providence of God. Good advice for us all…


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Who’s your daddy? St. Ignatius of Antioch

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This is the first entry in what I hope to be a regular series of posts about the Early Church Fathers.

It is a good thing to study the Early Fathers because by reading their writings we can get a better picture of what the Church looked like during those early centuries, both during the years of persecution and the years of peace.

The Church Fathers speak to us of the Faith they learned from the Apostles and from their immediate successors.  If we would sit and listen, their words can still instruct and inspire us today, just as they did for Christians under their care in their own time.

I would like to begin this series of entries with my favourite Early Church Father, the inspirational martyr and gifted writer, St. Ignatius of Antioch.

“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”

– James 1:12

My posts on the Fathers will not normally be this long, but reading St. Ignatius for the first time had some a profound effect on me I want to try and do him justice.  Read to the end, it’ll be worth it, I promise.

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Where do you draw the line?

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When speaking to pro-choice advocates who assert that unborn aren’t worthy of protection, I often ask:

(a) Is there a cut-off point during a pregnancy after which abortion should not be allowed?

(b) Are there any reasons reasons why someone might want an abortion which are insufficient? For example, if the mother wanted a son and was pregnant with a girl.

I like asking these questions because it helps lay out very clearly the limits of that person’s support for abortion, as well as that person’s reasoning for being pro-choice. For example, if someone says that they would be against Third Trimester abortions, then it allows us to probe for the reason why abortion in this case is wrong and not before. We can then see if there is any meaningful difference between the two cases.

Baptism Matters: Part 1 (Scripture)

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Over the last six months, many of my non-Catholic Christian friends have given birth to their first child. This was brought about, presumably, through the combination of an extremely poor TV lineup last summer and an abundance of free time on their part.

With this wonderful addition to their family, several of these new parents are now facing a dilemma: should they baptize their newborn child? 

You see, in many cases, one spouse comes from a denomination where infant baptism isn’t performed (Baptists, Seventh Day Adventists, non-denominationals) and the other has come from a denomination where it is standard practice (Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Anglican, Methodist). The parents typically make the choice to either baptize their child or to have some kind of dedication ceremony.

This is an important issue to me. I was once a member of Protestant congregation where they did infant baptisms, but they also carried out child dedications, depending upon the wishes of the parents.  This inconsistency was an important catalyst in my study of the ancient Christian faith and my eventual reversion to the Catholic Church.

infant-baptism

So, in the next few posts I would like to present the basic case in favour of infant baptism…

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TOT: Catching Foxes on “Goodness”

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April 4th, 2018: Catching Foxes @ Mission San Diego

About the speaker: Luke and Gomer started a podcast to fulfill their obligation as American men in their thirties that work in ministry. Their show, Catching Foxes, oscillates between a conversation about the intersection of faith and culture and interviews with guests that deserve better. Catching Foxes has almost five million downloads. It doesn’t make sense to Luke or Gomer either.

When he’s not woodworking or watching YouTube videos on woodworking, Gomer lives in Houston, TX with his wife Shannon and four kids. When he’s not lamenting the USMNT failure of Oct. 10, 2017, Luke lives in Cincinnati, OH with his wife Erin. To learn more about Catching Foxes, Google it like an adult, or visit CatchingFoxes.fm or follow them on Twitter.

You can subscribe to the San Diego Theology On Tap Podcast using either iTunes or Google Play.

Main Talk (Download)

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