"We are travellers…not yet in our native land" – St. Augustine
This week I’m leading Bible Study at St. Brigid’s, so once again I’m posting my notes for this Sunday’s Mass Readings…
This week’s Readings speaks to both the continuity and discontinuity between the Old and New Testaments, focussing on the idea that morality flows from God, that living a holy life flows from imitation of God.
As I mentioned in my previous post, over the next few days I’m going to be responding to some comments left on my Biblical Mary: The Ark of the New Covenant post by a lady named Monica.
In today’s post I’m going to begin examining some of the assertions she made about the Blessed Virgin.
Today is the March For Life in Washington DC. This past Sunday, my priest noted the providential intersection between this event and the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity which began last week.
Although it can sometimes be a source of conflict, protection of the unborn and the pro-life cause is really an issue which can unite Christians of all denominations together, as well as with people of good will…
Our three-part “Theology On Tap” series came to a conclusion tonight. The Associate Young Adult Director, Pamela Poe, had tasked me to give a talk which answered the question “What does it mean to be a restless pilgrim?”. In this presentation, I recount the story of my own faith journey, I describe the story of Salvation History as a pilgrimage, and I explain why we’re all restless pilgrims…
“What does it mean to be a restless pilgrim?” (Download)
“Q&A” (Download)
If you would like to hear audio from other San Diego “Theology On Tap” sessions, you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Google Play or manually via the RSS feed.
— Questions —
• “What’s the next journey you have in mind?” (Winner of the box of fine tea)
• “How long were you on the Camino before you started to regret it?!”
• “Do people really die on the Camino?!”
• “Before you reverted, what did you believe about the Eucharist?”
• “How did your Protestant friends explain John 6, where Jesus speaks about eating and drinking his Body and Blood?”
• “Does the restlessness ever come to an end? Should we ever be able to settle?”
• “What is the Byzantine Church?”
• “What is the difference between an English and an Australian accent?”
October 11, 2018: Erica Tighe @ St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church
About the speaker: Erica is the owner and designer of Be A Heart as well as a designer for Blessed is She; she moved to Brazil post-grad to work for Heart’s Home and currently lives in Los Angeles and travels through out the country sharing the message that beauty can save the world as a witness of hope for humanity.
You can subscribe to the San Diego Theology On Tap Podcast using either iTunes or Google Play.
Main Talk (Download)
Q&A (Download)
Epilogue (Download)
The other night I went to see the movie Courageous with a bunch of other guys on a “man trip” ;-). I’ve written about this movie before, but over the next few weeks I’d like to mention a few other thoughts which came to mind while watching the film…
In the story, a group of four men decide to sign a Resolution, a statement of conduct (derived from Scripture) which they promise to follow as both men and as fathers.
In a certain scene, one of the men shows a copy of the Resolution to his wife. She gets really excited and then starts asking him lots of questions. What will the final Resolution look like? What is he going to wear when he signs it? etc. The man gives his wife a look of complete incomprehension and confusion. It’s clear that he hadn’t even considered these things. To this she responds:
“If you’re gonna do this, then do it right. Something like this requires…ceremony!”
I had to smile at this, since, to my Catholic ears, I heard:
“If you’re gonna do this, then do it right. Something like this requires…liturgy“ 🙂
Later in the film we see what this ceremony looks like…
All the men are wearing suits and their family members are present, also in formal attire. They meet in a beautiful park underneath some trees. A long-time friend and minister to one of the men officiates, calling each of the men forward one-by-one. Each man then repeats the Resolution out loud in the presence of his family and pastor, after which he signs a framed copy of the Resolution written in beautiful calligraphy, which he later hangs in a prominent place in his home.
The Readings this week focus around the relationship between power and responsibility. It answers the question: what does the Lord demand of a leader?
In the First Reading, the Prophet Malachi speaks out against the Levite priests for abusing their position of power. They did not honour their privileged relationship with God. King David sings in the Psalm about the attitude which they should have had: humility rather than pride.
In the Second Reading we gain insight into St. Paul’s relationship with the Church in Thessalonica. Although Paul had founded that church and although he had legitimate authority over them as an Apostle he speaks tenderly to them and lovingly, as one might expect a good father.
Not so with the Pharisees! In the Gospel Jesus condemns them for not practising what they preach, for placing heavy burdens on the Children of Israel and for constantly seeking public adulation.
Jesus then turns the concept of leadership on its head. If you want to be great in the Kingdom, he says, you must humble yourself and serve. As a great man once said, with great power comes great responsibility…
