The King's Corner

I’ve read in “Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life” (2021) by Luke Burgis, something quite troubling, and perhaps true: There has been spiritual stagnation.  The world has become demystified, disenchanted…While some religious leaders become embroiled in petty politics and culture wars, millions of people entrusted their thick desires more readily to Google’s search box than to priests or rabbis, or monks   Google is always there, at all hours of the day, offering at least the appearance of anonymity, non-judgement, and intelligent answers…each of the Big Four tech companies taps into a deep-seated need in humanity.  Google is like a deity that answers our questions (read: prayers); Facebook satisfies our need for love and belonging; Amazon fulfills the need for security, allowing us instantaneous access to goods in abundance (the company was there for us during COVID-19) to ensure our survival; and Apple appeals to our sex drive and the associated need for status, sign

Father Healey wrote a clarifying Pastor’s Pen published for January 23.  He wrote of the Real Presence and that the Catholic Church can never compromise with Protestants on our belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.  What follows is a contribution from the Catholic News Service, Lutheran World Federation, and Episcopal News Service written by Ray Waddle in 2017 in “Reflections” of the Yale Divinity School. (begin) Pope Francis has used a remarkable series of public gatherings to speak about the Reformation anniversary, counting the costs of the catastrophic break with Protestants but also regarding it as a prelude to future Christian unity someday, somehow. “We must look with love and honesty at our past, recognizing error and seeking forgiveness, for God alone is our judge,” he said last year in Lund, Sweden, at a gathering of the Lutheran World Federation.

On that day, as evening drew on, Jesus said to his disciples: “Let us cross to the other side.” Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was. And other boats were with him. A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up. Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet!  Be still!” The wind ceased and there was great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” They were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?” (Mark 4:35-41)

Stupid is as stupid does.   Forrest Gump had it right.  Too many of us think people are annoying as green-head flies on a Cape Cod beach.  We do need to climb more hills, but to find real wisdom - the kind Jesus shared with us.  It takes hard work to acquire and then apply that wisdom such as loving our neighbors and even our enemies.   For many of us we feel like Sisyphus pushing that rock up the hill only to have it fall back to be pushed up again, and again, and again.  Great mental and physical fortitude is required.  Fortunately, Jesus is ahead of us and pulling on the rope.  The top is always within reach when we act in tandem.  So, keep pushing.  If we won't, then stupid is. Deacon David Pierce

Jesus said to his disciples, “Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed, and not to be placed on a lampstand? For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible; nothing is secret except to come to light. Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear.”  He also told them, “Take care what you hear. 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.” (Mark 4:21-25) Let’s bring light to every situation; in other words, let’s promote understanding and wisdom as opposed to ignorance.  Ignorance of the facts and reality leads to more ignorance; that is, the measure with which we measure will be measured out to us.  Stupid is as stupid does.  

I am the people—the mob—the crowd—the mass. Do you know that all the great work of the world is done through me? I am the workingman, the inventor, the maker of the world’s food and clothes. I am the audience that witnesses history. The Napoleons come from me and the Lincolns. They die. And then I send forth more Napoleons and Lincolns.

Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe; in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mark 16:15-18) Apparently, Jesus did not give his charge to the 12th.  Only “the Eleven” got the message.  This makes sense because this reading from Mark is at the end of the Gospel after Judas’ betrayal.   We are reminded of our own choices regarding snakes and deadly drinks.  We can allow ourselves to be bitten, like Judas, and to be harmed by deadly “drinks” – that which we allow into our bodies and minds, such as the poisons of hypocrisy, greed, anger, and hate.  It’s a concoction of sickness from which

According to former pastor and author Brian D. McLaren in his 2016 book The Great Spiritual Migration: How the World’s Largest Religion is Seeking a Better Way to be Christian: “As my friend and colleague Diana Butler Bass puts it, we have been an elevator religion focused on getting people up, up, and away from this troubled earth to heaven, where God and the angels sit in cloudy bliss, having left behind the problems of earth.  By keeping us looking up and away, elevator Christianity has kept us from noticing or taking seriously what is happening around us – growing economic inequality, deteriorating environmental quality, expanding militarization and weaponization. If we do notice, elevator Christianity teaches us to chalk up our troubles to the God of Supremacy’s preordained “last days” scenario.  After all, our belief system tells us, God loves immaterial souls, not matter, and if all this material stuff is destroyed, well…good riddance.  In short, belief-system Christianity keeps

Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning and ministers of the word have handed them down to us, I too have decided, after investigating everything accurately anew, to write it down in an orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings you have received. Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news of him spread throughout the whole region. He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all. He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sig

Jesus came with his disciples into the house. Again, the crowd gathered, making it impossible for them even to eat. When his relatives heard of this, they set out to seize him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.” (Mark 3:20-21) Today’s Gospel is very short and to the point. Jesus’ relatives thought he was out of his mind.  Resisting the powers of his day was dangerous, and that resistance would have reflected on his family to include them as possible targets of violence as well.   We all have said at one time or another, perhaps to our children: Are you out of your mind!?  For example, when a son or daughter took on a very risky behavior, they were out of their minds, and we said so.

As I get older and see many of my “mentors” pass away, I’m reminded of my own destiny and how these men and women have influenced my thinking.  Sallie McFague passed in November 2019.  What follows is a commentary on her life and legacy written by Franciscan Sr. Shannon Schrein, professor of theological studies at Lourdes University in Sylvania, Ohio. (begin) There are important moments in life when an encounter with someone or something changes your way of thinking. I experienced just such an encounter when I was a graduate student at Marquette University and I first came across the theology of Sallie McFague. Her death last month evoked a flood of memories related to my first experience with her work. It also reminded me of many hours of study and reading her books, for she soon became a prime focus of my dissertation. Though I never met McFague, I had the pleasure of hearing her respond to her teacher and mentor Gordon Kaufman. Kaufman was discussing his understanding of God as the

I’ve come across a fascinating book: “When God Was A Bird” (2018) by Mark I Wallace, professor of religion and environmental studies at Swarthmore College.  What follows is part of a 2021 review of his book written by Nancy Menning, visiting scholar in the Department of Environmental Studies and Sciences at Ithaca College.  (begin) In Christian scripture and iconography, the Holy Spirit is commonly depicted not in human form but as an element or entity of the other-than-human natural world. Consider these familiar examples. On the day of Pentecost, as told in Acts 2, the Spirit came upon the people as a violent wind and as “tongues, as of fire.” In all four gospel accounts of Jesus’ baptism by John (Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3; John 1), as Jesus rises from the waters of the River Jordan, the Spirit descends upon him as a dove. In Christian iconography as well, the dove is the preeminent symbol of the Spirit. In When God Was a Bird, Mark Wallace invites Christians to reconsider the signif

Jesus entered the synagogue. There was a man there who had a withered hand. They watched Jesus closely to see if he would cure him on the sabbath so that they might accuse him. He said to the man with the withered hand, “Come up here before us.”  Then he said to the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” But they remained silent.  Looking around at them with anger and grieved at their hardness of heart, Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel with the Herodians against him to put him to death. (Mark 3:1-6)

This timely message is from last Sunday's "Pastor's Pen."  Let's take it to our hearts and through our veins.  We all are the blood of Christ called to love more than to fear. Deacon David Pierce

Never being loved is a crime against human nature.  We all need to be loved.  That starts with our parents, but many children don't get that love.  We all seek someone to love us and return the love we have for them.  For those who never are loved the psychological damage is severe and is a reason for all sorts of bad and even criminal behavior.   Sure, God loves us, but we all need the touch of a human hand and kisses from warm and soft mouths that yearn for us.  Nothing is better for the soul than warm and loving embraces.  Many of us lack that closeness, and we are sad.   The loss of loved spouses is especially tragic for many reasons, and none greater than the loss of those loving touches.  For those of us who have suffered that loss, let’s remember what the poet Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) said in his poem “In Memoriam A.H.H.:”  I hold it true, whate'er befall;  I feel it, when I sorrow most; 'Tis better to have loved and lost Than never to have loved at all. Deac

 

 

  January 16, 2022, Second Sunday in Ordinary Time From Bishop Da Cunha: As the number of new daily COVID cases increase and concern over the Omicron variant grows, we are reminded of the need to provide as safe an environment for worship as possible for our faithful people. The Diocese of Fall River continues to strongly encourage all parishioners to wear a mask while attending Mass or any other liturgical celebration unless unable to do so because of a medical condition or under the age of 2. This is particularly important for anyone with a weakened immune system; anyone at risk for severe disease because of age or underlying medical condition; or anyone in a household with someone having these conditions with or with someone who is unvaccinated. The recent surge in virus transmission in many places is a clear indication that the pandemic has not passed, and continued vigilance is required. Parishioners are asked to please keep in mind the need for a collective commitment to the over

We begin with the prophet Isaiah. Most of us don’t realize that Isaiah was part of a triplet.  There were three Isaiah’s or at least the authors adopted the name Isaiah to make their warnings and prophecies more attractive and believable. That was common practice.  In fact, a few of Paul’s letters were not written by him such as his letters to the Ephesians, Colossians, and Hebrews. Those letters had unknown authors who attributed their words and ideas to Paul, often contradicting Paul and causing confusion. After being conquered by the Babylonians and exiled, a prophet the biblical writers called Second Isaiah, urged his suffering people to have hope that God would send someone to save them. Their hope was realized when the exile ended. The people believed God sent the Persian King Cyrus to conquer the Babylonians. Cyrus allowed the Israelites to return home.   That brings us to our first reading from Third Isaiah who lived after the Babylonian exile when the people were rebuilding th

Jesus went out along the sea. All the crowd came to him and he taught them. As he passed by, he saw Levi, son of Alphaeus, sitting at the customs post. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed Jesus.  While he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners sat with Jesus and his disciples; for there were many who followed him. Some scribes who were Pharisees saw that Jesus was eating with sinners and tax collectors and said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus heard this and said to them, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” (Mark 2:13-17) Who else would Jesus share a meal?  The rich and famous?  He was always there for sinners – the “sick.”  Tax collectors were especially corrupt, so they definitely deserved a place at the table.  If they chose to dine with Jesus, they likely showed some remorse for their sins especially if they were seated ne

  Let's face it.  Covid is here to stay!  If not the current variants, then different ones.  Throughout the world many people are not vaccinated, and mask-wearing is resisted.  This resistance occurs at Christ the King despite Father Healey's heart-felt request that everyone wear masks in church to afford protection to our neighbors who sit not that far away.  Listen to the lector he/she introduces the Mass.  Those who won't wear masks seem to close their ears.   There have been Covid infections at CTK.  Covid is here and will not lessen its grip until everyone cooperates.  Too many of us are blockheads thinking COVID will, go away, or God will protect us.  Most of us know the story of the man on the roof during a flood.  Here it is again. (begin) A fellow was stuck on his rooftop in a flood. He was praying to God for help. Soon a man in a rowboat came by and the fellow shouted to the man on the roof, “Jump in, I can save you.” The stranded fellow shouted back, “No, it’s OK

WASHINGTON – Bishop David J. Malloy of Rockford, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on International Justice and Peace issued the following statement in response to world powers’ pledge to prevent nuclear weapons spread. His full statement follows: “On January 3, the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) issued a joint statement that is an important acclamation of the need to prevent nuclear war and avoid arms races. This principled statement affirms ‘a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought’ and stresses the importance of abiding by non-proliferation agreements and commitments. “Unfortunately, the Tenth Review Conference of the Treaty of the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons that was to commence January 4 was once again postponed in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the world continues to mediate the physical, social, and economic impacts of th

According to the caption for this NASA photo: In 2014, amateur astronomers in New Zealand glimpsed a flare of light emanating from the constellation of Centauri. NASA later confirmed this blaze was a massive supernova explosion from another galaxy an incredible 57 million light-years away from our Milky Way. "Dedicated amateur astronomers often make intriguing discoveries – particularly of fleeting astronomical phenomena such as supernovae and comets," NASA explained on their Hubble feed.  At the time of writing, it's the last-released Hubble photo for 2021.  NASA and ESA have now released a dazzling new photo of the home of this explosion, captured by our ever-faithful Hubble telescope: galaxy NGC 3568 with its hazy gas and glimmering stars roiling through space here beneath the extra bright and much closer stars from our own galaxy. Is it just us, or does it actually look like it's smirking at us from across space ? (end) Fifty-seven million light years away from ou

What follows is Father Richard Rohr's meditation about the Mystery of the Trinity, the Christian faith’s central and fundamental description of God. Father Richard Rohr wrote: (begin) The notion of God as Trinity is the foundation of all Christian thought, and yet it never has been—not truly! Our dualistic minds largely shelved the whole thing because we simply couldn’t understand it. Most Christians do not consciously deny the Trinity, but as Karl Rahner (1904–1984) wrote, “We must be willing to admit that, should the doctrine of the Trinity have to be dropped as false, the major part of religious literature could well remain virtually unchanged.” [1] What a sad statement on our fundamental understanding of God! The Trinity reveals God more as a verb than a noun, but we rarely speak about God that way in either our preaching or our prayers. God is three “relations,” which itself is mind-boggling for most believers. Yet that clarification opens up an honest notion of God as Mystery

Theologian and pastor Brian McLaren has written about doubt (Faith After Doubt: Why Your Beliefs Stopped Working and What To Do About It, 2021)  He wrote: “At first, I doubted ideas, propositions, beliefs: that the earth was created in six literal days less than 10,000 years ago, that evolution was a satanic hoax, that the Bible was God’s inerrant textbook full of history and science facts, that God created the universe as a factory to produce human souls, some destined for heaven and some for hell.  Then, I doubted the authority figures who defended these beliefs, people I got to see “behind the curtain,” people whose motives I came to understand were often more about money, power, pride, and privilege that faith, hope, love, and service. Finally, I began to doubt whole systems: the system of Christian empire unleashed by bishops of the fourth century who sold their souls to Emperor Constantine; the system of racist colonialism unleashed by Pope Nicholas V with the Doctrine of Discove

What follows is a meditation (Creating a People) from Father Richard Rohr.  So soon after the anniversary of January 6, his words are timely. His meditation is adapted from his book, Near Occasions of Grace (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1993), 50–51. (begin) The Body of Christ is inherently a collective reality. Father Richard emphasizes that to live the gospel, we need each other: The Body of Christ, the spiritual family, is God’s strategy. It is both medium and message. It is both beginning and end: “May they all be one . . . so that the world may believe it was you who sent me . . . that they may be one as we are one, with me in them and you in me” (John 17:21–23).

We all remember 9/11 and its horrors.  Do we remember 1/6 and all its horrors.  This is one nation under God.  Very regrettably, a large minority of U.S. citizens have their own interpretation of what “under God” means for this nation.  What follows is an article from The Atlantic written by Sophie Gilbert: “January 6 Wasn’t a Riot. It Was War. Four Hours at the Capitol,” a new HBO documentary, is a vivid, terrifying picture of violent insurrection. (begin) In the days and weeks after the storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, commentators and media outlets grappled with the question of what to call that event. Language is sticky; it clarifies and obfuscates the truth depending on who’s wielding it. January 6 was described as or likened to a “riot,” a “tourist visit,” an “insurrection,” a “peaceful protest,” and a “coup attempt.” And yet, watching Four Hours at the Capitol, Jamie Roberts’s tight, unsettling new HBO documentary about that day, another word seemed more appropri

It happened that there was a man full of leprosy in one of the towns where Jesus was; and when he saw Jesus, he fell prostrate, pleaded with him, and said, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I do will it.  Be made clean.” And the leprosy left him immediately.  Then he ordered him not to tell anyone, but “Go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them.” The report about him spread all the more, and great crowds assembled to listen to him and to be cured of their ailments, but he would withdraw to deserted places to pray. (Luke 5:12-16) Lord, if you wish, make us clean, meaning make us truthful and have us ignore the liars and deceitful ones.  This is a reasonable and desired request one day after January 6 and the mayhem and havoc caused by anti-democratic forces in the United States’ Capitol last year. A great crowd assembled to listen to instigators of that

What follows is something to consider on this January 6 anniversary of the Insurrection and attempted coup by ex-President Trump and his supporters in Congress and throughout our nation. Beloved, we love God because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. This is the commandment we have from him: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten by God, and everyone who loves the Father loves also the one begotten by him. In this way we know that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his commandments. For the love of God is this, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world.  And the victory that conquers the world is our faith . (1 John 4:19-5:4) Is it fair to say that few of us love God, according to Joh

What follows is from a recent Father Richard Rohr meditation.  Here he repeats CAC teacher Barbara Holmes’ writing about how it is in times of literal or figurative darkness that new possibilities are unveiled: Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light around me become night...the darkness and light are both alike to You (Psalm 139:11–12).  We are still in darkness at this time of year, even though light is beginning to gain ground.  We should reflect on her perspective. As an African American woman, I wear darkness as a skin color that I love. It is a reminder of my African origins, hidden in my genes, but not accessible through memory. Without darkness, I would not be! I entered the world from the nurturing darkness of the womb and relied upon a dark and resourceful family, community, and cosmos for my well-being...We come from the darkness and return to it. But there are many types of darkness. There is the darkness of determined ignorance and hatred, impenetrable and smothe

  Goal-setting: otherwise known as New Year's resolutions.  What have we resolved?  To be more understanding and tolerant?  To be more open-minded?  To refuse to hate?  Even to love our neighbors?  What is within our reach?  Frankly, everything provided we put our minds to it.  We all have God's grace and for that we should be thankful throughout 2022.  Let's manifest that grace by what we say and do, especially as we struggle with the continuing pandemic and partisan politics that divide us asunder. Deacon David Pierce

When does Christmas really begin?  Of course, our Christmas season is still ongoing.  But there is more to our Christmas story as revealed in this picture.  Our work has just begun.  Are we up to the tasks in our personal and public lives? Deacon David Pierce

Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem!  Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you. See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples; but upon you the LORD shines, and over you appears his glory. Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining radiance. Raise your eyes and look about; they all gather and come to you: your sons come from afar, and your daughters in the arms of their nurses. Then you shall be radiant at what you see, your heart shall throb and overflow, for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you, the wealth of nations shall be brought to you. Caravans of camels shall fill you, dromedaries from Midian and Ephah; all from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense and proclaiming the praises of the LORD. (Isaiah 60:1-6) According to the New World Encyclopedia, (begin) Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled by the birth of King Hezekiah, according to Jewish belief. Hezekiah was the 13th king of independent Judah in the Bib

Today is the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God [and Happy New Year!].  Accordingly: The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child. All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds. And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.  Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them. When eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. (Luke 2:16-21) Shepherds figure prominently in today’s Gospel.  And why not!?  The 23rd psalm sings: The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack. In green pastures he makes me lie down; to still waters he leads me; he restores my soul. He guides me along right paths for the sake of his na