The King's Corner

I was in Barnes and Noble a few days ago where a gentleman recognized me and immediately complimented me and said, “I remember your homily about the movie Frozen.”  It’s always nice to know something I have said sticks with people.  I couldn’t remember when I gave that homily, so I looked it up on the Christ the King website.  It was one I gave to children assembled on the altar at 8:30 Mass, October 26, 2014.  It was called: “The Best Fixer-Upper.”  Because it’s relevant to Lent, I repeat it here. (begin) Good morning.  It’s getting colder every day.   The leaves are falling off the trees.  It’s fall when we see pumpkins, scarecrows, and turkeys.  Winter is not too far away. Who can name a movie that reminds us of the cold and winter, especially ice and snow?  Here’s a hint: Olaf the snowman is in the movie.  It’s “Frozen.”  For those who haven’t seen the movie, it’s about love between two sisters – Anna and Elsa.  It’s also about Kristoff who helps and then falls in love with Anna.

What evil lurks. I'm reminded by the following coverage of clerical abuse and the Vatican's response. The Summit on Abuse, Five Years Later: Did Francis’s unprecedented meeting accomplish anything?   by Massimo Faggioli  February 14, 2024 [Faggioli is professor of theology and religious studies at Villanova University. His most recent book is The Oxford Handbook of Vatican II, co-edited with Catherine Clifford] (begin) Five years ago this month Pope Francis convened the Meeting on the Protection of Minors in the Church at the Vatican. The first-of-its-kind meeting—announced in September 2018—was an acknowledgment of the global dimension of the clerical abuse crisis, which after a year of revelations and reports was becoming a dire threat to Francis’s pontificate. There had come Australia’s Royal Commission report in December 2017, the revelation of abuses in Chile (and the resignation of one-third of that country’s bishops) in January 2018, the McCarrick scandal that summer, th

Hear the word of the LORD, princes of Sodom! Listen to the instruction of our God, people of Gomorrah! Wash yourselves clean! Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes; cease doing evil; learn to do good. Make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan's plea, defend the widow. Come now, let us set things right, says the LORD: Though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow; Though they be crimson red, they may become white as wool. If you are willing, and obey, you shall eat the good things of the land; But if you refuse and resist, the sword shall consume you: for the mouth of the LORD has spoken! (Isaiah 1:10, 16-20) Isaiah pulled no punches.  He spoke loudly and clearly.  Are we princes of Sodom and people of Gomorrah?  Sodom and Gomorrah should be very familiar to us Bible-readers. I’ve read: (begin) 

"Lord, great and awesome God, you who keep your merciful covenant toward those who love you and observe your commandments! We have sinned, been wicked and done evil; we have rebelled and departed from your commandments and your laws. We have not obeyed your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers, and all the people of the land.  Justice, O Lord, is on your side; we are shamefaced even to this day: we, the men of Judah, the residents of Jerusalem, and all Israel, near and far, in all the countries to which you have scattered them because of their treachery toward you. O LORD, we are shamefaced, like our kings, our princes, and our fathers, for having sinned against you. But yours, O Lord, our God, are compassion and forgiveness! Yet we rebelled against you and paid no heed to your command, O LORD, our God, to live by the law you gave us through your servants the prophets." (Daniel 9:4-10)  Jesus said to his disciples: "Be merc

God put Abraham to the test. He called to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am!" he replied. Then God said: "Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There you shall offer him up as a holocaust on a height that I will point out to you." When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the LORD's messenger called to him from heaven, "Abraham, Abraham!" "Here I am!" he answered. "Do not lay your hand on the boy," said the messenger. "Do not do the least thing to him. I know now how devoted you are to God, since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son." As Abraham looked about, he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket. So he went and took the ram and offered it up as a holocaust in place of his son.

Jesus said to his disciples: "You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers and sisters only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:43-48) It's very difficult to hear Jesus’s voice when he says to love our enemies.  I have ears that don’t listen.  I can understand praying for those who persecute me because that doesn’t mean I love them.   However, if love means simply wanting the good for the other person, then perhaps that might be sensible because it could lead to my enemy having a change

Thus says the Lord GOD: If the wicked man turns away from all the sins he committed, if he keeps all my statutes and does what is right and just, he shall surely live, he shall not die. None of the crimes he committed shall be remembered against him; he shall live because of the virtue he has practiced. Do I indeed derive any pleasure from the death of the wicked? says the Lord GOD. Do I not rather rejoice when he turns from his evil way that he may live? And if the virtuous man turns from the path of virtue to do evil, the same kind of abominable things that the wicked man does, can he do this and still live? None of his virtuous deeds shall be remembered, because he has broken faith and committed sin; because of this, he shall die. You say, "The LORD's way is not fair!" Hear now, house of Israel: Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair? When someone virtuous turns away from virtue to commit iniquity, and dies, it is because of the iniquity he co

This Lent we hear quite a bit about Satan and temptation.  Therefore, the following February 2024 article by Candida Moss, the Edward Cadbury Professor of Theology at the University of Birmingham, U.K. is very relevant.  She is an award-winning author of seven books, including God's Ghostwriters: Enslaved Christians and the Making of the Bible.  Most of us believe in hell.  So, does the pope, but he hopes it is empty.  Really?!  The following explains. (begin) In an interview on Italian television last month, Pope Francis was asked what he thinks about hell. The pope responded that hell is “difficult to imagine” and added that, in his personal opinion, he “like[s] to think hell is empty; I hope it is.” Even though Pope Francis was abundantly clear that his statements were “not a dogma of faith,” they sparked a backlash from those who, apparently, really do hope that people are being tortured for all eternity and have no problem admitting to it. Several critics fell back on the trie

Where is the mercy?  Where is the compassion? Where is Jesus in what I consider a foolish action taken by Columbus, Ohio Bishop Earl Fernandes?  Here is the September 16, 2022 article describing what I consider to be a great affront to the Paulist Fathers.   Many Catholics will applaud his decision.  I find it to be ill-advised and cruel.  Moreover, I’m a fan of the Paulist Fathers, and I am sympathetic to LGBTQ+ individuals, Catholic or otherwise. (begin) Paulist Fathers dismissed from OSU’s Newman Center after six decades, alienating LGBTQ+ Catholics. The Paulist Fathers served OSU’s Catholic Newman Center for over 60 years. In June, new Columbus Bishop Earl Fernandes dismissed them. by H.L. Comeriato  September 16, 2022 On July 31, the Paulist Fathers — an independent order of Roman Catholic priests — observed their final mass at the St. Thomas More Newman Center in Columbus, Ohio. Situated near the heart of The Ohio State University’s campus, the Newman Center has housed the univer

 We Catholics have a few dogmas such as the perpetual virginity of Mary. Mary was a virgin before, during, and after the birth of Jesus. Here is what I’ve read about responsible dissent [note: not allowed for dogmas.] (begin) “Pray, pay, and obey.” It wasn’t too long ago that this was, at least tongue-in-cheek, a definition of what the laity was supposed to do. The clergy, especially bishops, taught, and the laity listened. Information flowed in one direction. Vatican II changed that. It called us to be a more adult church, a pilgrim church “on the way” together, a church of dialogue. Pope Francis, in his recent post-synod, apostolic exhortation to young people, Christus Vivit (Christ Lives), reminds us of this calling. When the Code of Canon Law was revised in 1983, a lot of attention was paid to the rights of the laity as full and active members of the church, including, for example, the right to — in accord with their knowledge and expertise — make their opinions known (cc. 212, 218

Jesus said to his disciples: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.  Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’  Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ 

The presidential seal of the United States shows an American eagle clutching arrows (the symbol of war) in one talon and an olive branch (the symbol of peace) in the other. On earlier versions of the seal, the eagle is shown facing towards the arrows. When Harry Truman was President from 1945-1953, he decreed that on all future versions of the seal the eagle should not face towards the arrows but towards the olive branch. He said he wanted to make it clear that the United States should be turned towards peace, not war. Unfortunately, that’s not always so. What about our lives. In which direction are we pointed – towards peace or war? Towards understanding and tolerance or revenge and retaliation? Towards love or anger and hate?   Towards being sorry for what we have done and repentance? These are appropriate questions to ask and then answer because today is the First Sunday of Lent when we heard from Mark that Jesus said to those in Galilee: “Repent, and believe in the gospel.”  Jesus

Yes, it is shameful.  What is?  I provide this National Public Reporter article by Thomas Reese, January 25, 2024: "Capitalizing on his teachings on sex, Pope Francis' critics shame." (begin) Having grown up in the 1950s, when sex was not an approved topic, I was in my late 20s before I knowingly had a conversation with someone who was gay. It was not until much later that someone explicitly told me that they were gay. Today in America, high schools have gay-straight alliances and you'd be hard-pressed to find a teenager who doesn't know someone who identifies as gay or queer. Most of Africa's Catholic bishops grew up in a culture like the one I grew up in, when being gay meant being in the closet. And they still live there. In many African countries, homosexual activity is still a crime, as it was in the West for most of the 20th century. It's not surprising that the African bishops have rejected Pope Francis’ decision to greenlight the blessing of gay co

I always have been intrigued by the different “theories” of atonement.  [Note: These are not theories, just speculations or hypotheses that can never tested.] These concepts are especially interesting because we are about to begin Lent leading up to Good Friday and Easter.  Most of us never give any thought to these “theories.”  We simply accept and apply by faith the one adopted by our Church many centuries ago, almost 1,000 years past. Here is some of what I’ve read: (begin) The moral influence theory of atonement, developed or most notably propagated by Abelard (1079–1142), is an alternative to Anselm's satisfaction theory of atonement. Abelard focused on changing man's perception of God as not offended, harsh, and judgmental, but as loving. According to Abelard, "Jesus died as the demonstration of God's love," a demonstration which can change the hearts and minds of the sinners, turning them back to God.  It was not until Anselm, with his satisfaction theory o

Jesus said to his disciples: “The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.” Then he said to all, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?” (Luke 9:22-25) There is great series on Prime Video called “Broken.” I highly recommend it.  Each episode is riveting.  

Today we begin Lent. Also, Happy Valentine’s Day – a day symbolizing the giving of love and showing compassion to other people.  Pope Francis’ Lenten message fits very well. (begin) Pope: Christians must rekindle hope in fighting today's forms of slavery : Pope Francis' Lenten message was released today at the Vatican. It focuses on God's call to leave behind the bonds of slavery and embark on a journey toward new life. by Carol Glatz, February 1, 2024 VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Lent is a time to free oneself from slavery and take action to free others suffering from the multiple forms of slavery that afflict the world, Pope Francis said.

I admit I’m confused and concerned about how to balance my opposition to abortion with the recent USCCB position expressed in its letter affirming abortion as ‘our pre-eminent priority’ ahead of 2024 election.  How do I, and you, balance this pre-eminent priority against the USCCB encouragement that “Catholics ‘consider not only candidates’ positions on these issues, but their character and integrity as well.’  It makes clear that bishops do not endorse candidates but reminds Catholics of their responsibility “to form their consciences and grow in the virtue of prudence to approach the many and varied issues of the day with the mind of Christ.” Frankly, I conclude the majority of bishops inadvertently (or purposely) tell us to vote for Donald Trump. If abortion is supposed to be our preeminent priority, it appears we must set aside a candidate’s character and integrity.  I cannot.  I must vote for the person with character and integrity.  That is Catholic Joe Biden, notwithstanding his

Is gambling a sin?  I’d say “yes” which makes just about everyone a sinner.  Of course, gambling is not a sin, per se, but it can lead to many forms of sin. Some of us sinners do well by our gambling through luck or skill.  Most of us throw our money away because the house always wins in the end.  Many are addicted to gambling and suffer terribly as a consequence.  Consider the following: (begin) Gambling-related harms are the adverse impacts from gambling on the health and wellbeing of individuals, families, communities and society. These harms impact on people’s resources, relationships and health. Negative effects can include loss of employment, debt, crime, breakdown of relationships and deterioration of physical and mental health. At its worst, gambling can contribute to loss of life through suicide.

I share this contribution from the Center for Action and Contemplation. (begin) In the podcast Learning How to See, Brian McLaren shares how he learned the story of domination: Looking back at my schooling, our whole introduction to history was told in terms of domination. The mighty empires that dominated, the explorers sent out by their home countries to dominate the world. Even my religious background was deeply rooted in the domination story because we Christians believed that our religion should dominate…. Theologically, my understanding of God was that God was the ultimate and universal dominating force. I remember from my youngest age hearing a Bible verse from the New Testament, “Every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord” (Philippians 2:10–11). What I pictured is this powerful omnipotent God with sword drawn … demanding you bow your knee. It was this dominating vision of God. In that way, domination was the way the universe was supposed to run. Episc

I’ve just watched the unsettling show “Woman in the Wall” that depicts the sins of the Magdalene laundries.  Here is a bit of coverage of the laundries from the National Catholic Reporter (August 2018) (begin) For those unfamiliar with the Magdalene laundries, they were a system of institutions run by congregations of Catholic nuns for profit. Young women who got pregnant out of wedlock or as the result of sexual abuse were put to work in these laundries as a way to atone for their sins. While they labored, the nuns cared for their babies. Few women ever got to keep their children. In many cases, the sisters put them up for illegal adoptions against their mothers' will and refused to provide information on their whereabouts, an experience painfully chronicled in the 2013 film "Philomena."

Jesus left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the Decapolis. And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man's ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, "Ephphatha!" (that is, "Be opened!")  And immediately the man's ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly. He ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them not to, the more they proclaimed it. They were exceedingly astonished, and they said, "He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak." (Mark 7:31-37) If Jesus was before me now, I’d like him to place both of his hands on the top of my head and say: “Ephphatha!” In other words: “Be open-minded!”  Sometimes I’m close-minded.  Most of

Jesus went to the district of Tyre. He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it, but he could not escape notice. Soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him. She came and fell at his feet. The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, “Let the children be fed first. For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” She replied and said to him, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.” Then he said to her, “For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter.” When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed and the demon gone . (Mark 7:24-30) I’m a dog lover.  Many of us are although there are many that love dogs’ evil counterparts – cats.  I apologize to cat lovers, although just google “evil cats,” and you’ll see what I mean.

Jesus summoned the crowd again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile.” When he got home away from the crowd his disciples questioned him about the parable. He said to them, “Are even you likewise without understanding? Do you not realize that everything that goes into a person from outside cannot defile, since it enters not the heart but the stomach and passes out into the latrine?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) “But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him. From within the man, from his heart, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.” (Mark 7:14-23) This is wisdom attributed to Jesus by Mark.  It is universal and has no time bounds.  Every one of us can relate to this warning about defilement. Ex

What follows is a prayer from “A Concord Pastor.”  It is about fighting.  When will it stop?  Never!  Still, we can pray and hope.  Lent is about repentance - conversion of heart.   We all need to repent and believe in the Gospel.  So, let us pray. This morning, Lord,      I heard the "first confessions" of some 40 second graders. There's little variety in the sins they confess:     "fighting with my brothers and sisters"         is common to all - except those who have no siblings. The sad part is that as we grow older     this remains, in one form or another,     the most common sin of all:         we're still at odds with our sisters and brothers...   We argue with, fight, disparage and ignore     betray, resent and badmouth others be they siblings, spouses, neighbors or strangers,     townsfolk, colleagues, opponents or classmates... On the international scene     we fight with our sisters and brothers in wars, invasions, armed conflicts, incursions,    

  Ah! The heavens above us! Actually, we are part of the heavens. We limit our thinking and vision to the Milky Way Galaxy with our solar system being found on one of the galaxy's spiral arms.  We do so because we cannot wrap our arms and thinking around the size of the universe and the concept of time.  Time stops at the speed of light.  What!?  I'm still dumfounded by that fact. We speak and live as if we human beings have special grandeur.   Sure, in our own eyes.  But how do we change our perspective to appreciate we are just extremely small fish in an incomprehensibly big pond?   Many of us think the world revolves around us.  Everything is a big deal for us in a "me, myself, and I" way of thinking. Consider that creation began well before our ape-like ancestors evolved on planet Earth.  God's creation - not counting human beings - is marvelous. Consider that life on Earth has existed for about 3.7 billion years and likely originated in the deep ocean.  Human

Job spoke, saying: Is not man's life on earth a drudgery? Are not his days those of hirelings? He is a slave who longs for the shade, a hireling who waits for his wages. So I have been assigned months of misery, and troubled nights have been allotted to me. If in bed I say, "When shall I arise?" then the night drags on; I am filled with restlessness until the dawn. My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle; they come to an end without hope. Remember that my life is like the wind; I shall not see happiness again. (Job 7:1-2, 6-7) This reading from the Book of Job is a real downer.  Job is extremely depressed and despondent.  Of course, if the versions of his biblical story were true and applied to us, I suspect we’d also bemoan our fate, and we would loudly wail.  Job was a pawn in the game played by God and the Devil to see if Job’s horrible fate would cause him to turn against God.  The Devil said, “of course, no doubt.”  God said, “no way.”   I suspect if we were

The Apostles gathered together with Jesus and reported all they had done and taught. He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” People were coming and going in great numbers, and they had no opportunity even to eat. So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place. People saw them leaving and many came to know about it. They hastened there on foot from all the towns and arrived at the place before them. When Jesus disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. (Mark 6:30-34) Today’s Gospel reminds me of an organization I never knew existed until I “googled” sheepdog.  Here is an article off the website “Sheepdog Connection: Building Men of Honor, Character, and Faith.”  

  There is a book called "The Gospel According Peanuts" in which the author uses Charles Schultz's Peanuts comics to make a Christian point from the Gospel.  Considering how often I use Pearls Before Swine comics, I suppose I could write a book called "The Gospel According to Pearls Before Swine."   I'm tempted.  Many of Pastis's comics inspire me as does the Gospel of course.  Rat, Pig, and Goat are my Peter, Paul, and Jesus with Jesus clearly being the goat - "greatest of all time." He is the Tom Brady of our faith throwing his message to all of us receivers.  We try not to drop the ball. I admit I sometimes get caught up in all the dogma, doctrine, and different ways to apply our faith.  Much of it is very scholarly, intellectual and quite tedious to the point of being boring and often just so very confusing.   So, let's listen to Pig and to what he commands.  Be kind!  That's the ticket and so easy to understand and apply.  Also, it

  This "nineties" portrayal (still relevant and more so) reminds me of the religious identification process.  We Catholics frequently find ourselves at "step 5."  We act like braying donkeys and trumpeting elephants covering each other with spit and hateful religious and/or political language. The media has profit in emphasizing our differences and ramping up bitter debates fueled by misinformation and lies.   Religion involves politics whether we like it or not.  We all get caught up in the drama to the point where we forget we are all children of God and of one body - the Body of Christ.  Let's identify with Jesus Christ, not any political candidate unless that candidate follows Christ.  Let our Catholic conscience be our guide. Deacon David Pierce