The King's Corner

Today is the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.  Our second reading is Colossians 3:12-21. Brothers and sisters: Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.   Wives, be subordinate to your husbands, as is proper in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and avoid any bittern

  Dear Catholics... Our Bible says to love one another and to follow Jesus.  May I suggest that those of us who need that instruction have more problems than the Bible and Jesus can solve.  It's quite self-evident.  So obvious! Also obvious: Catholics cannot be anti-Semitic!  Let's be voices of sanity in a land of lunacy. Deacon David Pierce  

Just before Christmas Bishop Robert Barron published: Catholics Cannot Be Anti-Semites.  Many Catholics and Christians in general are just that.  He speaks the truth.  Here is his article. (begin) A few weeks ago, at the commencement of Hanukkah, my Word on Fire team published on our social media platforms a graphic of a Menorah accompanied by a text from St. John Paul II celebrating the spiritual bond that connects Catholics and Jews. Harmless enough, right? Wrong apparently. For this simple image and quote were met with a firestorm of angry protests from, it appears, even some Catholics who gave vent to frankly shocking expressions of anti-Semitism. Mind you, I’ve been on social media for over twenty years, and I’m well acquainted with how vile that space can be, but this outpouring of rage staggered even this grizzled veteran. Let me give you just a sample: “Did they fill your pockets with shekels to say this?” “Judaism is the anti-Christ religion.” “Semites literally steal everythi

So soon after Christmas here is an article that should touch all of us and with that “touching” we should be transformed.  If not, we have missed the true meaning of Christmas and the birth of our Savior – compassion. (begin) This Is Why Jesus Wept by Peter Wehner (December 24): Senior fellow at the Trinity Forum, is a contributing Opinion writer. He attends McLean Presbyterian Church in McLean, Va. Of all the qualities that the New Testament ascribes to God, compassion is among the most shocking. Compassion has nothing to do with power, with immortality or with immutability, which is what many people think of when they contemplate God’s qualities. The Greek gods of myth who lived on Mt. Olympus were defined by many things, but compassion was not high among them.

On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, "They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we do not know where they put him." So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed. (John 20:1-8) The “other disciple” is the beloved disciple Father James Martin believes was Lazarus.  What follows is an essay adapted from James Martin, S.J.’s new book Come Forth: The Promise of Jesus’s Greatest Miracle. (begin) When Jesus arrives in Betha

  If you got a wok for Christmas, I hope this wasn't the reaction to that gift.  Too many people look for something to criticize or condemn.  For heaven's sake, it's the Christmas season, so everyone just "Chill out!"   The world isn't going to save itself.  Salvation only will come through peace and love - with all of us eating and talking together at a common table.  That is my New Year hope. Deacon David Pierce

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.  He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him. But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God. And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-5, 9-14)

What follows is the December 21 article: “After same-sex blessing ruling, pope decries inflexible ideologies” by Philip Pullella.   VATICAN CITY, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Thursday warned against inflexible ideological positions that can hinder the Church from seeing reality and moving forward, speaking days after a declaration allowing blessings of same-sex couples that conservatives have condemned. Francis, who turned 87 on Sunday, made his comments in his traditional Christmas greetings to members of the Curia, the Vatican's central administration. In the early years of his papacy, Francis made the Christmas greetings an occasion for blistering critiques of the bureaucracy, highlighting what at the time he called its "illnesses" and "diseases.”

Here is Father Richard Rohr’s description of the transformative power of an incarnational worldview. It is an adaptation of his 2021 book, The Universal Christ: How a Forgotten Reality Can Change Everything We See, Hope for, and Believe.  I like his worldview perspectives.  Rohr is challenging, rewarding, but for some, unsettling.  That’s good. He wrote: (begin) I have concluded that there are four basic worldviews, though they might be expressed in many ways and are not necessarily separate. Those who hold a material worldview believe that the outer, visible universe is the ultimate and “real” world. People of this worldview have given us science, engineering, medicine, and much of what we now call “civilization.” A material worldview tends to create highly consumer-oriented and competitive cultures, which are often preoccupied with scarcity, since material goods are always limited.

Mary said: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. for he has looked upon his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name. He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm and has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever." Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months and then returned to her home. (Luke 1:46-56) Really Mary!  Many of your words ring hollow unless your words are simply an expression of hope.  Yes, your soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; your spirit rejoices in God your savi

Hark! my lover–here he comes springing across the mountains, leaping across the hills. My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag. Here he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattices. My lover speaks; he says to me, "Arise, my beloved, my dove, my beautiful one, and come! "For see, the winter is past, the rains are over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of pruning the vines has come, and the song of the dove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines, in bloom, give forth fragrance. Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and come! "O my dove in the clefts of the rock, in the secret recesses of the cliff, Let me see you, let me hear your voice, For your voice is sweet, and you are lovely." (Song of Songs 2:8-14) Very sweet.  Still, a bit strange of a reading as we approach the winter solstice.  The winter is not past.  Then again, flowers do appear on the earth, the time of pruning the vi

The LORD spoke to Ahaz: Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God; let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky! But Ahaz answered, "I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!" Then Isaiah said: Listen, O house of David! Is it not enough for you to weary men, must you also weary my God? Therefore, the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall name him Emmanuel. (Isaiah 7:10-14) I admit I usually don’t remember a hymn or carol beyond the first verse.  Today’s reading from Isaiah has been used as the backbone for our “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”  Here are all the lyrics.  O come, O come, Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel, That mourns in lonely exile here, Until the Son of God appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel.

There was a certain man from Zorah, of the clan of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. His wife was barren and had borne no children. An angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, "Though you are barren and have had no children, yet you will conceive and bear a son. Now, then, be careful to take no wine or strong drink and to eat nothing unclean. As for the son you will conceive and bear, no razor shall touch his head, for this boy is to be consecrated to God from the womb. It is he who will begin the deliverance of Israel from the power of the Philistines." The woman went and told her husband, "A man of God came to me; he had the appearance of an angel of God, terrible indeed. I did not ask him where he came from, nor did he tell me his name. But he said to me, 'You will be with child and will bear a son. So, take neither wine nor strong drink, and eat nothing unclean. For the boy shall be consecrated to God from the womb, until the day of his death.&#

Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will raise up a righteous shoot to David; As king he shall reign and govern wisely, he shall do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah shall be saved, Israel shall dwell in security. This is the name they give him: "The LORD our justice." Therefore, the days will come, says the LORD, when they shall no longer say, "As the LORD lives, who brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt"; but rather, "As the LORD lives, who brought the descendants of the house of Israel up from the land of the north"– and from all the lands to which I banished them; they shall again live on their own land. (Jeremiah 23:5-8) Jeremiah lived sometime in the years around 600 B.C.  He lived through one of the most troubled periods of the ancient Near East.  He witnessed the fall of a great empire and the rising of one even greater. He was prophet to Judah and the nations in the midst of political convulsio

Many of us know about the “elf on a shelf” or perhaps the Jewish “mensch on a bench.”  A mensch is a person of integrity, morality, dignity, with a sense of what is right and responsible. On the other hand, an elf is simply Santa’s helper. Here is a story told about elves. When our three young sons were each given an elf ornament for the Christmas tree, they began a yearly contest to see who could place their ornament highest on the tree. Our oldest son Mark won for several years. When he finally got his elf on the top of the tree, we knew the contest was over. Wrong, the next year our middle son, Luke taped his ornament to the ceiling above the tree. End of contest we thought. Wrong again.

  Simple solution instead of banning books.  Besides, ban a book, and it suddenly becomes a best seller.   Catholic leadership over the centuries has banned books.  I try to find them.  Of what was the Church afraid?  Prominent theologians have been stripped of their teaching credentials.  One excellent example is Hans Kung.  I enjoy his books.  He died in April 2021. Hans Küng was a Swiss Catholic priest, theologian, and author. From 1995 he was president of the Foundation for a Global Ethic. Küng was ordained a priest in 1954, joined the faculty of the University of Tübingen in 1960, and served as a theological adviser during the Second Vatican Council.  Then he fell on hard times in part because he refused to believe that popes were infallible. He paid a great price for his belief.   Some of his works I've read were: "Christianity - Essence, History, and Future" (1994); "The Beginning of All Things - Science and Religion" (2007); and Credo - The Apostles'

  What pool do we frequent?  Too many of us play in the wrong pool.  It's the one filled with piranhas and crocs.  It's the one in which many people foul with their insults, bullying, and lies.   There is much to enjoy.  The pool of goodness is there for us to swim.  Let's jump in.  The water is fine.  What's more, Jesus is our lifeguard. Deacon David Pierce

Pope Francis wants to ‘demasculinize’ the church: What does that mean for women—and men? by Colleen Dulle, December 07, 2023 (begin) In recent weeks, Pope Francis has drawn attention to the question of the role of women in the church, which has been a key topic in the global Synod on Synodality process, running from 2021 to 2024. At a Nov. 30 meeting of the International Theological Commission, a group of theologian-advisors to the Vatican’s doctrinal office that has included women since 2004, Pope Francis spoke off the cuff, lamenting that only five of the 30-plus theologians on the commission were women. “The church is woman,” the pope said, “and if we cannot understand what a woman is, what is the theology of women, we will never understand the church. One of the great sins we have witnessed is ‘masculinizing’ the church.” He continued: “This is the job I ask of you, please: Demasculinize the church” (my emphasis).

Jesus said to the crowds: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light." (Matthew 11:28-30) I’m not so sure Matthew got this right.  Did Jesus really say to the crowds: “my yoke is easy, and my burden light?”   He might have said: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.”   But does that yoke and learning give us rest?  I don’t think so.  Jesus challenges us and forces us to transform by addressing our prejudices and overcoming our biases in the search for truth.  Too many of us don’t want the truth because that reveals our hypocrisy.   The truth sets us free, but many of us prefer the prison of ignorance and intolerance.  Putting on Jesus’s yoke would be like handcuffing ourselves to the one person who demands soul-searching and honesty.  That’s a heavy and burdensome yoke many of us refuse

Pope Francis recently said: At "the center of all evangelizing activity and all efforts at church renewal," he said, is the simple Gospel truth: "Jesus Christ loves you; he gave his life to save you; and now he is living at your side every day to enlighten, strengthen and free you." When sharing that Gospel message seems "difficult, arduous (and) apparently fruitless," he said, people may be tempted to stop trying. "Perhaps one takes refuge in safety zones, like the habitual repetition of things one always does, or in the alluring calls of an intimist spirituality or even in a misunderstood sense of the centrality of the liturgy," he said. "They are temptations that disguise themselves as fidelity to tradition, but often, rather than responses to the Spirit, they are reactions to personal dissatisfactions." But Christians can be certain that relying on the Holy Spirit and focusing on the key truths of the Gospel, they will find "ne

One day as Jesus was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there, and the power of the Lord was  with him for healing. And some men brought on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed; they were trying to bring him in and set him in his presence. But not finding a way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on the stretcher through the tiles into the middle in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith, he said, "As for you, your sins are forgiven." Then the scribes and Pharisees began to ask themselves, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who but God alone can forgive sins?" Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them in reply, "What are you thinking in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins&q

Do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day. The Lord does not delay his promise, as some regard “delay,” but he is patient with you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.  But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a mighty roar and the elements will be dissolved by fire, and the earth and everything done on it will be found out. Since everything is to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be, conducting yourselves in holiness and devotion, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved in flames and the elements melted by fire. But according to his promise we await new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you await these things, be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him, at peace . (2 Peter

I offer the following from the magazine Astronomy.  Phenomenal numbers! Incredible speeds!  Amazing periods of time!  Humanity will no longer exist!  Our time will come to an end, eventually.  Let's remember, humanity is a recent phenomenon in the grand scheme of things - and God's "plan" as well.   (begin) The Andromeda Galaxy is approaching the Milky Way at nearly a quarter million miles per hour. It is the closet major galaxy to our Milky Way and is the most distant thing you can see with the naked eye at 2.5 million light years away. Absolute chaos will begin as the two galaxies approach each other, eventually becoming Milkomeda. Everything will look like a massive pinball game, with huge amounts of rocks, dust, asteroids, planets, and stars being thrown in all directions. Until 2012, it was not known whether the collision was definitely going to happen or not. Researchers, using Hubble to track the motions of stars in Andromeda with unprecedented accuracy, conclu

After the man, Adam, had eaten of the tree, the LORD God called to the man and asked him, "Where are you?" He answered, "I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid myself." Then he asked, "Who told you that you were naked? You have eaten, then, from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!" The man replied, "The woman whom you put here with me; she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it." The LORD God then asked the woman, "Why did you do such a thing?" The woman answered, "The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it." Then the LORD God said to the serpent: "Because you have done this, you shall be banned from all the animals and from all the wild creatures; on your belly shall you crawl, and dirt shall you eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel.&quo

December 7 marks two important holidays and historical events/trauma.  First is Chanukah — the Festival of Light (through December 15): (begin) Hanukkah tells the story of the revolt led by a small band of Jews, the Maccabees, to free themselves from their Greek rulers. Against all odds, the Jews defeated the Greeks and were able to reclaim their land and holy temple.  Today, Jews light candles to commemorate the Chanukah miracle of how a tiny supply of oil burned bright and lit up the Holy Temple for eight days. But Chanukah is also a holiday in which Jews, like the ancient Jews sanctifying the temple, rededicate themselves to living by their values. (end)   Also on December 7 is another remembrance of trauma and horror that triggered our involvement in World War II and the salvation of Europe from the wrath of Nazism brought about by Adolf Hitler’s twisted and evil mind.   Americans must reflect on fascism and Nazism that can spread like a cancer and is flourishing in America, certai

At that time: Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, went up on the mountain, and sat down there. Great crowds came to him, having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute, and many others. They placed them at his feet, and he cured them. The crowds were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the deformed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind able to see, and they glorified the God of Israel. Jesus summoned his disciples and said, "My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, for they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, for fear they may collapse on the way." The disciples said to him, "Where could we ever get enough bread in this deserted place to satisfy such a crowd?" Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" "Seven," they replied, "and a few fish."  He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, gave

What follows is a challenge posed to our Church by Pope Francis.  It is a mighty challenge that will be met with much resistance. (begin)  8 Key Takeaways from ‘Ad Theologiam Promovendam “Pope Francis is directing theologians to find a middle ground where they stay true to the Church’s long-standing traditions while also finding new ways to connect with the world today” by Deacon Dominic Cerrato, Ph.D. Commentaries November 15, 2023 [Director of the diaconate for the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois, editor of The Deacon magazine, a member of the Pontifical Commission on Women and the Diaconate, author, retreat master and national speaker] The apostolic letter Ad Theologiam Promovendam (“To Promote Theology”), released by Pope Francis on Nov. 1 in the form of a motu proprio, presents an ambitious vision for the renewal of theological pursuit within the life of the Church, cognizant of the shifting cultural landscapes and the Church’s mission in the contemporary world  (my emphasis).  Below

This is one of God’s seemingly infinite number of pinwheels.  What follows is from several websites helping us better appreciate the wonder and glory of creation and God that is well beyond our understanding! (begin)This astronomical feature is known as Arp 273—so named because it was part of an atlas of peculiar galaxies compiled by American astronomer Halton Arp six decades ago. Arp 273 is two galaxies located about 300 million light-years from Earth. The two spiral galaxies are in the process of interacting with one another, and astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope believe the distinct signs of intense star formation in the nucleus of the smaller galaxy were probably triggered by the encounter with the larger one.  Three hundred (300) million light-years is about 1,750,000,000,000,000,000,000 miles.  Mind-boggling!  God’s creation is without bounds so it seems.   How long would it take to travel 1 light-year?  Said somewhat differently, how long does it take a spaceship to t

I include the following article as a follow-up to yesterday’s blog entry and because of the reference to Jesus’ “truth” (see below).  I also include it because this is the beginning of Advent when we focus on penance, preparation, and sacrifice. We also stress hope, peace, joy, and love. Moreover, we are to reflect on our lives and work on becoming better-versions-of-ourselves in preparation for Jesus’ coming.  Jesus had a lot to say about our neighbors and love.  His is the voice to which we should listen. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but not to impose it on others with a completely different mindset or religion and faith.  Moreover, when speaking about Jesus’ truth one must not put words into Jesus’ mouth especially when those words are about prejudice and even hate.  I’m especially concerned about fundamentalist beliefs being used as political philosophy.  I share Pope Francis’s view.  Also, being an environmentalist myself – like so many of us – my being called a “devil” i

Use of religion to trash human beings because of how they are designed by God is outrageous.  Many Christians have a strange and damaging bent regarding their belief that we have a punishing God, and they choose to side with that wrathful God.  We need far more than thoughts and prayers to counter this antichrist attitude.  We must speak out against cruel and abusive behavior apparently being promoted by elected officials.  What follows is a prime example of that alarming behavior.  It is frightening.  I include it here because it is so counter to our Catholic faith and Jesus’s commandments.  We must be aware. (begin) Mike Johnson: ‘Depraved’ America Deserves God’s Wrath – Citing the increase in queer youth, Johnson called American culture "dark and depraved" on a call with a Christian nationalist pastor by Tim Dickinson  (November 15, 2023)  In an October prayer call hosted by a Christian-nationalist MAGA pastor, Rep. Mike Johnson was troubled that America’s wickedness was

From the website of the Center for Contemplation and Action, we find the following that has a ring of truth.  We are part of the great chain of being - a ring of many links. We are one link obligated to hold the chain together. (begin) Richard Rohr teaches that all of creation is connected and interdependent, each facet bearing inherent dignity as part of the being of God. Richard explains what we can learn from the medieval idea known as the “great chain of being:” The great chain of being was the medieval metaphor for ecology before we spoke of ecosystems. While it was structured as a hierarchy, with each link in the chain “closer” to God, I view it as a philosophical and theological attempt to speak of the interconnectedness of all things on the level of pure “Being.” Today we might call it “the circle of life.” If God is Being Itself (Deus est Ens), as both St. Bonaventure and St. Thomas Aquinas taught in the thirteenth century, then the great chain became a way of teaching and pre