casual theology

Over the past three weeks the Gospel readings at mass have been a series of parables taken from Matthew 13 about the Kingdom of God (or the Kingdom of Heaven).  Using the visual language of parables Jesus has described the Kingdom of God as being like: A sower spreading seed on different soils Wheat and weeds growing together in the same field A mustard seed Yeast added to dough A hidden treasure A pearl of great price A net cast into the sea catching good and bad fish When we consider the parables about the Kingdom of God they each provide a different perspective in a simple, yet deeply profound way. Take, for instance, the parables about the hidden treasure and pearl of great price.  “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of gre...

This Sunday we hear the gospel story of the Transfiguration ( Matthew 17:1-9 ). Here are a few random reflections and different meanings that can be taken from this passage. PASSING THE TORCH At our parish’s young adult faith formation gathering we were doing visio divina (meditating on various artistic renderings of the gospel story). After mentioning that Moses and Elijah represented the Law and the Prophets, one of the guys observed that this event was like a passing of the torch from them to the Church represented by Christ and the apostles. In Christ both the Law and the Prophets are fulfilled, particularly in his obedience “unto death” on the cross. Preparing for his final journey to Jerusalem, Jesus meets with Elijah and Moses as if to take on from them the burdens they carried so that he could bring them to the cross and perfect them. Present with Christ on the mountain were Peter, James and John. These apostles represent the Church in very unique wa...

“Are we there yet?” Anyone who’s ever traveled anywhere with children knows firsthand how impatient they become on the journey, and the farther the journey the harder the wait for the little ones. This is especially true when they have an idea of where they’re headed. Tell the kids they're going to the dentist and they never ask when they’ll get there, but tell them you’re going to Disney World and you start getting “Are we there yet?” before you get to the end of the block. Two things compel kids to ask that question; excitement about the destination and ignorance of the details of the trip. All they can think about is how much joy awaits them at the destination. Their minds race thinking about what they’ll do and what they’ll see when they get there. Little children have poor concepts of time and even worse concepts of distance. They don’t understand, nor do they care about traffic patterns, construction delays, or refueling needs. How often are we just like a little ...

Last night I had the opportunity to attend Eucharistic adoration with a small group of friends. While we were worshiping the Lord I had a vision.  It was like we were at the seashore only in place of the sea was the monstrance and each of us in attendance were like buckets with small holes in them. Angels were going going back and forth from the monstrance to each of us. They would gather up grace that was flowing from the Body of our Lord like water pouring forth from the monstrance then bring that grace to each of us and pour it into our buckets. As we received the grace it flowed out through the holes and over the tops of the buckets wetting the sand around us. The angels kept going back & forth and were so full of joy in their task as if they were competing with each other to see who could fill their person's bucket the most. Tonight I was reading from Benedict XVI's Apostolic Exhortation, Sacramentum caritatas, on the Eucharist. He writes: "Indeed, on...

The sixth chapter of John’s gospel Jesus begins with the feeding of the multitudes with five loaves and two fish. The crowd, who wanted to crown him as king, followed Jesus the next day asking for a sign. Instead of giving them more food for their bellies Jesus gave them food for thought. Jesus challenged the sensibilities of everyone present; the poor and the wealthy, the uneducated and the learned, the laity and the priests and Pharisees. He told them that he was going to provide more than manna for them, that he had new heavenly bread that would give them eternal life. That bread was his very flesh and blood which he commanded them to eat and drink. He affronted their ideas of what God and their religion could or would ask of them. He challenged them to believe in something that was, in their thinking, impossible and outrageous. The response of the crowd demonstrated how offended they were to be asked to believe such a thing: “Who is this man? Who does he think he is?” “How can ...

This past Sunday the Gospel reading continued it's journey through John 6. This multi-week emphasis on the Bread Of Life discourse should help us reflect more deeply on Christ's Real Presence in the Eucharist. As I shared previously this is the font & summit of our lives, both individually and as a catholic community. It is the principle source of spiritual nourishment for our souls. Yet, not everyone is a big fan. I'm not speaking here of Fundamentalist objections to transubstantiation, but about the very real spiritual world in which we live. This was brought home to me in a very personal way this past Sunday. While attending mass with my two oldest daughters I noticed a young woman sitting in the very front acting very strangely. I had discerned that she was under the influence of an evil spirit, particularly of a sexualized and sacrilegious one (for more on discernment of spirits see 1 Cor. 12). I had the very distinct impression that she was going to do something ...

As many of my friends and family know, Lisa & I spent about 10 years outside the Catholic Church. During our sojourn to non-denominational Evangelicalism we gained a deeper appreciation for our Catholic heritage and were blessed by the things our Protestant brothers and sisters taught us. As much as the Church has to offer, we can also learn quite a bit from the other members of Christ's mystical body. One such lesson is taking full advantage of what you've been given. I know many Catholics who, when looking to their seperated brethern, focus on what is lacking in these various denominations when compared to the full riches of Catholicism. In particular, it is easy on one hand to see how Christ's Eucharistic presence is missing from their worship. I would counter however, that many Protestants do more with the little they have than so many Catholics who squander this great gift of God. In light of the current liturgical focus on the Eucharist, I am speaking principall...

“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” - John 6:35 We are in the midst of several weeks of readings from John 6 during Sunday liturgies. Here we have the story of the feeding of the multitudes and the Bread of Life discourse. What a great opportunity to reflect upon the gift of the Eucharist. The Catechism reminds us of the clear teaching of Vatican II that "the Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life." ( Lumen Gentium 11, CCC 1324) It is in the Eucharist that we both recieve the grace to live out the Christian faith and clearly see the perfect fruit and purpose of that faith: union with God. It is in the Eucharist that our souls are fed and strengthened to endure the trials that come our way. Through the Eucharist we become one Body in Christ. St. Augustine spoke of how it takes many grains of wheat being crushed, mixed with water and baked together to make one loaf of bread; and i...