casual theology

Have you received the Sacrament of Confirmation? Did you know that the Catholic Church teaches that when we are confirmed we are receiving the same grace and outpouring of the Holy Spirit that the disciples received on the first Pentecost? In fact, the Catechism of the Catholic Church makes it clear that Confirmation “perpetuates the grace of Pentecost in the Church.” (CCC 1288, 1302) The Catechism also uses that terminology to describe how the Mass perpetuates Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. (CCC 611, 1323) That’s powerful when you stop and think about it. Many of us are familiar with the idea that the sacrifice of the Mass, through the Sacrament of the Eucharist, is representing Jesus’ work on the cross; that is, at every Mass we are being reconnected to the one event of Calvary. It is significant that the Church uses the same verb, perpetuate, when describing what happens in the Sacrament of Confirmation. We receive the same Spirit, the same outpouring, the same grace, as the first...

On multiple occasions over the past year I’ve had a reoccurring dream. I find myself in an insane asylum where the inmates have taken over and have the appearance of zombies. I was going from room to room looking for other trapped people, some asleep and others unaware of what was happening, and leading them to escape. At the same time, I encounter a few of the insane zombies and I am able to cure them so they become “normal” and leave with us. I believe this is a prophetic dream speaking to the nature of our culture and our mission as Christians. In the early telling of the story of Narcissus in Greek mythology the young man become enamored with his own image and committed suicide after despairing that no one could love him as much as he loved himself. It’s from this story that modern psychology takes the name Narcissistic Personality Disorder to describe an individual with an inflated sense of their own purpose and a lack of empathy for others. The Mayo Clinic lists the followin...

Where have all the good men gone And where are all the gods? Where's the street-wise Hercules To fight the rising odds? Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed? Late at night I toss and I turn and I dream of what I need I need a hero I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night He's gotta be strong And he's gotta be fast And he's gotta be fresh from the fight I need a hero I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light He's gotta be sure And it's gotta be soon And he's gotta be larger than life   - “I need a Hero” by Bonnie Tyler We have become a culture of the anti-hero. Three of the top five grossing movies so far this year are: Captain America: Civil War , Batman vs Superman , and Deadpool . These movies present traditional heroes at war with each other or a lead anti-hero character who has no good moral character of his own. As Fr. Longnecker over on Patheos has so eloquently pu...

This post was originally published on Catholic365.com “This I command you, to love one another.” (John 15:17) It is said that when the Apostle John was living in Ephesus in his old age he would often address the church there with the same simple exhortation, “My little children, love one another.” The elders of the community, tired of hearing the same repeated message, would press John to share with the church some great insight about Jesus or being a disciple. John would double-down by telling them that these simple words were the commands of Jesus, and if they had nothing else of the Gospel to truly live these words would be enough.  Love is hard, at least the kind of love that Jesus spoke of, modeled and expected of his disciples. “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that he should lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:12-13) This is the love that God is calling each of us to, and it is the...

When Lisa and I returned to the Catholic Church, a good friend of ours and member of our evangelical house church, decided to cross over the Tiber with us. Jacob went through RCIA and shortly thereafter moved to South Korea to teach ESL at a Christian school there. While he was in Korea he and a few of his friends felt God stirring their hearts for the families and children ensnared in the human trafficking rings of Southeast Asia. Around a year ago four of them moved to Thailand to minister to and share the Gospel with those vulnerable to the sex trade. Although they are a non-denominational ministry, he has remained committed to his Catholic faith and feels a particularly strong call to build bridges between Catholics and Protestants by uniting in ministry to those in need. The other day Jacob contacted me on Facebook seeking some insight and advice regarding some frustrating experiences he’s had with other Catholics. As part of his ministry in Thailand, Jacob has been reaching ...

In the story of Jesus and the woman at the well we are given a “how to” lesson on evangelization by Jesus. OPPORTUNISTIC EVANGELISM Jesus didn’t go out of his way to find the Samaritan woman. By all appearances, he wasn’t really even looking to do much in the way of ministry before she came to draw water. Jesus was simply waiting at the well while the apostles went into town on a lunch break.   They were traveling from Jerusalem (Jn 2) and Judea on their way back to Galilee (Jn 4). The village of Sychar in Samaria, where this story takes place, was about the halfway point of what would have been several days of walking.  So, here is Jesus sitting and resting, minding his own business, when this Samaritan woman comes to the well to draw water. This was an encounter of opportunity, not planning. Jesus engages the woman in what seems to be benign small talk. He is able to take something as simple as drawing water from a well--something this woman has likely do...