My son, glorify yourself with humility, and ascribe to yourself honor according to your worth –Sirach 10:28 RSV. If pride comes before a fall, then what better way is there to rise back up, or even to prevent a fall, than to embrace the virtue of humility? Sadly, this is easier said than done. We might recognize the truth of this. We might even try to embrace humility, and in some aspects of our lives, do so. But the stain... Read more
Eucharistic adoration is a treasured Western devotion to Christ. There is good with it, because the faithful go to Christ and adore him. It is always good to adore Christ, because, as God, he is not only love, but the source and foundation of all love. But, despite how popular a devotion it is now, eucharistic adoration is a rather recent innovation. As Móses Nóda writes, “In earliest Christianity, there was no Eucharistic worship outside the celebration. At an early... Read more
Following the Sunday of St. John Climacus, the fifth Sunday of the Great Fast is the Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt. Usually elements of the life St. Mary of Egypt, a reformed prostitute who lived alone in the desert for many years, are used to show us of the hope we can have of God’s grace. No matter what sins we have done, God’s love can save us. We can change. We can become holy men and women of... Read more
Prayer, fasting and almsgiving are three key elements of a Christian life. While the church emphasizes all three of them during the Great Fast, they should remain with us throughout the year. When we come to the Great Fast, we are encouraged to do a spiritual checkup, to see how far we have abandoned good, healthy spiritual practices, and then find ways to reengage them so that we can once again properly align ourselves with God. We need prayer, not... Read more
The Annunciation tells us about God and how he interacts with us. When Mary was greeted by Gabriel, she was told of the wondrous thing which God intended for her. But he gave her a choice. She could accept his plan or deny it. Mary, through her walk with God, knew this; she knew all that Gabriel said would come to pass only if she gave her consent, which she did: And the angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit... Read more
The Black Plague led to all kinds of scapegoating as people wanted to find someone to blame for the plague. Conspiracy theories flourished, though one prominent group of people stood out above all others as being those who were most likely to be targeted; the poor. But, as Michael Mollot indicates, when the poor could not be targeted, others, such as the Jews, faced the wrath of the general populace: Just as lepers once had been accused of poisoning the... Read more
One of the many intriguing stories in Genesis is that of Jacob dreaming about a ladder which went up to heaven: Jacob left Beersheba, and went toward Haran. And he came to a certain place, and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth,... Read more
Prayer is a vital part of the Christian life. We need communion with God. We need to be able to share all our thoughts and feelings, all our hopes and dreams with God. This is not to say God does not know them. He knows them. But, by our nature as persons, we are relational creatures, and a part of the way we interact with others is to tell them about ourselves, including, and especially those things which are most... Read more
While the Mass (Divine Liturgy) has a central role in the Christian life, we must remember, Christians throughout the centuries, and in many diverse places, have remained faithful while incapable of routine participation in the Mass (and other sacraments). Many Christians have had infrequent connection with priests, for one reason (priest shortage) or another (plague), that they had make do with a Christian life that had infrequent reception of the sacraments. This, certainly, is a concern, and the church desires... Read more
While St. Patrick did not drive out snakes from Ireland, the legend suggesting he did is sometimes understood as a metaphor to the way he spread the Christian faith. Thus, some say it means that he came to Ireland and enlightened it with the light of Christ, casting out the dark shadows of sin and the spiritual ignorance of Ireland’s druidic past. This interpretation is problematic because Patrick did not eliminate the pre-Christian faith from Ireland. When he died, major... Read more
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