From the Preface of the Mass
For he assumed at his first coming the lowliness of human flesh,
and so fulfilled the design you formed long ago,
and opened for us the way to eternal salvation,
that, when he comes again in glory and majesty
and all is at last made manifest,
we who watch for that day may inherit the great promise
in which now we dare to hope.
One of my favorite Christmas songs begins: City sidewalks, busy sidewalks… More…
Murillo, Christ on the Cross, Metropolitan Art Museum, New York
Every king has a throne, because the throne symbolizes a king’s power and authority. More…
Today, I decided to reblog an old post related to today’s Gospel reading on the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. I added a simple but probably familiar poem at the end for further reflection on the transience of temporal things, which our liturgy invites us to consider this time every year as a perpetual reminder.
Shrine of Dominus Flevit overlooking Jerusalem from the Mt. of Olives
“I am waiting for peace.”
“And what is peace?” I asked.
The store owner replied, “When the words of the Prophet in the holy book are fulfilled.”
Of course what he meant was, “When the world is converted to Islam.” More…
Today’s Gospel reading (Luke 20: 27-38) opens with a question aimed at tripping Jesus up. The first word out of the Sadducees mouth reveals how might have known better. Had they known better, they might not have tried to school the Master.
Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, came forward and put this question to Jesus, saying: Teacher,…
More…
Today Jesus gives us his mission statement: “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.”
Christ’s followers are also called to seek out what is lost
In other words, Christ’s whole life was for others. Everything he did and said was aimed at bringing people back home to the Father’s house, back onto the path of true happiness.
That is still his mission, today. More…
Keep your eyes on the finish line
“I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.”
More often than not, it is near impossible to find the connection between the second reading and the Gospel for Sunday’s liturgy. The reason for this is that, more often than not, there’s not one, because the liturgy of the word is designed that way. The first reading and the Gospel always have some connection: The Lord fulfilling an Old Testament prophesy, for example. The responsorial psalm, often echoes a sentiment from the first reading, to reinforce its message. But the second reading More…
Fr Joseph Tham
Fr Joseph Tham is a Catholic Priest, has doctoral degrees in medicine and bioethics, and is a contributor to Biltrix. In this article he presents a four-fold model for assessing the medical professional’s role in society, based on some reflections ten years after the 2003 SARS epidemic.
In early September, I participated in a conference on “SARS epidemic: ethical reflection and prospects” in Hong Kong. The 2003 global epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome was particularly devastating in Hong Kong. About 1800 people were infected, 300 of whom died, including 8 medical personnel. The Bioethics Resource Centre of the Catholic Diocesan Committee for Bioethics of Hong Kong organized the education event with the sponsorship of different hospitals, nursing and doctor guilds. More…
Listening is as important as asking in prayer
Somewhere between faith and hope lies the virtue of trust, which among the three is perhaps the one that counts most on us.
In today’s Gospel (Luke 18:1-8), the Lord shows us how and where we can exercise and measure our trust. The measure of our trust in God reveals itself when we examine our prayer.
Jesus uses a parable to illustrate this point. More…
Has Sunday ever snuck up on you before?
That’s what happened to me this week, which is why this post is going to be just a little different, but I’m taking advantage of providence to share what’s on my mind regarding the Liturgy we are gradually walking into this time of the year. But first… More…
The prophet Habakkuk, in today’s First Reading, stresses the power of faith — he also gives us a clearer idea of what exactly faith is.
Habakkuk lived in the 6th century BC, when Israel had been conquered by the Babylonians and the majority of Jews had been deported. It was as if a hurricane, like Katrina, had swept over not just one city, but the entire country. Habakkuk is in the middle of it all, he sees the devastated city and countryside, strewn with corpses, burned and barren.
Habakkuk feels the pinch of poverty and destruction. And he does the most natural thing in the world: he complains to God about it:
How long, O Lord? I cry for help, but you do not listen! More…
Biltrix 