Farming?

Ah, the parable of instant oatmeal. Jesus made it quick, because He knew that everyone has a short attention span.

So he told the parable about how God makes us holy like we make instant oatmeal: Packet, bowl, hot water. Badda bing, badda boom.

Wait. What? The Lord never told a parable of instant oatmeal? The parable concerns seeds and soil and farming?

What does He think? That this is some kind of agrarian society?

Does He honestly believe that we are going to wait patiently through the glacial pace of farming? Wait for seeds to germinate, grow, sprout, and grow some more? Does He think that we will sit still through hundreds of news cycles?

Seven Deadlies Compendium, Etc.

I woke up this morning feeling basically okay with myself. But then I discovered that I agree with Ken Woodward…(If the comic strips appearing here are too small for you to read, you can see a larger size by clicking on it.)

…According to the Law of Moses, capital crimes were to be punished by stoning to death.

The first stones were to be cast by the witnesses upon whose testimony the guilty party was convicted. Then everyone else could join in the stoning. By this violent act, the injustice of the crime would be purged from the nation.

God is perfectly just. He examines every heart. Before Him, no one is innocent.

But He has not cast a stone and done violence to the guilty ones. Rather, He subjected Himself to violence at the hands of the unjust.

By this violent act, our injustice is purged. We are not condemned to death.

God restores justice; we are pardoned; we may live.

…Here is a little compendium of my sermons on the seven deadly sins…

Pride

Greed and Envy

Anger and Lust

Gluttony and Sloth

Also, there are some new Bests above.

And I added a new feature above…a collection of the collections.

…I wish I could say that I am willing to take the sins of others upon myself, like our Lord.

I can say this, though: I do take the germs of others upon myself.

This is what communion under both species means for the priest: Taking the germs of the entire people upon yourself.

3,000 Suscipiamurs, Plus Gluttony and Sloth

Wonders never cease! This morning there is an essay supporting the Pope in the Washington Post! On the other hand, the Baylor-Maryland women’s basketball matchup we hoped for is not going to happen.

…There are a few prayers of the Holy Mass which the priest prays silently. After the gifts are prepared on the altar, the priest bows and prays:

In spiritu humilitatis et in animo contrito suscipiamur ad te Domine, et sic fiat sacrificium nostrum in conspectu tuo hodie ut placeat tibi Domine Deus.

(“In an humble spirit, and a contrite heart, may we be received by Thee, O Lord, and may our sacrifice be so offered up in Thy sight this day that it may please Thee, O Lord God.”)

This morning I bowed and said this prayer for the 3,000th time. May God be praised. Here is the homily I gave, the last in my Deadly-Sins series…

Reading St. Paul during His Holy Year

 

 

 

 

History has not recorded St. Paul’s exact date of birth, but scolars have narrowed it down pretty well.  We are very likely within one year of the two-thousandth birthday of the Holy Apostle who is the human author of half of the New Testament.  Pope Benedict has set this year aside as a special Pauline Year.

 

During the Church’s yearly cycle of readings, our second readings at Holy Mass on Ordinary Sundays are taken in sequence from St. Paul’s letters.  Perhaps you have noticed that, through the summer, we have been reading sequentially through Romans at Mass.  (For some homilies on these readings, see:

 https://frmarkdwhite.wordpress.com/2008/08/24/nine-summer-homilies-on-st-pauls-letter-to-the-romans/

 

If there were ever a year to follow through on your resolution to try to read St. Paul’s letters, this is it.  (And if you never made such a resolution, you should have.)  It might be more enjoyable and more stimulating to read them along with the whole Church.  The Sunday Mass readings do not include every verse of the letters, so if you read on your own at the same time, you will be a step ahead of everybody else at Mass, and you could give a little lecture in the parking lot afterwards.

 

Here is the schedule between now and the end of the Pauline Year, next June 29:

 

Starting on September 28, we will spend three weeks reading Philippians.

 

From October 19 until the beginning of Advent, we will spend five weeks reading I Thessalonians.  (Though on two Sundays we will have special readings:  November 2 for All Souls, and November 9 for the Feast of the Dedication of St. John Lateran.)

 

[During Advent and Christmas season, we break out of our sequential reading of St. Paul, so I am going to have to get back to you on this.]

 

From January 18 until February 25, we will spend four weeks readings chapters six through eleven of I Corinthians and then two weeks reading the beginning of II Corinthians.

 

During Lent and Easter season…Very complicated; I will have to get back to you.

 

From Pentecost to the Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul, we will spend three weeks reading more of II Corinthians.

 

To summarize all this complexity, here is your St. Paul reading plan for the Holy Year:

 

Read Romans before September 28.

Read Philippians between September 28 and October 19.

Read First Thessalonians between October 19 and November 30.

Read First Corinthians 6-11 between January 12 and February 24

Read Second Corinthians between June 1 and June 29.

 

Follow this reading plan, dear reader, and I guarantee that…

 

1.  You will become smarter.

2.  You will impress people.

3.  God will be pleased.

4.  Good things will happen!

Spiritual Reading Suggestion

 

 

This is my seventh semester taking one class at the Dominican House of Studies, trying to make my way towards a degree that would qualify me to teach in a seminary.  This morning my class for this semester met for the first time, and I had the experience I always do:  The syllabus is overwhelming and intimidating.  I wish that I had the time and energy to do all the reading, but I know that I will only be able to eke out a fraction of it and try to do enough to get by in the class.

 

Today is also the day we remember at Holy Mass the greatest teacher in the history of the Church, St. Augustine.  If you are looking for a good book for spiritual reading, order The Essential Sermons of St. Augustine.  It is published by New City Press. They definitely have it on Barnes and Noble; I imagine they have it on all the book websites.  It was published just about a year ago.

 

I am not enough of a Latin scholar to comment knowledgeably about translations, but I know enough to say that this translation is something special.  It is not just readable; it offers a delightful insight into St. Augustine’s incredibly knowledgeable and loving mind.