Called by God. The idea used to make us shiver back in parochial school. As children, we imagined that only rare and special people got that call.
Mealtime is the best time for just about everyone. People may prefer Italian to Tex-Mex, vegan to omnivore, big portions to small, or dessert to the entrée, but just about everybody I know considers “time to eat” among the happiest words they hear all day.
Like the sacred trust a parent bears in raising a child to the light, the preacher bears the holy responsibility to bring God’s word to the assembly. Those who embrace this ministry know full well the heaviness of the task, as well as its astonishing sweetness.
What’s the main difference between the disciples before and after the Pentecost experience? No, it’s not the flames dancing on their heads, improved communication skills, or that wind-blown look. In a word, it’s courage.
“Jesus is coming soon.” We’ve seen these words or similar ones on sandwich boards, bumper stickers, and billboards. We hear them in church, too.
Years ago, a popular song by the band R.E.M. sold a lot of records and won several awards—and caused great parental distress. The song was called “Losing My Religion.” Parents are generally not crazy about the music their kids are into, but in this case their disapproval was rooted in misunderstanding.
The next generation, it seems, will be very good at the task of doing many things at once. They are being raised in an environment of multimedia at home and in school. Their socialization is more multicultural than anything we older folks were exposed to in our ethnocentric upbringing.
Among the most exciting aspects of the Christian story is how failure always leads to the greatest success. The last shall be first, the meek inherit the Earth, the cross morphs into the empty tomb, and the rejection of the gospel by the synagogue opens the doors to the Gentile mission in Asia Minor.
Some things are clearly once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. You see the lovely stranger who plays your heartstrings like a harp, but he or she is walking away. Speak now or forever hold your peace!
Today is Divine Mercy Sunday, which is news to Catholics who have not paid much attention since the year 2000, when Pope John Paul II inaugurated this feast to be celebrated on the Second Sunday of Easter each year.