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The Fourth Sunday of Advent 2024

As we gather on the Fourth Sunday of Advent in Year C, my thoughts turn to the profound role of the Virgin Mary in the events leading up to our salvation. This day invites us to reflect not only on Mary’s unique place in this sacred story but also on the humanity of our Lord. Our first reading focuses on the Messiah’s humble origins. The prophecy tells us that he will come from Bethlehem, a small village within the clan of Ephrathah—the least significant among the clans of Judah. This highlights a powerful truth: with the Messiah, as with all of us, true greatness comes from God rather than human status or acclaim. The author of the Letter to the Hebrews reminds us that Jesus, as an obedient human being, willingly offered himself for our salvation. This act underscores that the redemption of humanity was accomplished within human life, not apart from it. Our human nature has a real and definitive role to play in God’s plan, a role beautifully revealed in the story of Mary. Today’s Gosp...
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Faith, Revolt, and the Shock of Transcendence David Brooks’ The Shock of Faith: It’s Nothing Like I Thought It Would Be describes a personal journey into faith that challenges both skepticism and conventional religious understanding. His reflections, when analyzed through Paul Tillich’s Dynamics of Faith and Albert Camus’ notion of revolt , offer a rich dialogue on how faith, transcendence, and existential defiance intersect in the human condition. Brooks’ transformation from doubt to faith illustrates the tensions and harmonies between Tillich’s and Camus’ philosophical frameworks. Tillich defines faith as an “ultimate concern,” an all-encompassing commitment that transcends mere intellectual assent. Faith, for Tillich, is not about certainty but about the courage to be grasped by something infinite and transformative. Brooks initially resisted faith as a set of propositions to be intellectually accepted, but his eventual openness to love and beauty aligns with Tillich’s notion of f...
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Thoughts on Advent 4.

"My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior." Mary's words echo across centuries, still startling in their boldness, their revolutionary hope. I wonder sometimes if we've domesticated this song, turned it into something safe and gentle when it's meant to shake the foundations of how we see both God and ourselves. Consider for a moment where Mary is standing when she sings. She's a young woman, likely no more than fifteen, carrying an unexpected child in a culture where such a pregnancy could mean death. Yet here, in Elizabeth's doorway, she doesn't whisper her faith - she proclaims it. Her song isn't just praise; it's prophecy. It's politics. It's poetry that rewrites the world. The Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard once wrote about faith as a leap into the dark, a movement of infinite resignation followed by a leap of faith. But Mary shows us something different - not resignation, but radical receptivity. No...
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The Third Sunday of Advent 2024

As we enter the Third Sunday of Advent in Year C, I find myself reflecting on how our readings and the Collect for today bring together the major themes of biblical and prophetic tradition. This convergence deepens our preparation as God’s faithful people for the approaching celebration of Christmas. We earnestly pray that God will “stir up divine power and come among us,” and in this prayer, we’re presented with a paradoxical message: one of fearful judgment and joyful anticipation. This message first appears in Zephaniah’s announcement of “the Day of the Lord,” a time when God will come to draw all people into a saving and life-giving community. “The Lord, your God, is in your midst,” he proclaims. “Sing aloud… Rejoice… Exult.” These words invite us to embrace the hope and joy that God’s presence brings. In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, we see this theme continue. For Paul and the church in Philippi, the Lord has indeed come through Jesus’ death and resurrection. “Rejoice,” Paul ...
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Party Like it is 1999 -- in Advent

I find Camus’ notion of revolt to be a defiant affirmation of life and meaning in the face of absurdity, And, I find it to sit well with both Paul’s call to rejoice and Prince’s anthem of celebration, "1999." Revolt: Living with Purpose in the Face of Uncertainty For Camus, revolt is the ongoing commitment to live fully and authentically, even when confronted with life’s apparent meaninglessness or the inevitability of death. It is a refusal to succumb to despair or resignation, much like Paul’s exhortation to rejoice and Prince’s call to celebrate life. • In Philippians 4:1-7, Paul acknowledges that the Philippians face challenges, yet he urges them to respond with joy, prayer, and thanksgiving. This is a form of revolt against anxiety and fear, grounded in faith in God’s nearness and sovereignty. Paul’s peace is not passive acceptance but an active trust in God’s redemptive plan. • In “1999”, Prince’s declaration to “party like it’s 1999” reflects a form of revolt. ...
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Unction (Part 2)

Picture the priest standing before a parishioner, holding the small vial of oil in one hand, lifting the other to trace a cross on their forehead. This is a moment charged with meaning, where the priest’s actions embody the Church’s ministry of healing and restoration. The priest, in this act, becomes a vessel of grace, an intermediary between the finite and the infinite, offering not just oil but the touch of divine care. Through the philosophical insights of Paul Ricoeur, Richard Kearney, and Mark Johnson, the experience of the priest in anointing emerges as an embodied, relational, and deeply formational act. Paul Ricoeur’s concept of narrative identity illuminates how the priest’s actions are shaped by their participation in the larger story of Christ’s healing work. In lifting the oil and offering prayer, the priest steps into a role that is not their own but is given by the Church, rooted in the ministry of Jesus who anointed the sick and laid hands on the broken. This act is not...
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Unction

Picture a communicant stepping forward at a healing service, hands outstretched, head bowed, awaiting the touch of oil upon their forehead. This is no ordinary moment—it is a liturgical act where body and spirit intertwine, where the ancient practices of the Church meet the deep human need for healing and restoration. The application of oil, the spoken prayers, the laying on of hands—all of these gestures carry layers of theological, relational, and embodied meaning. Through the perspectives of Paul Ricoeur, Richard Kearney, and Mark Johnson, the act of receiving unction emerges as a profoundly embodied and transformative encounter with the sacred. Paul Ricoeur’s concept of narrative identity offers a way to understand how the act of receiving unction integrates the individual’s story into the larger narrative of God’s healing work. To step forward for anointing is to acknowledge one’s place in the communal story of faith—a story where Christ’s healing ministry continues through the Ch...
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