The Sunday Gospel Two great prophets, Isaiah and John the Baptist, stride into our liturgical readings for the Second Sunday of Advent. We usually think of prophets as people who foretell the future but that is only partially true. The real meaning of prophecy is the unveiling and proclamation of God’s presence in dark and…
Faith Development He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” In any important relationship we pay attention to the other person and to what they have to say to us, through words or otherwise. In meditation,…
The first chapter of the Book of Revelation contains a powerful challenge that’s hidden within the overall esoteric language of that book. John, its author, speaking in the voice of God, says something to this effect: I have seen how hard you work, I have seen your fidelity and your hunger for the truth; but I have this against you: “you have less…
The Sunday Gospel Dark November will soon be past, and in the Church’s calendar, today is the First Sunday of Advent, the beginning of the new liturgical year. Advent means coming and it has three dimensions: the past coming of Christ at the first Christmas; the future coming of Christ at the end of life;…
Forty years ago in November of 1982, I began writing this column while a doctoral student in Belgium. I chose to call it ‘In Exile’ for two reasons. Superficially, I chose this title because I was living in Europe, far from much of what I considered as home. While I was not pretending to be…
The Sunday Gospel Today, the last Sunday of the liturgical year is when we celebrate Jesus Christ, the Universal King. The end of the liturgical year anticipates the end of time when “the kingdom of God will come in all its fulness. Then the just will reign with Jesus Christ for ever, glorified in body…
It is not enough merely to have saints; we need saints for our times! An insightful comment from Simone Weil. The saints of old have much to offer; but we look at their goodness, faith, and selflessness and find it easier to admire them than to imitate them. Their lives and their circumstances seem so…
The Sunday Gospel Purgation is a process of purification. Purgatory is not specifically mentioned in the Bible but the doctrine of purgatory is a beautiful development which holds in unity two ideas which might seem to be contradictory. Firstly, the doctrine of God’s holiness reminds us of God’s unique otherness, glory and blinding light, far…
There’s only one addiction for which we are praised – overworking. With every other addiction, concerned others are looking to put you into a clinic or into a recovery programme, but if your addiction is work, generally it’s seen as virtue. I know of what I speak. I’m a “recovering workaholic”, and not exactly in…
The Sunday Gospel Normally, our weekly reflection is based on the Gospel of Sunday, but this week we will consider two days to Tuesday, November 1, the Feast of All Saints. In the northern hemisphere, November is the darkest month. The poet, Thomas Hood, captured the mood. “No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,…
Fr Ronald Rolheiser