casual theology

“So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called the place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them But standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.” ( John 19:17-18, 25-27 ) It is only John’s gospel that tells us that Mary was at the cross. Only John who recorded the dying words of Jesus addressed to his mother. It was only John because he was there too. It seems odd, even a bit cold, that Jesus would call his mother “woman”. But this one word carries so much weight. Eve was the first woman and it is by “woman” that she is addres...

I want to continue to break down the Gospel reading from the 3 rd Sunday of Lent . Yesterday I examined the lessons Jesus taught us about evangelization . Today the focus is on the promise of finding true satisfaction and peace--Jesus' promise of life-giving water. “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst” Reflecting on his life of searching for meaning, St. Augustine wrote, "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you." This statement is true for everyone, but the problem is our lives are so overwhelmed by distractions that we are rarely still or quiet long enough to listen to our hearts. Our modern culture is consumed with improving “quality of life” but our understanding of the meaning of life is so shallow that the things we chase ultimately lead to greater dissatisfaction. Here in this passage from John’s Gospel we see Jesus offering real m...

In the story of Jesus and the woman at the well we are given a “how to” lesson on evangelization by Jesus. OPPORTUNISTIC EVANGELISM Jesus didn’t go out of his way to find the Samaritan woman. By all appearances, he wasn’t really even looking to do much in the way of ministry before she came to draw water. Jesus was simply waiting at the well while the apostles went into town on a lunch break.   They were traveling from Jerusalem (Jn 2) and Judea on their way back to Galilee (Jn 4). The village of Sychar in Samaria, where this story takes place, was about the halfway point of what would have been several days of walking.  So, here is Jesus sitting and resting, minding his own business, when this Samaritan woman comes to the well to draw water. This was an encounter of opportunity, not planning. Jesus engages the woman in what seems to be benign small talk. He is able to take something as simple as drawing water from a well--something this woman has likely do...

The Gospel reading for today, the 3rd Week of Lent, was John 4:5-42, the story of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well. There are so many different themes and lessons to pull from this Gospel passage. So, I've decided to blog about a different aspect of this passage each day this week (starting tomorrow 'cuz it's too late to start tonight).

The LORD said to Abram:   “Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk  and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you. “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you;   I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.   I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you.   All the communities of the earth shall find blessing in you.” Abram went as the LORD directed him. ( Genesis 12:1-4 ) Trust me. That is what God asked of Abram. Trust me that I will show you the way, that I will lead you, that my promises are sure. God’s call didn’t come with many details. Abram would have to trust that God would fill in the blanks along the way. It’s so easy to get hung up on the details; to lose the forest for the trees. How often do we wish God would be more specific with us?  How many hear that initial calling from God but fail to follow because they want more details? But, just like using the GPS in yo...

This Sunday we hear the gospel story of the Transfiguration ( Matthew 17:1-9 ). Here are a few random reflections and different meanings that can be taken from this passage. PASSING THE TORCH At our parish’s young adult faith formation gathering we were doing visio divina (meditating on various artistic renderings of the gospel story). After mentioning that Moses and Elijah represented the Law and the Prophets, one of the guys observed that this event was like a passing of the torch from them to the Church represented by Christ and the apostles. In Christ both the Law and the Prophets are fulfilled, particularly in his obedience “unto death” on the cross. Preparing for his final journey to Jerusalem, Jesus meets with Elijah and Moses as if to take on from them the burdens they carried so that he could bring them to the cross and perfect them. Present with Christ on the mountain were Peter, James and John. These apostles represent the Church in very unique wa...