Populus Zion – The Second Sunday of Advent 2024

in

From Adam and the tree, to David with Bathsheba, to Judas grasping his 30 pieces of silver, it’s the entire story of mankind: man desires, and the object of his desire turns and devours him, like Gollum grasping the ring and in so doing falling into the fire. Our desires kill us.

The prodigal son is paradigmatic for man's condition; he leaves his father to satisfy his cravings. Augustine imagines the Lord saying to us, “You were hoping that if you left Me you would have something more.” …

Read More

Eighth Sunday after Trinity 2024

in

‌I just finished reading The Infinite Game, a book by Simon Sinek. He says many people, companies, and countries are playing the wrong game; they’re serving short-term goals instead of infinite ones. There’s some worth to the book, but it’s not without flaws. One of its weaknesses is in what he calls “ethical fading.” This is where you have a gradual compromise of ethical standards in, say, what a corporation allows in its business practices. The problem is he assumes an ethical standard without ever defining it or establishing any foundation for ethics. For us, as disciples of Jesus, He is the foundation of all ethics and all Truth. In short, ethics is derived from the Word of God….

Read More

Gaudete 2023

in

Life goes through seasons. Some days, or years, it doesn’t feel there’s much to rejoice about. Some people are determined to fight. The Psalm says, “I am for peace, but they are for war.” In this life people often show themselves to be our enemies. We want peace. But there is something in the human spirit, a corruption. This corruption of the heart imitates the Satan. In Hebrew, the satan is the accuser. Enemies are quick to accuse us, sometimes unjustly. Jesus bears it in silence. Do we? No, too often, in turn, we are quick to assume the worst about others. Thus we become their satan, their accuser. Our only rejoicing, then, is at the downfall our enemy. This is not the proper Gaudete, the proper rejoicing….

Read More

Trinity 18, 2023

in

There are many congregations, but one church. The one, holy, catholic and apostolic church finds its expression in local assemblies. That’s what the word church means: assembly. Today’s Epistle reading is a letter to one of those local assemblies: “To the church of God that is in Corinth.”

We tend to think of Christianity in individual terms, a private faith, a personal experience or decision. Certainly the individual is involved, but Paul writes to Corinth as he does to all the other local congregations: collectively…

Read More

Homily for Matins, Teacher Work Week 2023

in

Today is the commemoration of St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, and one of the greatest minds of the western church. It is fitting for us this morning to look to him to guide us on our task of forming minds in the classical Christian tradition.

Augustine teaches us that true education is listening to the Word of God, even—especially—when it tells us what we do not want to hear.

Your best servant is he who looks not so much to hear from you what he wants to hear, but rather to want what he hears from you….

Read More

Sadness and the Resurrection

in

The fall steeped the world in corruption. Since then our entire race has been walking in sadness. Picture Adam weeping as the blood of his son seeped into the earth. And Eve sobbing as her firstborn stormed off into exile. The sadness continues in every age, in every family.

Disciples of Jesus are not exempt. Sadness, suffering, even persecution awaits them. Sadness comes in the church’s struggle for faithfulness and charity. Sadness comes in the death of those we love. Sadness comes in the many times we have succumbed to the weakness of our fallen nature.

Read More