Yoke of Oxen, Jean, 2010 (Flickr) Some rights reserved

14th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Romans 8:9, 11–13
July 5, 2020

My first course at the seminary in the Bible was impressively titled “Theological Anthropology in Scripture.” Unlike most portentously named academic course descriptions, this one actually reflected the material. It examined Genesis 1–11 and Romans 1–8. It was called theological anthropology because it explored how the Bible saw human beings. We explored how modern uses and assumptions did not always reflect what the Scriptures meant and were not necessarily superior. This is seen very clearly in today’s selection from Romans 8.

Look at the first lines of today’s reading: Continue reading “14th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Sinners Struggling to be Saints” →

In the post below, our Reopening Committee has provided an extensive section on returning to church. I’d like to add a few words as we welcome the faithful back to public Masses starting the week of June 29.

Bishop DiMarzio has given churches permission to open for Mass both on weekdays and on Sundays. Enough parishioners have volunteered to act as ushers that we will be able to have Mass this Wednesday (July 1) at 12:10 PM and next Sunday (July 5) at 11:15 AM. We barely have enough volunteers to maintain our current schedule, much less expand the number of Masses, we will need more helpers. If you can volunteer going forward, please contact the rectory, Joe Genova, or Jane Olson. Continue reading “Pastor’s Message on Church Reopening” →

Photo by Jack Anstey on Unsplash

Thirteen Sunday of Ordinary Time
Romans 6:3–4, 8–11
June 28, 2020

In our introduction to the Letter to the Romans, we noted that this was Paul on his best behavior. He speaks to the Romans in a calm and measured tone. He needs the Roman church and knows that he does. He had also grown as a person and an evangelist. In earlier letters, he would speak without recognizing the religious and social condition of the people to whom he was speaking. The letters to the Corinthians are beautiful and we are grateful to have them, but they were written because of problems of Paul’s own making. Although the Corinthians were his spiritual children, he did not consider that most were not Jews and did not understand the subtleties of Jewish law. For Paul, to be freed from the law meant to be able to eat pork, but for some of the Corinthians, it meant that you could marry your sister.

By the time he writes to the Romans he has obtained far greater self-understanding. He has realized that his faith is not based on law or tradition but on his own personal—indeed we might say mystical—experience of the risen Jesus. That experience can only be understood in the light of being a Jew, but his religious beliefs are guided by this encounter. This would always be difficult to communicate but especially so with a new religion. If he shares this with the early church in Rome he knows he must be clear and careful. Continue reading “13th Sunday of Ordinary Time – A Real Relationship with Jesus” →

I need your help. Our Annual Catholic Appeal’s network of services has had to be flexible in this unprecedented time, and we anticipate we will need to maintain this response to meet the growing demand for support. Your partnership is critical as we navigate this situation.

Our mission remains the same, but COVID-19 has had a significant impact on our annual needs. Continue reading “Support the Annual Catholic Appeal” →

Paul Writing His Epistles, attr. Valentin de Boulogne, 17th century, Museum of Fine Arts (Houston)

Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ
June 14, 2020

It has been my custom to examine the first reading of the Mass in some detail for our emails and website. This is usually from the Old Testament. The passages are unknown to many Catholics and the wisdom contained in them can be quite a revelation. For most of the year the second reading is from St Paul. It is surprising that he too is often unknown and even when acknowledged usually misunderstood. From next week to mid-September we will be reading the Letter of Paul to the Romans and I have decided make this a summer project.

It is in some ways a very good choice to look at Paul through Romans. It is the most comprehensive letter: it covers the most topics. These topics are among the major issues of our faith. He also speaks in calm and disciplined manner and does not go off on tangents. This letter is so critical that some theologians have called all subsequent theology footnotes on Romans. By the end of the summer, I hope you will understand why. Continue reading “Fr. Smith on Romans: Surest Way to End with God is to Begin with Him” →

Sculpture of St. Francis of Assisi, Upper Church in the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, Assisi, Italy; photo by K505/Shutterstock.

Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
Exodus 34:4B-6, 8-9
June 7, 2020

There are some parts of the Bible that seem like “fly over” territory. The requirements for what constitutes clean or how to build an altar are not inherently riveting and we can be forgiven for, at best, skimming over them. Yet we do so at our peril for often there are real jewels within the most seemingly tedious or perfunctory sections. Today’s selection from Exodus is one of them. Continue reading “Commentary from Fr. Smith on the 1st Reading – Closer and More Loving Than Reason Permits” →