There is a Longing

     Priests, deacons, religious, catechists, parents, and all others who will in some way preach today’s Gospel have a special privilege. To proclaim the Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ is a great honor, for that is what we will be doing for all of eternity in Heaven. Adoring, praising, and worshiping our Triune God. What greater joy than to begin this occupation now, if only in part?      Christ’s Kingdom does not belong to this world. But we are very much in the world, aren’t we? For this reason, He reveals His purpose for coming into the world: to testify to the Truth. This Truth is veiled to us here, but through the gift of faith, we accept it and place our hope and trust in His promises. Faith may not remove this veil, but it assures us of what lies behind it and teaches us how to prepare ourselves for when it is removed.        To some it may seem foolish to follow a king who hides himself. But through faith we k...

“There is no doubt—in the parable or the painting—about the father’s heart. His heart goes out to both of his sons; he loves them both; he hopes to see them together as brothers around the same table; he wants them to experience that, different as they are, they belong to the same household and are children of the same father.” (pg. 105) Isn’t that just like our Heavenly Father? God loves all of us equally. He knew all about us before we were even born, because He chose each of us. He wants us to love one another, no matter how different we are. We belong to the same Heavenly household; we are brothers & sisters – children of God. Nouwen sums up the entire painting in one sentence: “It is the human expression of divine compassion.” (pg. 92) Back in 2006 & 2007, I had been going through a period of spiritual growth. I’m a “Cradle Catholic” & have gone to church all my life. I went through CCD & did everything that was expected of me. Even in college, when many young adul...

There is a discrepancy between the Parable of the Prodigal Son & Rembrandt’s painting. In the painting, the elder son is present upon the younger son’s return. This seems to be Rembrandt’s holding to the spiritual battle & the choice the elder son has – to choose for or against his father’s love. Rembrandt had chosen to represent the father & younger son in light, while the elder son is shadowed except for his face. “As I look at the lighted face of the elder son, and then at his darkened hands, I sense not only his captivity, but also the possibility of liberation. This is not a story that separates the two brothers into the good and the evil one. The father only is good. He loves both sons. He runs out to meet both. He wants both to sit at his table and participate in his joy.… [God’s] love does not force itself on the beloved. Although he wants to heal us of all our inner darkness, we are still free to make our own choice to stay in the darkness or to step into the light...

Both of us are avid readers. There are many wonderful books out there that have helped us in our Faith journey & we thought we'd like to start a series featuring some of our favorites. This first one will be in three parts. I first read it in 2007. I was struggling in my Faith & a dear friend lent me a stack of books she thought might help me. This review (edited slightly) was initially written & shared on my blog at that time.  *************** The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri J.M. Nouwen  Many years ago, Nouwen came across Rembrandt's painting, The Return of the Prodigal Son . He was captivated & spent many years studying it. This book is in three parts, compiling his thoughts from the perspective of the Prodigal Son, the Elder Son, & the Father.  After I finished reading Part One, two ideas specifically jumped out at me. 1) The Prodigal Son's asking for his inheritance is much more than just wanting to go his own way. It is a rejection of his...

    As we near the end of the liturgical year, the readings we hear at Mass have an eschatological focus [fancy word for “pertaining to the end times, death, judgment, etc.”].  As Christians, it is extremely beneficial to regularly ponder these realities.  We’re reminded that we were made for so much more than what the world has to offer us; we’re reminded of Who created us, why He created us, and of the immense love with which we were created.  Recalling who we are and Who God is opens an avenue for us in growing to love Him more.  Then we find that life gets easier.  Not because our problems go away, but because we can lay claim to hope in His promises.       The Gospel reading today takes a slightly darker tone, which is also important.  It’s too easy for us to make light of Truth.  When we don’t take it seriously, we can fall into relativizing Truth with what we might feel or perceive.  But Tru...

  Today’s Gospel is powerfully applicable to our present day lives and serves as a call to reflect on our relationship with Christ and His Church.  From the very beginning, we can see a universal temptation to separate our faith from the rest of our lives.  It’s much easier to isolate religion from work, family, and personal life.  It’s easier to give God our surplus.  Do I have an hour to spare this Sunday?  I guess I can go to church…I’ll say a rosary, but first I want to finish this show…Confession?  Maybe next time. If we dig a little deeper, we also spy the temptation to desire control.  We feel the need to have a backup plan, just in case God doesn’t come through, right?  I might not get that promotion, so I can’t donate money right now. I need to save what I have…I’d like to volunteer, but it’s just not the right time…God hasn’t given me an answer, so I’ll do something else The tables are completely turned.  It’s the world t...

Why is the scribe not far from the kingdom of God?  He questions Jesus and understands His answer.  He realizes that love renders greater glory to God than any other religious ritual or practice.  He affirms Jesus’ answer, yet is told that he is not far from the kingdom, which assumes there is still some distance he must go.  We might find our answer in the second reading today: Jesus, because he remains forever, has a priesthood that does not pass away.  We find in our Blessed Lord the perfect mediator between God and man; the perfect example and expression of the love of God.  It is through Jesus Christ that we learn to love with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength.  If we take Him out of the picture, by what can we measure love?  Without Him, what is love? Perhaps this is what the scribe was missing.  Perhaps this was the distance separating him from the kingdom of God.  Perhaps he did not yet know Jesus.  We can place ...