Posts
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Christ the King Sunday
Today is the feast of Christ the King. It is a relatively new feast, established in 1925 on last Sunday of the church liturgical year (a new liturgical year begins next Sunday as Advent begins) to emphasize the place of Christ at the center of life and to challenge the increasing denial of the place of God in life seen in communism and the secularism of that time [and as it is today still]. The Kingdom of Jesus is about a new way of relating to one another — a way that Jesus revealed by His life and teaching. Jesus demonstrated His kingdom as he blessed, loved, forgave, healed, and served the people He was speaking to. He welcomed the poor and the marginalized. He taught about His way of relating in parables that prioritized forgiveness over revenge, service over being served, and sacrificial love over self-serving arrogance. The Kingdom way of relating is expressed in this Sunday's Gospel as Jesus tells us that what we do to the least of our brothers or sisters we do to Him. Jesus’ Kingdom is present whenever we relate to one another as the God of all creation desires us to relate. It is the only Kingdom that will last forever.
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Sunday, November 16, 2014
The Leaning Towers
Deacon Ken of my parish
always manages to have a great post each Sunday. Here is another:
The Leaning Towers … The Tower of Pisa, one of the world's great landmarks, was originally designed to stand up straight. In 1773, it began to lean shortly after the onset of construction due to a poorly laid foundation. The word Pisa “, I've heard, actually means "marshy land." This might explain why history's most famous church bell tower started going off-kilter before it was even completed. Several years ago it looked like the Tower of Pisa was headed for toppling. Moving one-twentieth of an inch each year, it eventually ended up 17 feet out of plumb. Alarmed architects and engineers puzzled over it, and in 1990, created a plan to remove 38 cubic meters of soil from underneath to straighten the tower by 18 inches. Now, they say, it is stable for another 300 years.
Perhaps you will be surprised to learn that the leaning Tower of Pisa is not the most tilted tower in the world. In November 2007, the honor was given to the leaning tower of Suurhusen in Germany. Though not as beautiful or old as her sister in Pisa, the 15th century Suurhusen bell tower is the greatest leaner on earth. You don't have to be pretty to be crooked. Once again, the sway from vertical is due to marshy soil and a faulty foundation. These twin towers teach us an important lesson. If you want to stand straight, you need to have a firm foundation. Parents, if you want to grow good adults, start your children when they're young. This is the most important task for mothers and fathers. Teach your children the depths of truth, character, integrity and faith. And most importantly, teach them about God. When they are older, they will display it.
Engaged couples can build a great marriage by building on the firm foundation of selfless love, faith and trust. Marriages built on shallow soil seldom last. A life, built on the rock solid foundation of God, faith and the Bible, will stand straight and strong through all the storms of life. If you've started off wrong, and find yourself leaning, there's still hope but it always goes back to the foundational issues.
Blessings
The Leaning Towers … The Tower of Pisa, one of the world's great landmarks, was originally designed to stand up straight. In 1773, it began to lean shortly after the onset of construction due to a poorly laid foundation. The word Pisa “, I've heard, actually means "marshy land." This might explain why history's most famous church bell tower started going off-kilter before it was even completed. Several years ago it looked like the Tower of Pisa was headed for toppling. Moving one-twentieth of an inch each year, it eventually ended up 17 feet out of plumb. Alarmed architects and engineers puzzled over it, and in 1990, created a plan to remove 38 cubic meters of soil from underneath to straighten the tower by 18 inches. Now, they say, it is stable for another 300 years.
Perhaps you will be surprised to learn that the leaning Tower of Pisa is not the most tilted tower in the world. In November 2007, the honor was given to the leaning tower of Suurhusen in Germany. Though not as beautiful or old as her sister in Pisa, the 15th century Suurhusen bell tower is the greatest leaner on earth. You don't have to be pretty to be crooked. Once again, the sway from vertical is due to marshy soil and a faulty foundation. These twin towers teach us an important lesson. If you want to stand straight, you need to have a firm foundation. Parents, if you want to grow good adults, start your children when they're young. This is the most important task for mothers and fathers. Teach your children the depths of truth, character, integrity and faith. And most importantly, teach them about God. When they are older, they will display it.
Engaged couples can build a great marriage by building on the firm foundation of selfless love, faith and trust. Marriages built on shallow soil seldom last. A life, built on the rock solid foundation of God, faith and the Bible, will stand straight and strong through all the storms of life. If you've started off wrong, and find yourself leaning, there's still hope but it always goes back to the foundational issues.
Blessings
Book Recommendation: A Call to Joy
"Contrary to popular belief, Catholicism is not a religion of sin and punishment, rules and regulations, but a religion of growth, fulfillment, love and joy."
-- Matthew Kelly - A Call to Joy, p 43.
This is a great book. DynamicCatholic.com
-- Matthew Kelly - A Call to Joy, p 43.This is a great book. DynamicCatholic.com
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