March 2, 2013 Ministry to Sick, Dying and Bereaved Students
At last I am able to upload the pdf files for the readings. The first is the Theology of Death. The Second is the Immortality of the Soul
December 28 MSW Philosophy of Human nature
I hope that all of you have had a restful Christmas Break so far. I know it is not over yet, but in case some of you are bored I have attached the questions for chapters Eight to Twleve for your review. We will work on Chapter 12 next Friday January 4. Ta-ta for now.
December 24, 2012 Christmas homily
Christmas 2012
Well, aren’t you glad the Mayans were wrong and the world did not end?
Some of us may have been wondering if we were not due for this. There has been
a lot of heartbreak and violence, hard times and for some broken hearts in the
past year and maybe some of us were beginning enough to think that God has had
enough of us. But the great feast we celebrate today reminds us again and again
that God does not work this way. God shows us today that he is not about violent
endings, he is instead about fresh beginnings.
The reading from the Prophet Isaiah says that a people who lived in
darkness has seen a great light, those in a land of doom and gloom are welcomed
into a land flowing with milk and honey. God sends his Son Jesus Christ, born of
the Virgin Mary to bring an end to darkness and despair and open us up again to
the world of his love and establish with us an unbreakable relationship of life. This
is the reality on which our faith is built.
With the birth of Jesus Christ, God is offering the whole human race a
chance to begin again, to look upon him not in fear and trembling, but in the
innocence and beauty of a little baby. God does not push us away from him, but as
we look to the crib scenes, we see the child reaching out his arms to embrace us
and to be held close to our hearts.
A lot of things we hear in the media today try to present a much difference
world. In the view of some people, life has become cheap, love has become
selfish, and freedom is something we have lost. They paint us as a people in a
downward spiral of fear and despair. They paint for us a picture of what the world
would look like without God. Some want a world that way, believing that all the
evils of the world can be traced to religion and faith. Some even want to deny that
the birth of Jesus even happened. How can we fight such a view of life? We can
fight it by bringing them to the crib of Jesus Christ.
Everything in our heart points to the truth of the birth we celebrate
tonight. No one else has celebrated over 2000 birthdays. No one else has come to
die for our sins and been raised from the dead. No one else is alive and present in
our hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit and present in the Church through
the Mystery of his Body and Blood. No one else is the true answer to the question
of suffering in the world. No one else has shown us what it truly means to love by
offering himself for us.
We also know in our hearts that we are in need of a fresh start. We look
back and see the struggles we had or are having, we see past mistakes and sins,
wounded friendships, and want a chance to begin again. We are seeking
forgiveness and peace. The world offers us a lot of glitter and noise to distract us
from our pain and suffering. The Church offers us a Silent Night, a Holy Night
where the bright light is not a harsh and blinding floodlight, but a gentle flickering
candle inviting us to really see what is before us. God offers us his peace tonight
and always.
God’s Grace has come into the world again tonight. It will never leave. With
the birth of Jesus Christ, God has formed with us an unbreakable covenant of love
and faithfulness. This time God does not give us a message of hope or a messenger
of peace, but in his own Son, who has now taken on our human nature,
God gives us hope and peace. He gives us a chance to begin again.
Jesus Christ has become man to bring an end of suffering and death, of
doubt and fear, of hatred and division. He offers us hope and everlasting life. He
tells us to take courage in the face of difficulty, because he is with is. He teaches
us to love by giving ourselves sincerely to one another as servants and friends.
As many of us gather with family and friends tonight, let us all say a prayer
of thanksgiving to God for the gift of faith in his Son. Let us spend some time
before the nativity scenes in our homes and know that with the birth of Jesus
Christ, we can begin again with God’s love, which has no end.
November 2 S240 Trinity students
I have attached her the class notes on Chapter 10 of the LADARIA text.
October 22 MSW Philosophy of Human Nature
I have attached the study questions for Chapter 8 on Hobbes.
St. John of Avila, Doctor of the Church
Today pope Benedict named St. John of Avila and St. Hildegard of Bingen as Doctors of the Church. Most of John’s work is in Spanish. I have attached a chapter from my STL Thesis on St. John which gives a biography of his life.
Chapter 2 the life of St. John of Avila
October 2 2012 MSW Philosophy of Man
I have attached the study questions for chapter six. I have also added outlines of chapters 5-6
September 26 MSW Philosophy of man
I have attached the study questions for chapter Five.
September 17 MSW Philosophy of Man
I have attached the study questions for Chapter Four on Confucianism. The class notes will follow.
July 24, 2012 Presentation Ministries : Mary and the Church
I have attached several Church documents and summaries on Mary and the Church that I have used in my presentations.
Porta Fidei “Announcement for the Year of Faith
Prefaces from Masses in honor of the BVM
Marian References in the Catechism of the Catholic Church
Signum Magnum “Mary-Church-Devotion”
Summary of On the Right ordering of Marian Devotion
Marian Mediation in Redemptoris Mater
