These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
On this mountain the LORD of hosts
will provide for all peoples
a feast of rich food and choice wines,
juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.
. . . .
For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain.
(Is 25:6-10)
My mom loved picnics. She thought that food tasted better if you could eat it outside. She loved to drive through the mountains to find a picnic table with a view. I have lots of wonderful memories of our many picnics in the mountains of Western North Carolina.
Today's picture is of my mom sitting at a picnic table in the mountains of Western North Carolina.
For all of you who were baptized into Christ
have clothed yourselves with Christ.
There is neither Jew nor Greek,
there is neither slave nor free person,
there is not male and female;
for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
(Gal 3:27-28)
To live the grace of our baptism is very radical. According to Saint Paul it means that in the Christian community we live without “walls” —the walls that divide the church into clergy/laity, male/female. But of course, we clergy types would be the first to object!
Realize that it is those who have faith
who are children of Abraham . . . Consequently, those who have faith are blessed
along with Abraham who had faith.
(Gal 3:7-9)
Children of Abraham . . . Jews, Christians, Moslems, we all look to Abraham as “our father in faith.”
Today's picture is of the Kaaba in Mecca. Traditionally, the Kaaba is associated with Abraham.
“And I tell you, ask and you will receive;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives;
and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
(Lk 11:9-10)
Ask, seek, knock . . . receive, find, enter. Of course, we want to be as generous to others as God is with us.
The picture today is of the labyrinth in the Cathedral of Chartres, France.
And when Cephas came to Antioch,
I opposed him to his face because he clearly was wrong.
For, until some people came from James,
he used to eat with the Gentiles;
but when they came, he began to draw back and separated himself,
because he was afraid of the circumcised.
. . . .
I said to Cephas in front of all,
“If you, though a Jew,
are living like a Gentile and not like a Jew,
how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?”
(Gal 2:11-12,14)
Wow—Church fight!!! What a scene . . . Paul taking Peter down a peg or two. And again, people from James are at the bottom of it. What was it all about? It had to deal with the kosher laws and about sharing with the Gentiles. Peter was fine with Paul’s work with the Gentiles . . . until spies from James showed up. Paul had no problem in calling out hypocrisy . . . and correcting Peter.
The photo today is Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquirá, the national patron of Colombia.
