September052010
Twenty- third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C - 5th September 2010
And so, things seem to have come full circle. The one who insists we love one another insists that we must hate those closest to us. Love and hate, each so absolute and yet so entirely different that they represent different ends of a spectrum.
In a strange way, it is probably easier to know what it means to hate rather than to love. We have difficulty defining love and we even ....
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August282010
Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C - 29th August 2010
Today's readings speak a lot about humility. Humility is one of those things that we used to hear a lot more about. In more modern times it seems to have been put into the back of the press and doesn't receive the attention it used to.
In some ways it reminds me of one of those herbs or spices we tend to buy around Christmas time. We possibly only use a small amount but, because ....
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August212010
21st Sunday in Ordinary Time - 22nd August 2010
The question "Will many be saved?" is an interesting question for more than one reason. In one way we would all like to know the answer to the question but in another way we must ask ourselves does it really matter?
It is very tempting to speak about religion in general terms, in theoretical terms. A discussion about how many might be saved could amount to an intellectual de ....
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August142010
Feast of the Assumption: 14/15th August 2010
The feast of the Assumption needs the eyes of an artist; the ear of a poet; the imagination of faith to grasp a little of the day. I associate the ‘15th’ with the races at Tramore or families waiting for exam results or with high summer holiday time (even if it feels like Autumn).
Mary is a wonderful lady. But she is real. The pious statue version or the ....
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July312010
Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - 1st August 2010
Today's readings speak a lot about wealth and possessions. In some ways they give a sense that possessions are bad things and that those who accumulate possessions are bad people. This is very much the language of the idealist who sees things in black and white. Of course, those who have a lot of possessions are almost bound to understand things in a more nuanced way. Thus ....
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July222010
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C - 25 July 2010
There are a number of interesting things to note in today's gospel passage.
The first thing that stands out is that the disciples of Jesus ask him to teach them to pray. This is striking because each of his disciples was a Jew and had been taught from birth how to pray. It seems that what they were looking for is not to be taught how to pray but how to pray as followers of Jesus.
The ....
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July172010
Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C, 18th July 2010
Hospitality is very much to the fore in today's readings. In our reading from Genesis we see how Abraham received the three men who were travelling and went to great trouble to cater for them. The gospel passage, on the other hand tells us of how Martha and Mary received Jesus into their home.
Much has been written and said about the balance between contemplation and action represente ....
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July082010
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C - 11th July 2010
"There once was an ugly duckling, whose feathers were all stubby and brown; and all the other birds, in so many words, said, 'Quack! Get out of town...'"
These words of Danny Kaye from the famous song based on the childrens' story that we all know contain a truth that is fundamental and eternal. You will never find happiness by trying to be what you are not. The ugly ducking ....
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July032010
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C - 4th July 2010
Parents give their children two valuable gifts, roots and wings. Roots include a sense of belonging to a family, a community, a tradition, with its securities, its values, its strengths, and its responsibilities. Such roots ensure that young people have a sense of identity and self-worth that enables them to fulfil their commitments and choose a lifestyle that is not blown about ....
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June242010
Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C - 27th June 2010
Today’s Readings
There is a lot in today’s readings about the idea of being called by God. In the first reading Elijah cooks his oxen over a fire which is fuelled by his plough. He is definitely not going to go back to farming. He has now only one option in life which is to follow God.
The Gospel passage tells us about someone who was less sure about following ....
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June192010
Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C - 20 June 2010
Who do you say I am? is a question that reverberates down to us through the centuries and even though many very wise people have discussed it and explored it the answer to the question becomes no less easy. This is because each of us really has to answer this particular question for him or herself.
It is in the answer to this question that we will discover what our faith really means for us ....
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June112010
11th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C - 13th June 2010
The gospel passage which we listen to this week is one with which we are all probably very familiar. It tells the story of the woman who washes the feet of Jesus with her tears and dries them with her hair. It is a story which reminds us of the closeness Jesus had with people and also of the fact that he was willing to meet people even at the most inconvenient of times. In this epis ....
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June032010
Feast of Corpus Christi - 6th June 2010
The feast of Corpus Christi (the Body of Christ) was traditionally a very popular day in Ireland. Every village, town and neighbourhood had its own procession where the Blessed Sacrament was carried through the streets accompanied by all the children wearing their First Communion outfits. The celebrations generally ended up with Solemn Benediction which involved special prayers and hym ....
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May272010
Trinity Sunday - 30 May 2010
Any trawl through theological text books or, for that matter, the internet, will give us a wide variety of attempts to describe the Trinity. Some of these can be helpful analogies or images, some are journeys into mysticism and more are somewhat akin to inventive mathematics. There is a story that St. Augustine was walking on the beach contemplating the mystery of the Trinity. Then he ....
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May222010
Pentecost Sunday - 23rd May 2010
Today the Church invites us to reflect on the reality of the Holy Spirit active in our hearts and our communities. Unfortunately, for many Catholics, while we accept in theory the existence of the Spirit, we often have difficulty articulating the action of the Spirit. It is relatively easy to grasp the role of the Father as the creator; Jesus can be visualised easily because of his hum ....
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May152010
Feast of the Ascension - 16th May 2010
It is quite common, when reading works of spirituality or theology, to come across references that indicate that the Church was founded on the occasion of Pentecost - with the coming of the Spirit. The Church understands itself to be the community of the followers of Jesus, enlivened with the Spirit, and charged with carrying on the mission of the Lord. Thus, the Spirit descends on a g ....
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May072010
Sixth Sunday of Easter Year C - 9 May 2010
What does it really mean to keep the word of God?
A difficult question to answer but I think that we might get close to it if we remember that Jesus is the word of God made flesh. To keep the word of God surely has to do with keeping Jesus which has to mean living like he lived. Probably one of the most remarkable thing that he did and which often goes unnoticed is the way he always s ....
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April292010
Fifth Sunday of Easter Year C - 2nd May 2010
The new commandment that Jesus gives to his disciples today is so familiar to us that in some ways it almost seems to be old. The sad reality is that the more familiar we become with things the less they strike us. It is almost as if, when we hear the first part of this most famous of commandments, we complete it in our minds before the person proclaiming it to us in the liturgy has th ....
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April242010
4th Sunday of Easter Year C - Good Shepherd Sunday - 25 April 2010
This Sunday, called Good Shepherd Sunday, is dedicated to the theme of vocation. Every one of us has a vocation. This vocation stems from our having been baptised. Sometimes we might be inclined to think of baptism as something that is done to babies but this is absolutely not true - in fact, for the first centuries of the life of the Church only adults were baptised. The b ....
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April212010
Spring is in the Air - An Article about Young People and Sex Education by Kate (Drogheda)
Spring is in the Air
Whilst most young people were enjoying the midterm break one of our groups were up all night feeding, changing nappies and all that goes with caring for the needs of a baby! These 14 year olds have just completed our six week ‘Baby Think it Over’ programme which is designed to teach young people the responsibilities of caring for a baby and we desi ....
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April152010
Third Sunday of Easter Year C - 18th of April 2010
Very often when we are faced with difficult times we take refuge in the familiar. Faced with bereavement or serious illness, activities which are familiar offer us an anchor in the face of uncertainty. We go to where we are safe when we are threatened. The helter-skelter of the events of Holy Week must have left the apostles lost in a sea of confusion. In just a few days th ....
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April102010
Second Sunday of Easter - 11th April 2010
This Sunday is sometimes known as Domenica in Albis depositis which means "the Sunday when the white clothes are taken off". This is because thos who were baptised during the Easter Vigil (who would have all been adults) would wear white clothes for one week after their baptism as a sign of their new life in Christ. Many of you will have seen babies being wrapped in a c ....
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April032010
Easter Vigil/ Easter Sunday
There is no Eucharist on Holy Saturday. It is the only day of the year when Mass is not celebrated. The altars are stripped bare, tabernacles lie open and empty – an extraordinarily powerful symbol for Catholics. The whole Church is one with Christ in his death. It is necessary to experience this. We have to allow ourselves experience sadness and loss. ....
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April012010
Good Friday Reflection
Martin Luther once said: “Peace if possible, but truth at any cost.”
The four gospels don’t really do a lot for Pontius Pilate in the passion of Jesus do they?
Place yourself into the shoes of this governor for a few moments.
‘I am Pontius Pilate, I was born in Scotland’ there is a claim he was. ‘I am the sixth Procurator of Judea, the Prefect of the ....
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April012010
Reflection on Holy Thursday by Robin Ryan CP
The liturgy of Holy Thursday moves us into the celebration of “The Three Days” – the Easter Triduum, during which we make memory of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. These three days are really one solemn liturgy. If you participate in the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper you will notice that there is no dismissal at the end. Neither is there a welcome or dismissa ....
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March292010
Easter Triduum
The highlight of the Church's year is the Easter Triduum which comprises the ceremonies of the Mass of the Lord's Supper (Holy Thursday), the Veneration of the Cross (Good Friday) and the Easter Vigil (Holy Saturday Night). Many places will also have ancillary services such as the Stations of the Cross, Penetential Services and other moments which are designed to help us to reflect. ....
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March252010
Palm Sunday - 28th March 2010
Today marks the beginning of Holy Week which is the highlight of the Church's year. Palm Sunday recalls Jesus entering Jerusalem to the acclaim of the multitude, the same multitude which would call for his crucifixion just a few days later. This week focuses our attention particularly on the passion of the Lord and it does this in two ways. Firstly, it presents us with the events ....
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March232010
Turlough was a student with us for two years, he wrote this article to speak to current events
We Catholics are under a lot of pressure. Reading the press, listening to the news would make one believe that being a Catholic or supporting the Hierarchy is synonymous with being a paedophile. Of course everyone will say “No way!” but look a little deeper. Our faith and Church is mocked and vilified, our leaders are running round like headless chickens and we, the Faithful, a ....
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March182010
5th Sunday of Lent Year C - 21st March 2010
The story of the woman caught in the act of adultery has to be one of the most emblematic stories in all of the gospels. It is interesting to note that this passage did not originally form part of John's gospel but was part of a "floating tradition" which was incorporated into the gospel at a later date. This gives testimony to the power of this passage and the importance att ....
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March152010
St. Patrick's Day - 17th March, 2010
Every year we spend a lot of energy on commemorating St. Patrick's day which, in many ways, has taken on a life of it's own, quite apart from the saint whose name it bears. Today is about more than recalling the evangelisation carried out by Patrick; it is just as much about celebrating what it means to be Irish. This year, of course, with crises in the Church, in politics and in the e ....
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March112010
4th Sunday of Lent Year C - 14th March 2010 - Laetare Sunday
Today is the fourth Sunday of Lent and has been traditionally known as Laetare Sunday. Laetare is a Latin word which means "to rejoice". Christian penance is never about beating us down and making us sad. Every Christian act is done in the light of the resurrection and in the presence and hope of the risen Lord. That is why both of the periods in the Church's year ....
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March062010
3rd Sunday of Lent, Year C - 7th of March 2010
There are many ways of thinking about repentance. We can look at it as a disciplne, as a restoration of a relationship, as an expression of being contrite or even as a matter of justice. Whatever point of view you take it should remain clear that repentance is really about the person.
Our acts cannot influence God and therefore, our repentance will not change God. God loves ....
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March022010
Interesting Reflection about God by Ben Stein
I received this as an email from a friend and want to share it with you. It made me think... might do the same for you
Possidius
The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.
My confession:
I am a Jew, and every single one o ....
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February252010
2nd Sunday of Lent, Year C
Today’s gospel passage presents us with Luke’s account of the Transfiguration of Jesus. I suppose it is hard for us to imagine what it must have been like to witness such an event but it certainly must have been one of those “Oh!!!” moments for the disciples when they began to grasp, however imperfectly, that they were part of something much grea ....
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February172010
1st Sunday of Lent Year C - 28th of February 2010
The gospel passage which we listen to today, the 1st Sunday of Lent, recalls the temptations of Jesus in the desert when he was tempted by the devil at the beginning of his public ministry. In fact, today’s reading is at the heart of what Lent is all about. Spending forty days (Lent is just over six weeks long) in preparation for what is the culmination of the whole Jesus event ....
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February152010
My Experience of Attending International Augustinian Youth Festivals by John (Ballyboden)
I have been attending the International Augustinian Youth Festival since 1998. I have been very fortuitous in getting to see Munnserstadt 1998, Rome 2000 and Madrid 2003. Being very candid, the events have been some of the highlights of my life over the last 10 years. They are a fantastic occassion and bring a huge eclectic culture to your attention. Ive met people from all continents, all ....
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February132010
6th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Luke's version of the Beatitudes differs from Matthew's signficantly.
Firstly, while Matthew says: "Blessed are the poor in spirit" while Luke has the much balder statment: "Blessed are the poor". Luke does not leave room for spiritualising in what has to be the magna carta for Christians. Why are the poor blessed?
Certainly, after my experience in Ecuador I can s ....
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February042010
5th Sunday in Ordinary Time - 7th of February 2010
Dom Helder Camara, the famous bishop of Recife in Brazil quoted today's gospel passage when addressing Church leaders in Brazil. The phrase he quoted was the sentence of Jesus: "Put out into the deep". He was calling on the Brazilian Church to be courageous in its witness to justice and in its service of the poor.
In so many ways it seems as if the Church in Ireland has lost ....
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February032010
Feast of St. Blaise - 3rd of February
The 3rd of February is the feast of St. Blaise and is traditionally associated with the blessing of the throat.
This is a day that seems to have an enormous appeal to Irish people and many who rarely come to church will attend on this date to have their throats blessed.
Little is known about Blaise other than that he was bishop of Sebastea and was martyred in Armenia in the year 315. ....
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February022010
Youth retreat - Feedback from Niall (Drogheda)
Weekend review
On Friday the 29th of January the Augustinian Youth Ministry held a retreat to review the year that had just passed and to map out the intentions for the year to come, namely the A.Y.E gathering in London. While numbers were well below average, those that made the effort to turn up decided from the off to just go and try and make the most out of the retreat and so aft ....
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February012010
A Little Parable About Mothers
A Little Parable about mothers
The young mother set foot on the path of life.
“Is the way long?” She asked.
And the guide said: “Yes. And the way is hard. And you will be old before you reach the end of it. But the end will be better than the beginning.”
But the young mother was happy, and she could not believe that anythi ....
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January282010
Fourth Sunday of the Year - 31st of January 2010
If prophets just went around predicting the future, today’s first and third readings wouldn’t make sense. I presume no one’s ever put a contract out on those persons who, at the end of each year, confidently tell us what to expect during the next year. Though such people are almost always wrong, they’re harmless.
Real prophets are dangerous. Bruce Vawter called t ....
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January252010
Prayer for Victims of Haiti Earthquake
A Prayer After the Earthquake in Haiti
Lord, at times such as this,
when we realize that the ground beneath our feet
is not as solid as we had imagined,
we plead for your mercy.
As the things we have built crumble about us,
we know too well how small we truly are
on this ever-changing, ever-moving,
fragile planet we call home.
Yet you have promised never to forget us.
Do not forg ....
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January212010
Third Sunday of the Year - 24th of January 2010
I presume all religions can identify with the scene in today’s first reading. Just when we think we’re doing exactly what God wants us to do, something happens, and we discover things God wants that we haven’t been doing; things which were an essential part of our faith from the beginning, but through the years and centuries were pushed into the background of that faith. ....
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January172010
Second Sunday of the Year - January 17th, 2010
In the early Christian community, Jesus’ epiphany comprised three events, not just one. It commemorated the astrologers’ visit to Mary and Joseph’s home in Bethlehem, but it also included Jesus’ baptism and his turning water into wine at Cana in Galilee. The first Christians regarded each of these three as an epiphany - a sort of “coming out” - for Jesus. In eac ....
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January092010
Feast of the Baptism of the Lord - January 10th 2010
Jesus is there anonymously in the crowd, coming forward with the rest to meet the famous John the Baptist. It's impossible for us to see him as an anonymous person; to us he stands out from every crowd and from the whole human race: above them, beyond them; we can't imagine him not yet majestic. But there he is, the village man, Jesus, known only to his family and neighbours. He's not yet famous.
....
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January022010
Feast of the Epiphany - 3rd of January 2010
Ours is not the first age to look east for wisdom; the East has always had a reputation for it. The word ‘magi’ is translated here as “wise men.” ‘Magus’ meant different things: a magus was a member of the Persian priestly caste; or one who possessed occult knowledge and power (this is the origin of our word ‘magic’). If people had ....
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December262009
Feast of the Holy Family - 27th December 2009
Did you ever gaze at a distant house as the sun dropped over the hill? Did you ever notice the windows shining in the setting sun? Didn't they look like windows of gold? Didn't those houses seem to be bursting with gold? Did you ever hike over to see - to see whether those houses were really houses of gold?
A ten-year-old boy once did that. From his house on the hill he saw another house on ano ....
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December262009
Feast of the Holy Family - 27th December 2009
Did you ever gaze at a distant house as the sun dropped over the hill? Did you ever notice the windows shining in the setting sun? Didn't they look like windows of gold? Didn't those houses seem to be bursting with gold? Did you ever hike over to see - to see whether those houses were really houses of gold?
A ten-year-old boy once did that. From his house on the hill he saw another house on ano ....
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December222009
Christmas - Feast of the Nativity of the Lord - 25th December 2009
One Solitary Life
He was born in an obscure village, the son of a peasant woman.
He grew up in another village, where he worked in a carpenter's shop until he was thirty. Then for three years he became a wandering preacher.
He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family or owned a house. He didn't go to college. He never visited a big city. He never travelled ....
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December182009
Fourth Sunday of Advent - 20th December 2009
The dramatis personae of this Sunday's gospel passage don’t lead us to expect anything revolutionary. They are an old woman and a young girl. Both are to give birth, true, and the birth of a child is always a potential revolution; but the old woman is really beyond the age of child-bearing (Luke 1:7) and the young girl wasn’t expected to be there yet (Matthew 1:18). ....
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December102009
3rd Sunday of Advent Year C - 13th December 2009
To appreciate our regular Advent readings, it might help to have a split personality. When Paul, for instance, reminds the Philippian community, “The Lord is near!” he’s talking about something quite different from John the Baptizer’s statement, “ . . . One mightier than I is coming.” Though Jesus is the subject of both sentences, the two authors aren’t re ....
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December042009
Second Sunday of Advent - 6th of December 2009
“From shadows and symbols to the truth,” (ex umbris et imaginibus in veritatem): this was the personal motto of John Henry Newman (1801-1890). Since ancient times Christian writers have used this expression, and others like it, to place Jesus in relation to the prophets who went before him. In him there is a coming out into the light after the long night of darkness and hal ....
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December032009
Augustine and Unity - Talk given by Noel to Augustinian Values Institute, Waterford, November 2009
Talking about Saint Augustine is a proposition which is bound to fail. He wrote such an amount of works on such huge variety of subjects that it is extremely difficult to do him justice and not to leave something out. In fact, between books, letters and sermons we have over 1030 still in existence which is quite remarkable considering the amount of time that has passed since he lived. Bear in m ....
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December022009
Floods and Murphy Report
In the same week in which we saw the country flooded and people's homes destroyed by water we also learned of the extent to which many young people and children have had their lives destroyed by evil people masqueading as pastors.
This abuse was compounded by the reckless incompetence of Church leaders who acted as if the problem of Child Sexual Abuse would just go away on its own.
Obviously, th ....
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November282009
First Sunday of Advent - 29th of November 2009
Luke appears to be the first author of the Christian Scriptures to presume Jesus’ Parousia won’t take place during his lifetime. Paul and Luke’s two gospel predecessors - Mark and Matthew - faithfully held onto the hope that Jesus’ Second Coming was just around the corner. By the mid-80s, Luke has given up that hope. He takes for granted he and his readers will live their ....
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