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Mysticism is the numinous experience of the Divine. In one sense, mysticism is an esoteric, interior experience. Mysticism is also the experience of the exoteric, Mass and the Eucharist. The esoteric and exoteric are always in tension with one another - my interior experience of the Divine is challenged and is formed by my exoteric experience of Christ's Body, the Church. The Ascension, Christ in his glorified body at the right hand of the Father in Heaven, is the end and purpose of all life, the goal of both the esoteric and exoteric experience, especially made manifest in the anointing of the sick and the funeral liturgy.

Pentecost Sunday June 5, 2022

7th Sunday of Easter May 29, 2022

The Council of Jerusalem, the first Church Ecumenical Council, set the tone for how the Church resolves difficult decisions. Do Christians need to be circumcised? Abstain from meat with blood in it? The Council of Jerusalem, the 15th Century Council of Florence (Basil) and even Trent, Vatican I and Vatican II are legacies of the first council recounted in Acts and Galatians. "‘It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us..." Words that have guided the Church to the present time.

6th Sunday of Easter May 22, 2022

In Revelation 21, "I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." John compares the Whore of Babylon to the Bride of Christ and Babylon doesn't come out well.

5th Sunday of Easter May 15, 2022

Both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first, but since you reject it and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, I have made you a light to the Gentiles, that you may be an instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth.” Acts 13:14, 43-52

Why do the four gospels describe a normal looking Resurrected Jesus, but the Book of Revelation 1:12-16 describes, "... in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, wearing an ankle-length robe, with a gold sash around his chest. The hair of his head was as white as white wool or as snow, and his eyes were like a fiery flame. His feet were like polished brass refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing water. In his right hand he held seven stars. A sharp two-edged sword came out of his mouth, and his face shone like the sun at its brightest."

4th Sunday of Easter May 8, 2022

3rd Sunday of Easter May 1, 2022

"Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side." John 20. Pope Benedict XVI wrote in his great book, "Introduction to Christianity" "Fastened to the cross—with the cross fastened to nothing, drifting over the abyss. The situation of the contemporary believer could hardly be more accurately and impressively described."

2nd Easter Sunday Homily

Easter Sunday 2022 Homily

“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.” Lk. 19. In this Oro Valley Catholic, Fr. Serge and I discuss Philipians 2, possibly the earliest catechism in the Church. Also, I examine the Passion of the Christ in light of the Old Testament, especially Genesis, 2 Samuel and Isaiah. Holy Week is the tale of three Gardens - Eden, Gethsemane and Paradise.

Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord

The Fifth Sunday of Lent gives us the woman caught in adultery and St. Paul's faith in grace. Jesus came not to condemn sinners, but sin, according to St. Augustine. The early Church didn't like this story, apparently, because it appears God goes soft on adultery. But there is much more going on in John's Gospel and St. Paul's Letter to the Phillipians. Join Fr. John and Fr. Serge Propst, O.P. in their discussion of the readings for this Sunday.

5th Sunday of Lent Homily

4th Sunday of Lent Homily

‘My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’” Lk. 15