There’s a great deal of violence and destruction in the pages of Holy Scripture. The Sacred History of Israel is full of murders, disasters, invasions, tyranny, oppression, slaughter. In the Hebrew Prophets we find page after page of threats and warnings of terrible things to come. And the Prophets tell us that these frightful afflictions …
Homily for Advent 3C, 16 December 2018, Philippians 4:4-7
It’s customary on Gaudete Sunday to speak about Christian joy. Rejoice in the Lord! says St. Paul. It’s wonderful for us to ponder this Apostolic imperative: so very remarkable, so challenging, so attractive! The joy of Christ; the joy of the Holy Spirit: it’s both our birth right as Christians to possess, and our duty to…