Mine vs Thine

Happy Sunday! I hope you're enjoying the slight redesign to the site, since it's really been a while since I've updated that. I also hope you paid attention at Mass today, because this week's readings were unique.

First off, they aren't passages we hear constantly (I'm looking at you, loaves and fish) but they're readings packed with dozens of messages, angles and lessons. So many, in fact, that I can't cover them in one post. So, I'm going to try something a bit different. This week, I'm going to write about today's readings a few times, each time from a different interpretation or point of view. Since the First Reading and Gospel are usually connected (Spoiler: This week is no exception) I'm going to take a look at the Second Reading first, from St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians.

Specifically, let's think about the relationship between our wants and God's.

Here's a funny picture of JP2, because Google Images didn't have anything for"Dichotomous relationship between human desire and God's will"

The Answers to Our Prayers

Yesterday, I gave you my thoughts on the song "The Summons" and mentioned how there was a lot more I had to say about one line in particular. Lucky for you, I actually remembered, and here we are!

The line in question comes at the end of the second verse, right at the point where the action picks up wherever this is played (offertory/communion/etc.) and distracts us from the song. Nevertheless, I want to give my thoughts on one of those neglected lyrics:

Will you let me answer prayer in you and you in me?

Answering the Summons

This past weekend, I was fortunate enough to join Tori and co. for Mass at her parish. Oddly enough, that was my first Mass there - I had been to their summer fair, their flea markets, and basically every other event they had...except Mass (but I digress).

One of the hymns we sang was the fairly common tune "The Summons". What's that? You're not familiar with it? Yes you are. You probably just don't recognize it by that name - the word "summons" is only in the song once, buried in one of the later verses. It's one of those ubiquitous Breaking Bread gems that sounds pretty much exactly like half the book, so it's understandable if you don't recognize it. It's even more understandable if you don't actually pay attention to the words.

Don't worry, we'll soon change that.

Breaking Bread's Finest

Stacking the Melchize-deck

Happy Feast of Corpus Christi!

Today we celebrate our "source and summit" - the Eucharist. We take one Sunday to give special attention to something we do very often, many of us daily. I hope the Eucharist doesn't become "routine" or "regular" to you, but if you've slipped into that pattern today is a fantastic opportunity to break free.

I've already talked quite a bit about the Eucharist, and even wrote a whole post about today's Gospel, Luke's version of the Feeding of the 5000. So, for today, I want to focus specifically on the First Reading, a short three-verse blurb from Genesis - but an important and foreshadowing blurb at that.