So let's talk about today's readings 8/23/09

[cheeto1]

usccb.org/nab/today.shtml

"decide today whom you will serve…
As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”
– such powerful words, and Joshua himself powerful too.
today, we are stuck saying, “as for me and my house, I will pray for them…”

“Many are the troubles of the just one”
– I wonder why the “just one” has many troubles, when
“The LORD has eyes for the just,
and ears for their cry” ?
– The Lord is close to the broken-hearted, yet they stay broken-hearted because
they don’t know it. Has anyone ever said, “I had a broken heart, and I felt strongly
the presence of the Lord”?
– Well, maybe the just one has so many troubles so everyone else can watch as
“from all their distress He rescues them” Jesus surely was rescued, even from
death!

Wonder what the priest will say about the second reading today
(wives be submissive, husbands love wives)
Why doesn’t it say, “wives love husbands”? Is it impossible to love without free
will? And:
“wives should be subordinate to their husbands in everything”
yet no one can submit to evil, even a child whose parents demand they do evil,
despite the commandment of honoring your father and mother.
Most people seem to come at this reading from the other side:
“why should I lay down my life for her? She is not subordinate to me!”
“why should I be subordinate to a man who does the opposite of laying down his
life for me?”
I’ve seen people talk and talk about this, and never get anywhere. It seems like it
would only work in the perfect marriage (and is there one?)

“Does this shock you? …the flesh is of no avail.
The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life.”
– Yet somehow the Eucharist is both flesh and spirit…

Today is the day of Rose of Lima, first saint of the American continent, who received
the habit of the 3rd order of St. Dominic at (age 5???) well, that’s what it says…

So what struck you about today’s readings? :bible1::twocents:

 

[takers]

Our priest gave a lovely homily regarding today’s versus that centered around commitment. He mentioned that in each of the reading’s today people were chosing to commit to someone or something else, or choosing not to commit, and how each chose not only affected the individuals in mention (husband/wife, Jesus/followers, etc) but that these choices have ripples that only God can see how far they go and whom they touch.

One of the examples given about commitment and ripples was that in the 1920s the sport of Canoe was first allowed in the Olympics and the four-man USA team was slated to win. One of the canoers, however, had a wife that was due with their first child around the time of the Olympic games. As the Olympics were in Paris, due to not having modern jets and such, he could really only choose to commit to one or the other. After much thinking, and having his wife say he should go to the Olympics, he decided to stay home with this wife. The USA team found another member and won the gold medal that year. The ironic part was that his wife delivered her baby so late that had he gone to the Olympics he would have actually made it home in time for the birth. But the man said that this commitment to his wife was greater than his commitment to others so he had no regrets with his decision. His child, a son, grew up hearing this story. Years later, in the 1950s Olympics, that son was part of the USA Canoe team for the Olympics. The son and his team won the Gold medal. Then the son sent his father a telegram which stated (not 100% verbatum but hopefully you get the point) “Dad, you won the gold. I’m bringing home the medal that you lost so many years ago for me.” In the end, the ripple of the husband committing to his wife extended to the son who, in turn, treasured his father so much as to give one of the world’s highest prized possesions. I’ll admit, I totally got teary eyed here.

The other story which focused more on the husband/wife passages talked about how hard it is to continue committing after years together. In the early years you’re so in love that you easily make sacrafices, but in later years perhaps you’d rather go fishing. It’s okay to want to go fishing, but commitment comes into reality when, even though you want to go fishing, you make sure that you commit first to the spouse and other things come second.

I really thought the homily dealt with these tough passages in a beautiful way.

 

[BuffaloNickels]

Our priest basically said that the passage was written in a patriarchal time, and that we no longer live in a patriarchal society so it no longer applies. He also said that the church should catch up and we should have women deacons, priests, bishops, and popes.

I wanted to vomit on the spot, and as soon as my daughter got back from the children’s liturgy we got up and walked out. I was disgusted. I’ve also been told by a different priest in the same parish that he and the Sister who runs RCIA and is the pastorial associate - that ABC is ok with them.

I’m debating wether to pull my daughter from the parish school before school starts here in 2 weeks. I’m just astounded. After the priest made his homily, people started clapping, and the priest punched his fists into the air like “yea! go me!”

I’m saddened, disheartened, sickened…

 

[takers]

That’s sad. Is there another church close-by that you could check out?

 

[cheeto1]

“Dad, you won the gold. I’m bringing home the medal that you lost so many years ago for me.” In the end, the ripple of the husband committing to his wife extended to the son who, in turn, treasured his father so much as to give one of the world’s highest prized possesions. I’ll admit, I totally got teary eyed here.

:crying: – No one knows what’s the matter with me!

Thanks for that beautiful story…

 

[cheeto1]

Our priest basically said that…it no longer applies. He also said that the church should catch up and we should have women deacons, priests, bishops, and popes.

Scary. We had reasons to take our kids out of Catholic school, and you know what?
They don’t pray in public school. Our kids learned that praying in school wasn’t cool. It took a couple years, but it happened. I loved that the kids in class prayed together and went to mass together. When I hear things that go on in our local Catholic school now, I’m so glad we stopped wasting our money, but I still miss the
prayers…