Last night I drove to Mt. Irenaeus in the dark and cold of a spring snowstorm. I didn’t really know what to expect. How would the friars celebrate the Vigil tonight amidst all the snow and cold.
Spirituality
Our Lady of the Genesee
One of my favorite haunts is Abbey of the Genesee, located about fifty miles from my home. I visit there often.
A man of suffering
Today I didn’t make it to the traditional Good Friday services. It’s the first time I’ve missed in recent memory. I fell asleep on the couch while I was reading “Living with Christ.”
Down in Adoration Falling
Tonight is one of my favorite in all the church year. It was the liturgy of the Lord’s Supper. Tonight at Mt. Irenaeus-Franciscan Mountain Retreat the evening began with a “dish to pass” supper. The friars supplied two big hams and guests brought dishes to pass.
Aquinas vs. Scotus
I’ve written about this before. Franciscans believe in the primacy of Christ. In other words Christ came into the world primarily because God loved the world and not primarily because of Adam and Eve’s sin. This theology is what really separates Franciscans from the rest of the Catholic Church and probably most of Christianity.
A new crucifixion
Some of the world’s news organizations are reporting that the United States will attack Iran on Good Friday. The attack will occur between 4 am and 4 pm. No time zone is given in any of the reports I read, but one article was from the Jerusalem Post which might indicate a middle eastern time zone. If it’s closer to the 4 am time then it might occur as many American Christians are attending Holy Thursday services.
Orthopraxis vs. Orthodoxy
“We do not need to theorize about Jesus, we need to “re-produce him” in our time and our circumstances. He himself did not regard the truth as something we simply “uphold” and “maintain” but as something we choose to live and experience. So that our search, like his search, is primarily a search for orthopraxis (true practice) rather than orthodoxy (true doctrine). Only a true practice of the faith can verify what we believe. We can refer to traditional authorities and theological arguments, but what we believe can only be made true, and be seen to be true, in the concrete results which faith achieves in the world–today and tomorrow. The beginning of faith in Jesus , then, is the attempt to read the signs of our times as Jesus read the signs of his times.”–Albert Nolan-“Jesus Before Christianity.
The crucified
Today on my way to Mass at Mt. Irenaeus I recited the Franciscan Crown Rosary. It’s a prayer that has become more and more a part of my life. I can’t really explain why either. It just has. Nonetheless, I stopped at a convenience mart nearby, bought some gasoline and walked into the store to get some orange juice and eggs.
My Sweet Lord
Some artist has fashioned a chocolate crucified Jesus and it has provoked a firestorm of criticism. I viewed a program last night on CNN where the artist was confronted by Bill Donahue of the Catholic League who maintained that this was “one of the worst assaults on Christian sensibilities ever.”
Easter Surprise
I can’t quite contain my concern that we are heading towards a nuclear Armageddon.
“The Bush administration continues moving closer to a nuclear attack on Iran, and we ignore the obvious buildup at our peril.