Rome 120

Funerals have fallen off the cultural priority list it seems. Grandpa dies and inevitably the obituary reads that a celebration of life will take place in a couple of months. How sad. We need to celebrate the passing of those who walk with us through life. The catechism is clear about the proper care and disposal of the body. The funeral rites are the critical last step in life. They must be honored. And, for the record, don't scatter Grandpa's ashes at the boat launch. Gotta start somewhere.

#funeral #cremation #endoflife #love #catechism

Don't watch the pornos. Simple advice and almost everyone in a committed relationship would agree. The catechism nails the topic to the wall in one paragraph. The fantasy world of being a spectator to airbrushed bodies engaged in some kind of erotic gymastics session is never going to translate to real-life. Never. Gotta start somewhere.

#ses #porn #faith #sacramentalmarriage #catholic #love #catechism #saturdaynight #romance #love

Elections are annoying, especially the television and radio ads. Hate this guy, hate that guy. Give me a break. Our great church has a lot to say about civic authority. We are submit to authority given that it is God who grants a politician a voice in the first place. But, the politicos have the responsibility to be morally upstanding citizens. Gotta start somewhere.

If you don't like your preacher at the church in the strip mall, no problem. Just church shop for a pastor you like. Or, if you are adventurous start your own church. Not us Romans. We sit and endure controversy. Sometimes we wait for centuries for resolution on big topics. But, how soon we forget when we light up the parish secretary with our monthly complaint email. Catholics need to be patient. Our church moves slowly for a reason. Because truth is at stake. Gotta start somewhere.

Peter is the greatest of the gospel characters. His on the job training with Jesus is always fun to read. In this case the interplay between Christ and His leadership trainee enters into the topic of forgiveness. Peter confidently proclaims his answer to the question, "how many times must one forgive?" This moment in the 18th chapter of Matthew is brilliant, funny, deep, and critical to our understanding of true faith. Gotta start somewhere.

Faith and works must be separate things, right? One doesn't impact the other, right? Just say you love Jesus and then do whatever you want. That's the modern message. You won't think that way anymore when you hear the story of St. Peter Claver. Wow. This guy gave his life, comfort, food, and health to a 40 year ministry that resulted in over 300,000 conversions to Chrisitanity. Faith must produce works. Works can produce compassion. With compassion God can move mountains. Gotta start somewhere...

The old cartoons of the coyote and the sheepdog fighting it out are funny. Really funny. But, sadly they are a pretty accurate commentary on how we live. Humans seek the advantage over each other, while simultaneously sharing pleasantries. Not cool. Drama, jelousy, and backstabbing are unfortunately part of our wiring. But, we do not have to act on these human inclinations.

#catholic #faith #concupiscence #cartoons #drama #jealousy #ambition

Peter is such a classic character. Pure personality. There's nobody like this guy. He's willing to jump into any moment and then figure it out along the way. To read the gospels is to watch a common man, with great human failings, arise and grow into a magnanimous leader. There must be hope for all of us. Gotta start somewhere.

#peter #leadership #CEO #business #love #religion #catholic

What about these Old Testament prophets. These guys were tough. They called 'balls and strikes' and followed the direction of the Almighty. They didn't sit around the pool draining mojitos worshiping the #SundayFunDay vibe. The vast majority of the saints and prophets who came centuries before us had a rough go of it. They stood up to empires and announced the message of God regardless of the personal cost. Those guys were tough. Fast forward, today we have trouble speaking up enough to keep the dudes out of the girl's bathrooms. Gotta start somewhere.

Gotta start somewhere. So, where do you take the conversation with someone who just came to mass for the first time? There's obviously a million theological rabbit holes to jump down. But, what if we look at what the Catechism says about the singularity, the unity, the 'oneness' of our great faith. There's enough distractions in the world which makes the idea of unity is appealing. Global unity, every Sunday. That's Catholic. Maybe we start there?

#unity #holymass #global #pope #one