The Friar Podcasts - preaching prayer and spiritual reflections

For the purpose of clarity, it seemed helpful to provide some definitions and explanations for some of the things mentioned in this introduction. Note that understanding these ideas is not essential to understand Augustine's confessions. 

Academics or Academic Skepticism. Academic Skepticism is the belief that it is impossible to discover the truth.

Cicero's Hortentius. This is a book where the philosopher Cicero seeks to discover the best use for leisure time. He concludes it is the pursuit of philosophy.

Fathers of the Church. The concept of a "father" when referring to an organization usually references those individuals who could be seen as founders of a body of thought or way of doing things. In the United States we refer to the "Founding Fathers" as those who gave rise to the principles articulated in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Similarly, the term "fathers of the Church" refers to important theologians who are able to codify the teachings of the Church in a somewhat coherent way and were those who lived in periods of time close to the founding of the Christian Church. Their teaching is considered authoritative because of their intellectual abilities in articulating the faith, and their use by other great thinkers in the Church.

Manicheism. In its most simplistic explanation, Manicheism is the belief that the universe is the struggle between the good, spiritual world of light, and the evil, material world of darkness. Followers are called the Manicheans.

Plato. Plato lived in the fifth and fourth century B.C. and is one of the greatest philosophers who ever lived. A central idea to the thought of Plato is that the world of the senses is defective, and there exists a perfect form or idea of what we think is real. "The most fundamental distinction in Plato's philosophy is between the many observable objects that appear beautiful (good, just, unified, equal, big) and the one object that is what beauty (goodness, justice, unity) really is, from which those many beautiful (good, just, unified, equal, big) things receive their names and their corresponding characteristics." (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) So, for example, notions such as Beauty, Goodness, Truth, are forms that we can only see in a shadowy or deficient way. His thought on this can be understood from his famous "Allegory of the Cave." The same dichotomy can be seen in the human being in terms of body and soul.

Plotinus. Plotinus was a philosopher of the third century who is generally considered the inspiration for what is known as Neoplatonism. He believes in three principles: the One (or the Good, which he uses interchangeably), the Intellect and the Soul. "The One is the absolutely simple first principle of all. It is both ‘self-caused’ and the cause of being for everything else in the universe." Intellect is the "place" for all Forms. Put another way, the One is about being (existence) and the Intellect is about essence. The activity of the Intellect is the highest desire for it is the desire to make intelligible the internal forms that come from the One.  It is the way in which we are able to understand the whatness of something, or what things are. The Soul is the desire for what is external.  "Everything with a soul, from human beings to the most insignificant plant, acts to satisfy desire. This desire requires it to seek things that are external to it, such as food. Even a desire for sleep, for example, is a desire for a state other than the state which the living thing currently is in."

In today's readings, there is a central theme of acceptance and universalness in the people's faith that Jesus wants us to have. In the first reading from Isaiah, he says that "the mountain of the LORD’s house" would be the tallest mountain, and people of all nations would come to it to climb towards the house of God. From this, I see God and the faith acting as beacons for which people can come together and unite in something despite differences.

The Gospel reading had similar connotation to me, in which Jesus says that a centurion had greater faith than all those he had met in Israel because the centurion states that he is not worthy for Jesus to enter his house, and instead asks him to heal his servant with the power that he knows Jesus has, showing respect and trust in God.

Jesus also says that people would come from the East and West to "recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven". This ties into the ultimate message of unity and the universality of the faith as it calls to people from all places in the world.

--Samuel Unnerstall, Class of 2022

When I was a little child, when reading a book, sometimes I would go to the back of the book so that I could see how the story ended. (I still have a beef with Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express because the mystery is solved in the book with a clue that only Poirot knows, and is never shared with the reader until Poirot solves the crime.) Advent is like me as a child -- it points us to the end of the story, in order to help us grow in our relationship with the Messiah, Jesus, the Christ.

Readings for Today

Begin with the end in mind. This phrase is used often in a variety of contexts, like business and education. The idea is that before you discuss how you are going to achieve your goal, the focus is on what you wish to achieve.

Today’s first reading discusses the end. The end of time when Jesus returns in his Second Coming is a glorious and awesome event for believers. At the same time, the notion that we will be judged on our lives could lead one to be anxious and afraid.

Yet as believers we do not need to be afraid if, as we are encouraged to do in the second reading, we “conduct yourselves to please God.”

Advent is the time to do just that. To reflect and prepare on how to imitate Jesus in the way we conduct ourselves.

Begin with the end in mind. This phrase is used often in a variety of contexts, like business and education. The idea is that before you discuss how you are going to achieve your goal, the focus is on what you wish to achieve.

Today’s first reading discusses the end. The end of time when Jesus returns in his Second Coming is a glorious and awesome event for believers. At the same time, the notion that we will be judged on our lives could lead one to be anxious and afraid.

Yet as believers we do not need to be afraid if, as we are encouraged to do in the second reading, we “conduct yourselves to please God.”

Advent is the time to do just that. To reflect and prepare on how to imitate Jesus in the way we conduct ourselves.

Once again, the Church begins a new year with the start of the season of Advent. Some parts of Advent are familiar: the Advent wreath, Advent calendars, and the colors purple and pink. But what is Advent?

Well, there are really two aspects to the season. First, there is the sense of anticipation and preparation. But this is not a preparation for Christmas, but a preparation designed to focus our attention on the Second Coming of Jesus. Second, there is our recalling the miraculous Incarnation, which is the celebration of Christmas.

The season is, then, about the beginning of the Messiah’s arrival on earth and the end of time when Jesus returns in all his glory in his Second Coming. So the season is an interplay between the “already here” (the arrival of Jesus) and the “not yet fully realized” (the Second Coming of Jesus).

The catechism of the Catholic Church says this: “When the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, she makes present this ancient expectancy of the Messiah, for by sharing in the long preparation for the Savior's first coming, the faithful renew their ardent desire for his second coming. By celebrating the precursor's birth and martyrdom, the Church unites herself to his desire: "He must increase, but I must decrease." (524)

There are also liturgical changes we will see. Many churches have an Advent wreath. People will notice the priest wearing purple vestments (or violet if you prefer). The one exception to purple vestments may be Gaudete Sunday (the third Sunday of Advent), when the priest wears pink (or rose if you prefer). Gaudete Sunday is why one of the candles on the wreath is pink. It is also the case that the Gloria is not said. Gaudete is the imperative form of the verb, to rejoice, and so Gaudete Sunday is Rejoice Sunday.

The Season of Advent is a special time where the celebration of the Sacrament of Confession is made more available. Many parishes have communal celebrations with the chance to celebrate the sacrament individually. This serves as a reminder that preparing our soul is the best way to prepare for the coming of Jesus.

Each day during the season of Advent there will be posted a reflection written by the students, faculty, or staff at Christian Brothers College High School. Go to the CBC web page, cbchs.org for each day’s reflection. If you would like to listen to an audio podcast of each reflection, visit thefriar.org. Have a happy Advent!

In the book of Sirach we are reminded that both prosperity and adversity can mislead us. I did not really understand this verse, or the wisdom behind it until I was in the seminary and my spiritual director suggested I be grateful for adversity. While I did understand at first, it became a wise lesson that has served me well.

In today's readings, there are two people who might cause us to ask, "What's the big deal?" Daniel refuses to violate Jewish Law. The widow who has little gives it all "to the poor." What's the big deal if you don't follow God completely? Ask Daniel and the widow. Following God completely makes all the difference.

Readings for Today

Given at the Lasalle Retreat Center, Glencoe, Missouri

What type of king do you want? Looking at King Saul and King David provides us a contrast -- one king who cared too much about what others thought about him and one who though a sinner who received the promise of Christ the King. Is Jesus our king, or are there things that we make more important?

Readings for Today

"If this day you only knew what makes for peace." This is such a beautiful line spoken by Jesus. The rest of the gospel for today is not so peaceful. Because the people do not know this day what makes for peace, namely, hearing the words of Jesus and following him wherever he leads, there will be also be the consequences of turning away from God. We do know what makes for peace. Let's commit to following Jesus wherever he leads.

Readings for Today