Daily Archives: August 15, 2012

She was Conceived at Conception

Homily Quick Takes
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I went to the 7 pm Mass at St. Anastasia for the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Let me just say, it was one of the more amusing Masses that I’ve been to in a while! 🙂

I arrived about an hour early and sat in the darkened church, reading a book on prayer. As it got closer to Mass time, Holly pulled down the flag, indicating that they needed Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, of which I am one. So, I put down my book and wandered over to the usher’s room. She saw me and said, “I knew that putting up the flag would get you out of your seat!” !!!

After the start of Mass, the lector began to proclaim the Word. Or, um, to tell us a scary campfire story. He was VERY expressive. Lots of dramatic pauses. And even a different “voice” for the Voice of God. Well, I certainly paid attention. But I’m not sure that I paid as much attention to *what* he was saying as to *how* he was saying it.

And then for Fr. Eric’s homily. He started off well with, “She was conceived at conception.”

Very true. And she was probably born at birth as well.

Then, he spoke of angels. And how 1/3 of the angels fell. Which means that 2/3 of the angels remained. This is what I was thinking: If each of us gets our own guardian angel and since there are twice as many angels as demons, does this mean that there is only one demon for every two people (relatively speaking)? This gives us even more reason to hope.

Fr. Eric also spoke of how God does not see our flaws and our failings, but rather our potential.

With all of the emphasis on how Mary is the fulfillment of the Old Testament Ark of the Covenant, this led me to another way to think of Mary. Not only was she sinless, not only did she have incredible faith and trust in God, not only does she continually point the way to her Son, not only does she teach us how to be a disciple, but Mary also teaches us how to be a tabernacle. Through Mary’s example, we can better know how it is that we are to live and have the Holy Spirit of God and — literally, physically, via the Eucharist — Jesus dwell within us.

Response to the Archbishop of Canterbury

Neat Things I Didn't Author
The Book of Man

In this passage, Colin Powell, the then Secretary of State for the United States, defends the use of military might as opposed to diplomacy against Saddam Hussein.

He says that the time for diplomacy and “soft power” comes after the battles are won, when we have the opportunity and responsibility to build the defeated nations back up and to restore peace to areas ravaged by war. He doesn’t say this explicitly, but I get from what he is saying is that the men of the United States do not fight because they are bellicose but rather because there is injustice which needs to be rectified, and as soon as the mission is complete, the need for force is gone and we just seeks to honor our dead for the lives they have given to the cause.

Sometimes great sacrifices must be made for the greater good. The only questions to ask are whether the cause is just, and if it is worth the incredible cost of even a single human life, much less many.

As Colin Powell puts it, “But there comes a time when … talking with evil will not work….” And that’s when we need to take action.