There is a spiritual realm. There are demonic powers. And if our eyes were opened, we would see it at work in our world, with terrifying intensity.
Demons harm people. In today’s Gospel, Jesus warns about the danger of people being freed from the demonic returning to its servitude, because—the image goes—the house was not furnished. There was no change….
Read MoreOur church stands in the line of the church catholic of the West. As the power of the papacy became tyrannical and heretical, and scholastic theology drifted further and further from Holy Scripture, a reformation was necessary. The temple needed to be cleansed. We are heirs of that reformation.
One of the major issues needing reform in the sixteenth century was the idea that Mass—what we call Divine Service—was a sacrifice. Go to any local Roman church and you will hear the priest invite the people to pray “that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father.” This idea—that the mass is our sacrifice to and for God—is the heart of why we still must remain separated from our friends in the Roman church….
Read More“At what time of day do you think Jesus ascended?” That’s what a parishioner asked me earlier today. I’d never thought about the question before, but I quickly had a guess: 9am or 3pm. Those are the appointed times for the morning and evening sacrifices.
In the Ascension, Jesus performs a priestly act. Luke tells us that Jesus lifted up His hands and blessed them. Perhaps the sun illuminated the scars where the nails had pierced Him. What did Jesus say in His blessing?
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