Epilogue to the Assumption - Gotta have hope!

Click HERE to read the original homily

What signs of Hope have you seen? Hope was the child laughing with joy before mass started. Hope was the compliment from a woman who said she positive changes in the parish, and I need to keep up the good work. Hope is the young persons who have formed a community.

Hope - a theological virtue: (n1813 Catechism) "Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ's promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit..."

Apocalypse: The book of Revelation is a literary form called Apocalyptic, That may sound scary, but it is not exactly what we may think it is. Apocalypse means there is a change in the world, not the destruction of the world, but a change. John of Patmos saw a change in Christ and through Christ in which the power of the Pagan Roman Empire would fall. Yet John also knew and saw that this would not go down easily. We all know change is hard just on a personal level. So imagine desiring a change on a much larger level

Questions for Thought?

What are your own hopes of God and of the faith?
What have you hoped for and how did you achieve it?
How have you helped others find hope when they thought all was lost?
Who helped you to find hope when you were ready to give up?

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14th Sunday Homily Epilogue

What is a Prophet? The Prophets acted as Messengers from God to the people. They were not necessarily seers, those who could see a future, but they could pronounce consequences of actions. The prophets were often not listened to; they encountered resistance if not outright hostility. Ezekiel would endure this and he is warned of this by God. Israel was told by their prophets to change their ways and to trust more in God, and to do what is right and just for people. They resisted, sought alliances with other countries and eventually the Babylonians conquered them and sent the elite into exile and destroyed Jerusalem. As I mentioned in the homily, the idea at the time was that when a nation was defeated in war it also meant that the nation's god was also defeated. Israel going into defeat faced an existential crisis. If they were the chosen people of God and God was defeated, who were they? Thus God speaks to Ezekiel, tells him to go a...

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Click HERE is a great Catholic podcast on Mimetics and desire. Faith Sharing Questions: What was an act of generosity given to you? How did it change you? What was an act of generosity given by you? What was its effects? How has God been generous to you this past week? What changes did it effect?

Epilogue to Sunday

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