Breath of the Spirit

Pastoral, Liturgical, Teaching, and Social Justice Moments brought to you by www.DignityUSA.org.

Breath of the Spirit is DignityUSA’s electronic spiritual and liturgical resource for our members and potential members. Nothing can replace your chapter or other faith community, but we hope you will find further support here for integrating your spirituality with your sexuality and all the strands of your life.

We welcome relevant homilies, inspirational writings, social justice opportunities, or theological articles from other sources also — particularly from wise women and men who can help us grow as gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) and allied Catholic/Christians. You may volunteer to help with this program or send your comments by e-mailing info@DignityUSA.org ATTN: Breath of the Spirit.

JULY 30, 2006: SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR

Readings:

II Kings 4:42-44

Ephesians 4:1-6

John 6:1-15

Readers of last week's column will appreciate the tension homilists experience on the Seventeenth Sunday of Cycle B. If we've be doing our job conscientiously we've been developing and stressing the major points of Mark's theology. Now, just as we reach one of the most important stages of that theology - Mark's first bread miracle - we're forced to shift gears and preach on John's bread miracle theology.

JULY 23, 2006: SIXTEENTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR

Readings:

Jeremiah 23:1-6

Ephesians 2:13-18

Mark 6:30-34

Often people don't understand why Scripture scholars talk about "Mark's Jesus" or "John's Jesus." Such terms are relatively new; they only came into existence after World War II when "redaction criticism" became part of our biblical regimen. Redaction critics discovered that our four evangelists weren't simple collectors of "Jesus stories:" as the great Rudolf Bultmann had taught after World War I.

JULY 9, 2006: FOURTEENTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR

Readings:

Ezekiel 2:2-5

II Corinthians 12:7-10

Mark 6:1-6

The key to appreciating all three readings today is Paul's statement, "Power is made perfect in weakness."

JUNE 4, 2006: PENTECOST SUNDAY

Readings:

Acts 2:1-11

I Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13

John 15:26-27; 16:12-15

To understand the impact of today's three readings describing the power and force of the Holy Spirit, we must hear them as they were originally written: independent of one another. Each author reflects on the effect of Jesus' Spirit in his own community. He's not telling us what we should expect the Spirit to do; he's narrating what has already happened.

JULY 2, 2006: THIRTEENTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR

Readings:

Wisdom 1:13-15, 2:23-24

II Corinthians 8:7, 9, 13-15

Mark 5:21-43

At several points in his gospel, Mark will begin a story, interrupt it with another narrative, then go back and finish off the original story. He does this as a literary device, to show a passing of time, just as movie directors rip off calendar pages or depict a tree going through the seasons. In today's passage, it takes time for Jesus and Jairus to travel to the latter's house where his 12 year old daughter lies sick, time for the girl to die before the pair arrives.

Vision Statement

DignityUSA envisions and works for a time when Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Catholics are affirmed and experience dignity through the integration of their spirituality with their sexuality, and as beloved persons of God participate fully in all aspects of life within the Church and Society.