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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.

JANUARY 28, 2007: Fourth Sunday of the Year

Readings: 
Jeremiah 1:4-5, 17-19
I Corinthians 12:31-13:13
Luke 4:21-30

One of the reasons organized religion traditionally persecutes real prophets and rewards fake prophets revolves around the authentic prophets' disturbing habit of taking us back to the beginnings of our faith. All organizations eventually develop shortcuts, loopholes and practices which either cause or enable them to veer from their founder's original charism.

JANUARY 21, 2007: Third Sunday of the Year

Readings: 
Nehemiah 8:2-4a, 5-6, 9-10
I Corinthians 12:12-30
Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21

What do you do when you discover you haven’t been doing what God wants you to do, though for years you thought you were? Nehemiah and Ezra provide us with one course to take. “Do not be sad, and do not weep . . . . Go eat rich foods and drink sweet drinks, and allot portions to those who had nothing prepared; for today is holy to Yahweh. Do not be saddened this day, for rejoicing in Yahweh must be your strength!”

JANUARY 14, 2007: Second Sunday of the Year

Readings: 
Isaiah 62:1-4
I Corinthians 12: 4-11
John 2:1-12

Ever wonder where in the Bible we find those seven gifts of the Holy Spirit we memorized for Confirmation? Unbelievably, they’re not in the Christian Scriptures! Six of the seven are listed in Isaiah 11. (Piety was added to make a “perfect Semitic seven.”) They’re the specific gifts the prophet expects Yahweh to give the ideal Jewish king. They have almost nothing to do with the unique Christian concept of the Holy Spirit and the gifts Paul believes the Spirit showers on those who imitate Jesus’ dying and rising.

JANUARY 7, 2007: Epiphany

Readings: 
Isaiah 60:1-6
Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6
Matthew 2:1-12

Not everyone who celebrates today's feast will appreciate or even want to hear the message Matthew conveys in today's gospel pericope.

I always remind my students of Fr. Dennis McCarthy's definition of "canonicity." "We have these specific books in the Bible," the late Jesuit scholar taught, "because they've helped the most people over the longest period of time to understand their faith." Matthew's story of the magi forces us to zero in on the last words of McCarthy's definition - "to understand their faith."

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