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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.

NOVEMBER 25, 2007: Christ the King

Readings: 
II Samuel 5:1-3
Colossians 1:12-20
Luke 23:35-43

It's often difficult for Jesus' followers to accurately convey to others his importance in their lives. If we regard him only as the founder of a specific religion, we don't have that problem. In that case, Jesus simply provides us with an institution which offers us the means to get into heaven. He's not someone who relates to us and we to him as a real person.

NOVEMBER 18, 2007: Thirty-Third Sunday of the Year

Readings: 
Malachi 3:19-20a
II Thessalonians 3:7-12
Luke 21:5-19

It's not difficult to predict an event the day after it actually takes place. But that’s often what the authors of apocalyptic literature do. We haven an example of their writing in today’s gospel periscope.

NOVEMBER 11, 2007: Thirty-Second Sunday of the Year

Readings: 
II Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14
II Thessalonians 2:16-3:5
Luke 20:27-38

Our first and third readings are united not only by "seven brothers," but also by both authors’ belief in an afterlife.

We who believe in a life beyond this one often presume all our sacred authors did also. Our Christian authors do, but only a few of the writers of the Hebrew Scriptures do. Such a concept doesn’t enter Jewish thought until a little over 100 years before Jesus’ birth.

NOVEMBER 4, 2007: Thirty-First Sunday of the Year

Readings: 
Wisdom 11:22-12:2
II Thessalonians 1:11-2:2
Luke 19:1-10

No doubt, hearing today's gospel, some of us will reflect on what happened a few months ago when one of our presidential candidates mentioned that, if elected, he would dialogue with our country's "enemies." Talking with adversaries creates problems. Many contend it leads to our stepping down from the "high ground" and putting ourselves on the same level as our opposition.

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