2012 articles by Daniel Daring
Dec
27: This week, for Holy Family Sunday: Attack
on the Family.
This reflection supports the call of bishops
in the Philippines and other places for mothers to say no to being migrant
workers, despite economic considerations, since the consequences of
migrant working far outweigh extra finance
The
cover of the March 1997 Fortune magazine asks, “Is Your Family Wrecking
Your Career?” The answer given to its readers is the new ‘gospel’ of
capitalism and corporate world: ‘your career is more important than your
family!’
In order to combat the ‘worldly gospel’ of capitalism we have to rediscover the importance of spending time together. A yearly trip to Jerusalem could take five days of journey from Nazareth. It was a time to set aside all the problems of the world. It was a time to pray and to be with close relatives and friends. It was a vacation as well. It was a necessary break, spent together with God and with one another
Dec
25: You
are my child Christmas Day
reflection
The problem that
many churches are facing is that the majority of their members were baptized as
children. They seem to know very little about Jesus, and they often live as if
God does not matter much. In such cases, the word of God cannot effect His
creative and transforming power. Without our willingness to receive Jesus and
believe in His name, God’s power will be unable to transform us
Dec
20: Faith is spelled as courage
How to face difficult situations following the example of Mary. It takes
courage to believe that no matter who you are, no matter what the circumstances
of your life, God works mightily to accomplish his plan in your life
Dec
13: The fruits of
Repentance
A taxi driver in US
won a $32 million jackpot. He did
not opt for the life-style of a millionaire in the US but returned to his
hometown in Pakistan, trying to improve the lives of his own people
Dec
6: Advent
2 - Preparing the Way
for Jesus
A beautiful reflection. What a contrast
between the style of teaching at the beginning of the article and the
style at the end!
Highly recommended for parents, teachers and catechists
Nov
29: Advent 1 - Do not give up
There is something special
about those who believe: no matter how badly life treats them they are
always hopeful. They are unable to resign their fate to the forces of
life. You can spot them in the crowd by the way they walk, without
slouching, looking straight in life’s face, and greeting everybody with
a smile and an encouraging word. They draw strength from faith in Jesus
Christ, the Lord of history knowing that He is coming to deliver them from
all sort of troubles
Nov
22: Christ
the King
Jesus
died preciously because, by proclaiming the kingdom of God, he challenged the
political system of his time. If you say, ‘woe to you
rich’, and ‘blessed are you poor’, you are
undermining the system which is built on inequality; and if you say, ‘love
your enemies and do good to those who hate you,’ you are
undermining the system which is based on hatred
Nov 15: Christian
Hope - Mark 13:24-32
There
seems to be no solution to our present ecological crisis, inequalities, and the
unjust social order.
Yet, what is impossible for us is not impossible to God.
God loves His people so deeply that He will make
all things well.
Nov
8: Offering
all your living - Mark 12.38-44
In
our world money is a powerful tool to get what you want. It buys power,
position, and status. It buys votes and shapes politics. That is nothing new.
What is disturbing, however, is that it has entered the spiritual domain,
claiming to buy even God’s blessing. The widow
is not being contrasted with the scribes who devour widows' houses or
with the rich who donate much out of their abundance, but with the
disciples of Jesus who were - and still are - unable to grasp the power and
wisdom of the cross.
Nov
1: Not
like Cain but like Jesus - Mark 12:28-34
It seems
much easier to declare openly our love of God, to burn offerings and give Him
sacrifices, than to love our brothers and sisters. Joining
together the love of God with the love of neighbor and making the love of
neighbor the proof of loving God, take away any justification for
emulating a “Cainian” religiosity
Oct
26: Small and held captives
In a world where the economy has
taken a leading role in shaping how we think and make decisions on the
domestic and international level, it is difficult to inject some
theological discussion about God and His role in the affairs of the world.
Oct
25: Bartimaeus’
Faith in Jesus - Mark 10: 46-52
Peter
and demons were told not to reveal Jesus' identity. Bartimaeus
was allowed to proclaim to the whole world his expectant faith
in Jesus as the Messiah. Those
who wanted Bartimaeus to be quiet were those who were leaving Jericho with
Jesus. It's often the case: in order to reach Jesus, you have to bypass
the circle of the so-called pious ones, those who assume that they
know you well
Oct
18: Do not disappoint us, please - Mark 10:35-45
Martin Luther King wrote about his great disappointment with the church and its leadership.
"So often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an
uncertain sound. So often it is an arch-defender of the status quo." Have our churches adapted a lord-leader
model of leadership? Where are those leaders who prefer to serve than to be
served?
Oct
11: Jesus Fails - Mark 10: 17-31
Oct
4: God's vision
and human tragedy - Mark 10: 2-12
Is it lawful for a man to have a mistress? Many Catholic men
in Asia follow that acceptable Asian practice. Is it lawful for a battered wife to sacrifice her life and risk
daily physical and
psychological torment to avoid divorce?
Sep
27: Charity versus offense - Mark 9: 41-42
Acts of charity make our days
bearable. They bring a glow of joy
to our faces, because we are able to help others; they put a new
hope and courage on the faces of
others because they realize that
they are not left alone in their trials and sufferings
Sep 20:
Missing the Point - Mark 9: 30-37
I often think about Mother Teresa who from the window of her
school in Calcutta saw poverty and misery. She spoke about it with her
superior, spiritual director, and her bishop, to no avail. All of them
warned her against leaving the convent of the Sisters of Loreto. They
considered it either as the devil’s temptation or a mid-life crisis.
There were no previous patterns to help her make a decision. The only
pattern that she could look up to was that of Jesus
Sep
13: Giving it all for Jesus - Mark 8: 31-35
Story of the monk who brought an end to gladiator fighting !
Sep 6: Breaking the
silence -Mark 7.31-37
Silence and Helen Keller
Aug 30: The word or the world - James 1:20 (Sun 22:B)
Aug 23: Sunday Readings Reflection - Joshua's Decision (Sun 21:B)
August
22: In
Remembering there is Salvation
Our whole tradition is in the words
God was sorry
that he had made humans and it grieved his heart
and
God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son.
The former
was followed by the Flood; the latter by the
Cross.
In the former, God rejects
humanity; in the latter humanity rejects God