Historical Criticism: Essential for the Interpretation of Scripture
NOTE: Comments below might refer to this post or to my post on allegory which refers the reader to this post. – awr Christian interpretation of Scripture should be guided by two complementary...
View ArticleAllegorical (Noncritical) Use of Scripture in Gregorian Chant
The liturgy loves allegory. The Old Testament, especially the Psalter, is used in the Mass propers to celebrate the mystery of Christ. As St. Augustine said, In vetere novum latet et in novo vetus...
View ArticleSummer 2012 Sunday lectionary preview and the long form of the readings
In the summer of 1970 (July 26th to be exact, the 17th Sunday of the Year B according to the new calendar) my pastor breathed a sigh of relief when he came across Saint John’s version of the feeding of...
View ArticleEphesians 5:21–33 on August 25/26, 2012
As mentioned previously, I hope that some preachers will take up the challenge of preaching on Ephesians this coming summer. This means that they will need to study Ephesians 5:21–33 not only in itself...
View ArticleA “default” communion canticle: Wisdom 16: 20–21, 26; 17:1.
This morning’s use of the Canticle of Wisdom as the reading for morning prayer in Give Us This Day (alas not used in the Lectionary) put me in mind of its significance as one of the default communion...
View ArticleWhatever became of “bible services”?
It will be another thirty weeks before we get to our re-reading of Sacrosanctum Concilium 35. [UPDATED] But I am teaching an elective, “The RCIA: The Sacraments of Christian Initiation & the...
View ArticleRevisiting the illumination of liturgical texts: an amplification of Word...
In his masterful BBC Radio 4 series A History of the World in 100 Objects, British Museum director Neil MacGregor guides his listerners through the famous collection. Beginning with the knapped flint...
View ArticleRe-Reading Sacrosanctum Concilium: Article 24
The next set of “general norms” for the reform of the liturgy highlight the importance of the written Word of God in any revision of the liturgical books as well as in the liturgical spirituality to be...
View ArticleMore about SC 24, Sacred Scripture, and the Lectionaries
All readers of this blog are grateful to Father Joncas for his series on re-reading of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy [SC]. But do these same readers (especially the ‘lurkers’) think that his...
View ArticleLectio Divina and Liturgy
Over the past couple of years as I worked with Paulist Evangelization Ministries on the parish program, Living the Eucharist, I’ve been really pleased with the fact that it includes Lectio Divina, a...
View ArticleRe-Reading Sacrosanctum Concilium: Article 51
Vatican website translation: 51. The treasures of the bible are to be opened up more lavishly, so that richer fare may be provided for the faithful at the table of God’s word. In this way a more...
View Article“Biblical” Prayers of the People?
I find myself quite ambivalent about attempts to the link the Prayers of the People with the biblical readings for the day (as I realized, once again, today at Mass). When did this trend develop? As...
View Articleἰδοὺ: abiding knowledge and infinite vision
One of the most intriguing words in the Gospels is the aorist imperative ἰδοὺ (idou, Latin ecce, “behold” or “remember”). ἰδοὺ offers the possibility of a teleological suspension, but not in a manner...
View ArticleWilliam Oddie on Getting Jesus’ Words Right
William Oddie is, to put it mildly, opinionated. After last Sunday’s Mass he posted at Catholic Herald, “We are all used to the banality of the Jerusalem Bible readings at Mass: but on Sunday the...
View ArticleHow do you pray with the Psalms?
Over at dotCommonweal, I just posted a two-part reflection on praying with the psalms. In it I shared some thoughts from two authors whose insights I find stimulating and helpful to understanding: Pius...
View ArticleViewpoint: New Bible Translation – The Message – Is a Notable Achievement
by M. Francis Mannion Recently, I completed a 30-day Ignatian retreat in Los Angeles (I hope you are all impressed!). The central feature of St. Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises is intensive reading of...
View ArticleAn inter-confessional Bible gets Pope’s approval [updated]
Today, Pope Francis, in an address to the United Bible Societies, praised the production of a joint translation of the scriptures which was presented to him in Italian. He first remarked that such an...
View Article‘Back to the Future’ with the Saint John’s Bible
Hopefully you’re already familiar with the Saint John’s Bible, a collaborative project commissioned by the monks of Saint John’s Abbey here in Collegeville. Last week, Gregory Wolfe, founder of Image...
View Articlealt.
At Mass this morning, we sang one of my all-time favorite Advent hymns: “Comfort, comfort ye my people” (Tröstet, tröstet meine Lieben, trans. Catherine Winkworth; the tune GENEVA 42). Perhaps you know...
View Article2014 in Review: Viewpoint
Throughout 2014 we were pleased to offer the regular contributions of Monsignor M. Francis Mannion, and his Viewpoint column, distributed by the Catholic News Agency. Here’s a list of those (always...
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