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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 31, 2010: FOURTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR

Readings: 
Jeremiah 1:4-5, 17-19
I Corinthians 12:31-13:3
Luke 4:21-30

If prophets just went around predicting the future, today’s first and third readings wouldn’t make sense. I presume no one’s ever put a contract out on those persons who, at the end of each year, confidently tell us what to expect during the next year. Though such people are almost always wrong, they’re harmless.

JANUARY 24, 2010: THIRD SUNDAY OF THE YEAR

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

I presume all religions can identify with the scene in today’s first reading. Just when we think we’re doing exactly what God wants us to do, something happens, and we discover things God wants that we haven’t been doing; things which were an essential part of our faith from the beginning, but through the years and centuries were pushed into the background of that faith. Such an “aha!” moment certainly took place in our church over 45 years ago during the Second Vatican Council.

JANUARY 17, 2010: SECOND SUNDAY OF THE YEAR

Readings: 
Isaiah 62:1-5 I
Corinthians 12:4-11
John 2:1-11

In the early Christian community, Jesus’ epiphany comprised three events, not just one. It commemorated the astrologers’ visit to Mary and Joseph’s home in Bethlehem, but it also included Jesus’ baptism and his turning water into wine at Cana in Galilee. The first Christians regarded each of these three as an epiphany - a sort of “coming out” - for Jesus. In each instance, people began to realize there was much more to this particular individual than might first meet the eye.

JANUARY 10, 2010: THE BAPTISM OF JESUS

Readings: 
Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11
Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7
Luke 3:15-16, 21-22

Though today’s feast commemorates Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptizer, our sacred authors can’t speak about that event without hooking it up with our own baptisms.

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