A reflection by John W. Martens for the Second Sunday in Advent

Pope Francis said on World Environment Day June 5 2013 ldquo We are losing the attitude of wonder contemplation listening to creation nbsp The implications of living in a horizontal manner is that we have moved away from God we no longer read His signs rdquo He was referring to the phys

The correlation of the roles of king and shepherd precedes even the Old Testament Akkadian Babylonian and Sumerian texts including the Code of Hammurabi all invoke the king as shepherd Clearly this association emerges from the pastoral context of the time when sheep- and goat-herding were cent

To be ldquo awake and sober rdquo seems like a minimalist approach to the Christian life but it is a figurative sign of the Christian spiritual life engaged and diligent Paul exhorts the Thessalonians in the context of the parousia the second coming of Christ which the early Christians hoped m

The Lateran Basilica in Rome is not the home parish for many of us though some might have visited it It is the pope rsquo s own cathedral but we are parishioners at churches closer to home with less ancient and lofty origins and nicknames like St Joe rsquo s and St Mike rsquo s Our home paris

What happens when we die This is a question most people ask at some point perhaps especially Christians who look forward to the resurrection at the end of time But in the interim prior to the general resurrection what happens to those who have died Where do they go This is a confusing issue