Posts by Dr. David Cooper
Hear Me, All of You and Understand
Solomon And The Queen of Sheba Our first reading, from 1 Kings, tells us the story of the Queen of Sheba, having “heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD,” coming to Jerusalem to test him with riddles. She came to him with a large caravan of camels bearing spices, gold,…
Read MoreGreat Expectations: The Feast of the Baptism of the LORD
“The people were filled with expectation.” Luke 3:15 Expectation! Anticipation! The dictionary definition of both words is “a belief that something is going to happen or that something should be a certain way.“ “Great Expectations” is a novel written by Charles Dickens in 1861. It is the story of an orphan, Pip, living with his…
Read MoreThe Optional Memorial of St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin in the United States of America
Praise and Thanksgiving In our gospel reading for today’s feast “Jesus exclaimed: I give praise to you Father…for although you have hidden these things from the wise and learned you have revealed them to the childlike.” Mt 11:25-26. At the 2002 canonization mass of St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, which took place at the basilica of…
Read MoreStone and Human Temples: Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome
Today is the Feast of the Dedication of the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran in Rome, dedicated by Pope Sylvester I in 324 AD to Christ the Savior. It is the cathedral of the Roman Bishop, the Pope and as such holds the primacy over the four major papal basilicas. But the Bible readings for…
Read MoreListen and Obey
Listen Carefully to the Command In 1854, Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote a poem commemorating “The Light Brigade”, a British cavalry unit which fought a battle against the Russians during the Crimean War. Because of poor intelligence and poorly communicated orders, half of the brigade’s six hundred men were killed, wounded, or captured. The original order…
Read MoreMEMORIAL OF ST. PETER CLAVER, APOSTLE TO AFRICANS
During the 17th century CE, Cartagena, Columbia was one of the major centers of African slavery in the Spanish colonies. One thousand slaves a month survived the voyage to land in the slave pens and be sold, to help extract the gold of the New World. For forty years, between 1610 and 1654, a Spanish…
Read MoreWonderous Things
“Grandpa, please tell me another fishing tale like the one-time Jesus got into your boat to preach and then commanded you to launch out and cast your nets after you had been fishing all night.” Peter hugged his granddaughter and said, “Gladly sweetheart. We caught so many fish, without the nets breaking, that we filled…
Read MoreSalvation Comes from the LORD
“The salvation of the just comes from the LORD.” (Ps 37:39). The antiphon of today’s Responsorial Psalm summarizes the truths of the readings for today’s Mass. In order to understand the poignant embrace of Israel by his favorite son, Joseph, one must be familiar with Genesis 28-45. Joseph is now the vizier of Egypt. He…
Read MoreWalk in the Light
“For if what was going to fade was glorious, how much more will what endures be glorious?” (2 Cor 3:11) The Scripture readings for today’s Mass point to the glory and light of the old and the new covenants. At Mt. Sinai, God spoke to Moses from out of fire and lightning, and with his…
Read MoreNo Greater Love
Today’s Scripture readings are bathed in LOVE. Jesus told us in John 15:13 “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” But on Calvary, He poured out his blood for all of us…friends and enemies. Or as St. John told us in 1John 4:10, “In this is love,…
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