Homily

I had the opportunity to visit Deer Park Buddhist Center back home in Wisconsin. Deer Park is a hotspot for Buddhism across the Midwest, and it serves as a haven of learning and growth for Buddhist monks from all over the world. Before venturing into Deer Park, I had very little knowledge on what it meant to be a Buddhist. I labelled their beliefs as foreign to me, simply because I have never taken it upon myself to learn more about what the Buddhist community actually is. After experiencing a…

Paul’s Case: Alienation of Society Have you ever felt truly alone? Have you ever felt uncomfortable with being yourself? How did you handle that? Hopefully, there was support and an understanding that all of humanity is important. During the time period of the 1800s and 1900s, homosexuality was not socially accepted. In Willa Cather’s short story entitled “Paul’s Case: A Study in Temperament” written in 1905, the main character is a homosexual boy who eventually commits suicide. According to the…

In England during the 1500s, there had been only male monarchs and the females were only given the title of being Queen through marriage. However, in 1135 when Henry I had died, a female had the first chance to become Queen. Matilda, the daughter of King Henry I was going to be Queen of England, “not in the conventional sense of a king’s wife, but in the unprecedented form of a female king” (Castor, 2010). However, Matilda lost the crown of England to King Henry I’s nephew Stephen because he was…

The King James Bible and the York pageant ‘The Fall of Man’ differ in many ways in their presentation of the events surrounding Adam and Eve’s banishment from the Garden of Eden. In particular, there is a big difference in the level of detail, and the treatment of Eve with regards to her responsibility for the banishment. In this essay I intend to compare and contrast the accounts of the fall given in the bible and the play text, and consider how they portray Eve and her behaviour. In particular…

How often do we think about where our family traditions started? It could be something our parents created or something that has been going on for many years. Some of the things we do might be cultural or are rooted from our religion. Hospitality is a tradition that has been shared around the world in the past and present. Part of the medieval Christian faith was to be hospitable because it was important to welcome strangers into your home. Gift giving was also a big part of the middle ages…

An appropriate piece of scripture is then read, usually to do with either Jesus’ baptism or conversation about eternal life. The homily expresses the importance of baptism to the congregation. The bidding prayers are said for the parents, godparents as well as in the hope of new life through baptism for the infant. There is a prayer to saint’s for their intercession for…

Willa Cather 's compelling literary work, "Paul 's Case: A Study in Temperament", presents a troubled soul, Paul, who suffers from a decline in the nurture of his environment. Paul 's determination presents itself in a standoffish, rebellious manner as he goes against the conformity of life in the humdrum neighborhood of Pittsburgh, where he resides. The study of Paul 's temperament digs deep into the psyche and depicts how an inimical social atmosphere can deteriorate the human mind. Charlotte…

The Cathedral looms over viewers as they walk past and tourists line up expectantly waiting for their turn to enter one of the hottest tourists sites of Paris—Notre Dame de Paris. This Cathedral that was once a place of worship has lost most of the prayerful atmosphere it once would of held and now hosts a gift shop as well as a museum including a relic of the crown of thorns (that of course, people can see for a fee). At first glance the throngs of tourists may deter people from appreciating…

VI. Liturgical Analysis Another way to examine this scriptural passage is liturgically or how the Church today keeps the Gospel in living Tradition. This is important because the Gospels and scripture are not just for the times they happened but they are read and explained especially during the liturgy of the mass because they are words that all peoples should live by. John 2:1-11 is proclaimed during the second Sunday in ordinary time. Paired with the Gospel are two readings; the first being…

On the last day of our pilgrimage we had the opportunity to visit Wadowice. The square was very beautiful, with all of its 19th century burgher-style buildings intact. The church in Wadowice which he attended and had served was decorated with rosaries. The locals were very friendly and eager to share the history of the town along with little stories and anecdotes about John Paul II that had been passed down through their families. Wadowice struck me as a very calm and tight-knit town, where…