Oro Valley Catholic

Something Good For Suffering Humanity

John the Baptist in prison, sends messengers to Jesus to ask him, "Is he the one who is to come into the world?" Jesus' cryptic answer has a far deeper significance related profoundly to the Immaculate Conception. What is going on? Find out in the week's Oro Valley Catholic.
Readings for the Third Sunday of Advent: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121122.cfm
Music: The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came – Trad. Basque, arr. Jeff Vanderlee (b. 1989) pursuant to One License Annual License w/Podcasting, A-726294

John the Baptist, Qumran and Christmas

John the Baptist, one of the most important figures in history, may have been part of the ancient Essene community that shared so many basic understandings of Israel's dilemma with him. John knew the answer - the Messiah. Advent begins with the preaching of John and Christmas ends with John baptizing Jesus of Nazareth, his cousin. Consider Dr. John Bergsma's book, "Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls" as we wonder about the background of John and the problems of God's wounded people.
The readings for the Second Sunday of Advent: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/120422.cfm
For more about "Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls" by Dr. John Bergsma, go here:
https://tinyurl.com/wb9rjubu
Music by Michael Kollner and Russ Ronnebaum pursuant to One License Annual License w/Podcasting, A-726294.

Dionysian Ritual, Christ And The Secret History

St. Paul writes his letter to the Roman instructing Christians to put off the 'works of darkness' and put on 'the armor of light.' Probably he was referring to dark and twisted pagan rituals such as the Cult of Dionysius and Lupercalia. Donna Tartt's 1992 novel "The Secret History" plays with these understandings in her murder mystery at an Ivy League school. In OVC this week, Fr. John explores St. Paul, Euripides' play "The Bacchae" and Tartt's novel.
See more at:
https://stmarkov.com/events/the-bacchae-christ-and-the-secret-history
Readings for the First Sunday of Advent: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/112722.cfm
Music by St. Mark Choir pursuant to One License for podcasting, # A-726294

Divine Order And Human Chaos - Christ The King

Divine Order always challenges human chaos. In the classic Clint Eastwood film "Kelly's Heroes" Donald Sutherland's character's 'Oddball' speaks for many sinners, "In chaos, there is profit." What good does it do to profit at the expense of your soul and the destruction of others?
Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/112022.cfm
Music by the St. Mark Choir pursuant to One License
Annual License w/Podcasting, A-726294

The Everlasting Man - Death Thou Shalt Die

G.K. Chesterton's great book, "The Everlasting Man" penned in 1925 as a response to H.G. Well's atheistic take on human history effectively explains how Christ, born in a cave, is God reaching out to humans who first gave evidence of culture through primitive cave paintings. The four last things, death, judgment, heaven and are the Christian witness to the Divine plan for all of creation, but just human life. OVC discusses "The Everlasting Man" and Christ's prophecy about the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple and the Cosmos.
Readings for the 32nd Sunday: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/111322.cfm
Music: "Sepulto Domino" by the St. Mark Choir pursuant to license OneLicense Annual License w/Podcasting, A-726294

Marriage, Celibacy And Theology Of The Body

Marriage, the single life, and the committed celibate life. Where is it all going? Like rings upon a husband and wife's fingers, our bodies give testimony of their purpose. St. John Paul II's Theology of the Body explores the filial, nuptial and procreative meaning of human bodies.
The readings for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time are found here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/110622.cfm
Music by St. Mark Choir pursuant to Annual License w/Podcasting, A-726294, One License

Mystery And The Poor Souls In Purgatory

This Feast of All Souls, pray for the poor souls in Purgatory, especially the ones you love. Prayer is confidence in the mercy of God and our continued fellowship with those we love who are separated by death. Are you wondering about the biblical roots of Purgatory in both the Jewish and Christian Faith. Join Oro Valley Catholic. Be a subscriber and learn about them mystery of God's saving action in our lives. John Donne, the English Divine, wrote:
No man is an island entire of itself; every man
is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;
if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe
is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as
well as any manner of thy friends or of thine
own were; any man's death diminishes me,
because I am involved in mankind.
And therefore never send to know for whom
the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/103022.cfm
Music by St. Mark Choir pursuant to OneLicense # Annual License w/Podcasting, A-726294

Empty Hands Or Full Of Yourself

Why go to Mass? Isn't it the same as praying at home or while driving down the road? Mass is the Church's worship and the Church is the body of Christ. Mass transforms us in a way that individualized spirituality cannot. Why do modern humans reject the Mass? Because they don't think understand worship's role in sacrifice.
Readings for the 30th Week in Ordinary Time: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102322.cfm
Music provided by the St. Mark Choir - Adoro Te Devote, One License
Annual License w/Podcasting, A-726294

The Bible - A Jigsaw Puzzle or a Game of Scrabble?

God is revealed through His Creation. Psalm 19 sings, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." God also reveals himself in history through His Words and Deeds. Finally, God revealed Himself in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Scripture and Tradition are the effects, not the cause, of God's revelation. What does this mean? Is the Word of God a Jigsaw Puzzle or a game of Scrabble?
Readings for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101622.cfm
Music by the St. Mark Choir for Tenebrae pursuant to One License, we #A-726294

Between Samaria and Galilee - Where Faithfulness And Mercy Embrace

Jesus heals ten lepers between Galilee and Samaria and accomplishes what the Old Testament Prophets Elijah and Elisha could not. How does he do that? The Lord invites us into God's mercy.
Readings for the 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/100922.cfm
Music: Clarinet Quintet in A Major, K. 581 (Mozart) by Musicians from Marlboro is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (aka Music Sharing) 3.0 International License.