Oro Valley Catholic

Adam, Eve, Noah and the garden that became a desert

Jesus descends among the dead and baptism is necessary for salvation. The First Sunday of Lent is a time to think about the ways that we undermine ourselves by taking delight in the wrong things.
Music by Marisa Troppy and Russel Ronnebaum, Adoro te devote, pursuant to a license by One License A-726294

Stations of the Cross

What Our Lord Saw from the Cross (Ce que voyait Notre-Seigneur sur la Croix)
James Tissot
Join Fr. John Arnold for the Lenten devotion, the Stations of the Cross. The artwork is from James Tissot.
In the most memorable, and even notorious, of Tissot’s images, Christ looks out at the crowd of spectators arrayed before him: Mary Magdalene, in the immediate foreground, with her long red tresses swirling down her back, kneels at his feet, which are clearly visible at the bottom center of the composition. Beyond her, the Virgin Mary clutches her breast, while John the Evangelist looks up with hands clasped.
The artist here adopts the point of view of Christ himself. Few painters have conceived a composition this daring. In his audacity, however, Tissot remains true to his artistic vision: ultimately, the image is an exercise in empathy. Its point is to give viewers, accustomed to looking at the event from the outside, a rare opportunity to imagine themselves in Christ’s place and consider his final thoughts and feelings as he gazed on the enemies and friends who were witnessing, or participating in, his death.
https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/13508

Oblations - gods, demons and God

What we eat matters as much as who we eat with. St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 10 discusses sacrifices to the Greek gods, demons and what the Christian owes in table fellowship to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In this podcast I discuss Mark 1, I Cor. 10, 2 Kings and the Illiad.
The music is from the Free Music Archives -Ta-Da! by Siddhartha Corsus is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Jesus, healing and the family

Jesus heals St. Peter's mother in law? Where is his wife? Jesus heals families throughout the Gospel of Mark, but his family is those who hear the word of God and keep it!
Music is from the Free Music Archive, Miracle Tour (ID 1289) by Lobo Loco licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

A crisis of authority is nothing new

Jesus is the exorcist whose signs underscore the authority of his teaching. His command over unclean spirits fulfills the prophecy in Genesis 3:5, "I will put enmity between her offspring and yours." The conflict between Eve and the Serpent comes to a head.
Music Desert Full of Angels (ID 1546) by Lobo Loco is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Its called fishing, not necessarily catching

Jesus calls the disciples to be "fishers of men." Why would anyone fall for that line? The might surprise you when you consider the Books of Daniel and Jeremiah.
I decided to go 'old school' on the music today. This work has been identified as being free of known restrictions under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights performed by The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps.

We have been bought and at a price

Scripture addresses the human condition. the Oresteia written by Aeschylus and performed in 558 B.C. at a festival in honor of the god Dionysius addresses the limitations of justice and vengeance. There is a surprising connection between St. Paul's 1 Letter to the Corinthians and this great pagan Greek play. What do St. Paul and the Oresteia have to offer when trying to make human choices. St. Paul asks what kind of persons do my choices make me? The answer should be Christ.
Music is provided by "American Song" by Maya Solovéy is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Preparation and Fulfillment - The Sacrament of Baptism

Jesus enters the waters of baptism and invites us to follow in a life united to his passion, death and resurrection. Consider baptism, its connection with the crucifixion and the meaning of baptism.
The songs in this podcast are licensed under CC BY-NC-SA, album "Midwinter" by Maya Solovéy
In the Bleak Mid-Winter lyrics
In the bleak mid-winter
Frosty wind made moan;
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak mid-winter
Long ago.
Our God, heaven cannot hold Him
Nor earth sustain,
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When He comes to reign:
In the bleak mid-winter
A stable-place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty —
Jesus Christ.
Enough for Him, whom Cherubim
Worship night and day,
A breastful of milk
And a mangerful of hay;
Enough for Him, whom Angels
Fall down before,
The ox and and camel
Which adore.
Angels and Archangels
May have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim
Thronged the air;
But only His Mother
In her maiden bliss
Worshipped the Beloved
With a kiss.

The moment everything changed - The Epiphany

The Epiphany - The Revelation of God to the pagan world. The death knell of the pagan world.
We Three Kings by Maya Solovéy is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

The Holy Family, our family

All families are called to holiness. The music provided by the St. Mark choir pursuant to license from One License # A-726294 .