Oro Valley Catholic

Silent Night - the Sacrament of Faith

The ‘sacramentum militaie’ (military sacrament) was used with recruits into the Roman army who swore an oath of allegiance and received a mark (such as a tattoo or a brand) and a new name. The Roman Legions had their sacramentum, and the Church had its sacramentum. Christianity so dominated the Roman Empire that we no longer think of the military and legal meanings of sacrament for Romans. The Christians understood whose kingdom they lived in and whose kingdom they were passing through.
Music recorded by St. Mark Choir pursuant to One License

The Cost of Discipleship

John the Evangelist, writing some years later, simply referred to John the Baptist as
“A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light but came to testify to the light.” Jn. 1:6-8 The Greek word ‘martyrios’ means ‘witness.’ John the Baptist gave his life as a witness, a martyr and so others have followed as victims of violence and witnesses to the light.
Music by Marisa Troppy and Russ Ronnebaum pursuant to One License #A-726294

Sin casts a long shadow, only grace illumines the shade

He calls us to convert or minds and trust in him. Mind and heart given to God. That is the pathway. Sin casts a long shadow, grace illuminates even the shade.
Music by St. Mark choir under One License A-726294

We were made for works of mercy, not naps

When Jesus told us to ‘watch’ he expected that his disciples would be about the Father’s business. He called them to prayer, not drowsiness. Naps are nice, but we were not created for naps but for the works of mercy. Pray for those most in need, empty your closet as an act of fraternal charity. Be attentive, be watchful, the Lord will return when each of us least expects it.
Music performed by Marisa Troppy and Russ Ronnebaum pursuant to One License A-726294

”If nominated I will not run, if elected I will not serve” - Christ the King

St. Augustine said that in heaven, in the true City of God, “There we shall be still and see, see and love, love and praise. Behold what will be in the end without end! For what else is our end but to reach the kingdom that has no end?” Christian, remember, the City of God exists in this world in you, but is not of this world. Adjust your expectations accordingly.
Music performed by Marisa Troppy and Russ Ronnebaum pursuant to One License A-726294

The wise and the foolish and the age to come

The ancient world is a different place and a different time. The ancient Christian understanding of virginity is in sharp contrast to the modern take. Virginity in our Catholic tradition is a complete self-giving for the sake of the kingdom.
Marisa Troppy and Russ Ronnebaum pursuant to permission from OneLicense A-726294

The Army of the Dead: The Gospel and the subversion of horror

Halloween, All Saints and All Souls day is this human reality bundled altogether around the Resurrection. So come, eat his flesh and drink his blood and join his Army of the Dead! Well, actually they are more alive than ever.

Diotima’s Ladder and the Ascent to the Depths

Catholic faith is characterized by the call to trust both our faith and our capacity for reason informed by faith. Faith calls reason beyond where it can go on its own. Faith points us towards the reality of the human vocation in the world and our destiny. Faith also allows us to identify patterns of thought in humanity that bears the imprint of Christ. For the early Christians, Platonic thought pointed towards a world that lay behind all physical or natural experiences of reality. One such example is Plato’s The Symposium.
Music by Gina McCann and Russ Ronnebaum pursuant to One License # A-726294

The pandemic, Judge Barrett and the Fratelli Tutti

The Pope in Fratelli Tutti reminds us that in the New Testament, all roads lead to the Book of Genesis. When the Lord, in the Gospel this Sunday, reminds us of the creation of the human in Genesis, that we bear the image of our Creator, please remember the story of Cain and Abel. God asks Cain, “Where is your brother Abel? He answered, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” Gen. 4:9. Given the disproportionate effect of this pandemic on the vulnerable and the open hostility of our brothers and sisters to each other in this political season, how do we Catholic citizens of America answer our Creator’s question?
Music provided by Marisa Troppy and Russ Ronnebaum pursuant to One License# A-726294

Would you give your whole life to make a fashion statement?

We think of Father Damien of Molokai as a saint, but what is mostly forgotten is the controversy surrounding his death,. His death drew international comment. What was a stake in the public controversy and what delayed his canonization until 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI was the question; “what kind of man was Damien? Was he a saint or a dirty, grubby, coarse lecher, master of public relations?
Music by St. Mark Choir under license from One License # A-726294