Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Return to 'traditio'scottdodge.blogspot.com"Then I would turn myself to face me"Things have been quiet around here lately. This is because I have been very busy. Between 17 August and 20 September, I was travelling every... 000
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 29/09/2026My homily for yesterday: A long time ago, someone told me that God doesn’t care as much about what happens to you as he does about how you receive it and how you handle it. That's hard to process. I still think God cares about what happens to me.scottdodge.blogspot.comYear 2 Monday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary TimeReadings: Job 1:6-22; Psalm 17:1-3.6-7; Luke 9:46-50 The Book of Job teaches that sometimes bad things happen to good people. It teaches ... 000
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 22/09/2026My homily for today: Both the call and the response are grace.scottdodge.blogspot.comFeast of Saint Matthew, Apostle and EvangelistReadings: Ephesians 4:1-7.11-23; Psalm 19:2-5; Matthew 9:9-13 Today the Church celebrates the Feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangel... 000
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 14/09/2026My homily for today's ancient and universal feast: Nearly two thousand years on, the cross of Christ remains a scandal not only to non-believers, but to many Christians as well.scottdodge.blogspot.comFeast of the Exaltation of the Holy CrossReadings: Numbers 21:4b-9; Psalm 78:1-2.34-38; Philippians 2:6-11; John 3:13-17 Today the Church throughout the world celebrates the Feas... 010
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 13/09/2026My homily for today: As C.S. Lewis observed: “Everyone thinks forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive” ('Mere Christianity,' Book III, Chap. 1, sec. 7).scottdodge.blogspot.comYear A Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary TimeReadings: Sirach 27:30-28:7; Psalm 103:1-4.9-12; Romans 14:7-9; Matthew 18:21-35 In today's Gospel, we are faced with one of Jesus’ most ... 011
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 07/09/2026My homily for today: From a narrow perspective, like that of Jesus’ interlocutors in our reading, the Lord’s relationship with the Law can seem complicated.scottdodge.blogspot.comYear 2 Monday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary TimeReadings: 1 Corinthians 5:1-8; Psalm 5:5-7.12; Luke 6:6-11 Today is Labor Day. Our Gospel is about “working” on the sabbath. It is always... 011
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 06/09/2026Some thoughts on today's readings: The first part of our Gospel today is one of those passages that can easily cause more harm than good. It's a passage that must be handled with great care.scottdodge.blogspot.comCareful nowReadings: Ezekiel 33:7-9; Psalm 95:1-2.6-9; Romans 13:8-10; Matthew 18:15-20 The first part of our Gospel today is one of those passages ... 010
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 04/09/2026A homily for Friday of the 22nd Week in Ordinary Time: Be gentle with yourself and others.scottdodge.blogspot.comYear 2 Friday of the Twenty-second in Ordinary TimeReadings: 1 Corinthians 4:1-5; Psalm 37:3-6.27-28.39-40; Luke 5:33-39 It is impossible to separate Jesus from what we now call Judaism. W... 033
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 30/08/2026My homily for today. For Christians, hope is not merely a concept, an idea, an abstraction. Even to say that hope is the flower of faith, while a beautiful and, I believe, true image, is to pull up short.scottdodge.blogspot.comYear A Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary TimeReadings: Jeremiah 20:7-9; Psalm 63:2-6.8-9; Romans 12:1-2; Matthew 16:21-27 Following Jesus, being his disciple, is what it means to be ... 011
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 28/08/2026Something I learned about Curry upon learning of his death is that his father, James Curry, was a Methodist minister.scottdodge.blogspot.comPassing over, not awayAh, it's Friday once again. In addition to Dolly Parton, actor Tim Curry also died this past week. Not nearly as prominent as Parton, Curry ... 021
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 23/08/2026Some thoughts on today's Gospel reading: After all, the question the Lord poses to Peter on the road to Caesarea Philippi is the question he poses to you and to me: "But who do you say that I am?" (Matthew 16:15).scottdodge.blogspot.comKnowing Jesus more and moreMatthew 16:13-20 Today's Gospel is one that makes it very easy, not to mention tempting, to get really theological. The temptation is two... 011
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 16/08/2026Some thoughts on the readings for Year A, 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time:scottdodge.blogspot.comMercy unboundedReadings: Isaiah 56:1.6-7; Psalm 67:2-3.5-6.8; Romans 11:13-15.29-32; Matthew 15:21-28 An important aspect of today's Gospel that is ofte... 011
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 16/08/2026A very late traditio:scottdodge.blogspot.comBeing vulnerableOnce again this week I teetered on not posting. Maybe it's late summer malaise. If so, it is exacerbated by coming to grips with so many thi... 021
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 09/08/2026My homily for today: When faced with life’s unexpected twists and turns, especially when faced with inexplicable tragedies, unexpected disappointments, and unforeseen setbacks. . . where do you go? To whom do you turn?scottdodge.blogspot.comYear A Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary TimeReadings: 1 Kings 19:9a.11-13a; Psalm 85:9-14; Romans 9:1-5; Matthew 14:22-33 Last week’s Gospel found Jesus trying to get away to spend ... 011
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 07/08/2026Anyway, kind of a data dump and a Cistercian one at that. I really feel the need for interior renewal.scottdodge.blogspot.comInterior renewal, being grounded in RealityIt was touch-and-go as to whether I was going to post a traditio this week. Needless to say, it's been a fairly draining time. The good thi... 010
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 02/08/2026When tragedy strikes, we ask, "Where is God?"scottdodge.blogspot.comTragedy challenges God's loveNo sooner did I finish my reflection on this week's second reading from Romans chapter 8 about the all-encompassing nature of God's love th... 011
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 01/08/2026Reflecting, again, on our Romans reading: God's love provokes.scottdodge.blogspot.comThe scandal of God's loveRomans 8:35.37-39 Once again, I am reflecting on our reading from Romans. These inspired passages are vital for Christian faith. The beau... 010
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 31/07/2026Today's 'traditio.' It's safe to say, using a contemporary locution, that [Patti Smith] is "Catholic adjacent." It's no small thing to have a private audience with the pope. Leo must've wanted to meet her. He's a person both with great expanse and with depth- not a hollow man.scottdodge.blogspot.com"Rend the veil and we shall sail"As I slowly and by God's grace begin to emerge from my doldrums, hoping and praying for a better second half of 2026, today's traditio is a... 020
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 30/07/2026Specifically, the Pontiff asked why the diaconate as a permanent order of ministry has not been more widely implemented in the Church throughout the world.scottdodge.blogspot.comPope Leo XIV on the diaconateI recently finished Elise Ann Allen's Pope Leo XIV: A Biography . Back in May, I pretty much read the entire book with the exception of Alle... 010
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 26/07/2026Reflection on Romans reading: I am not even going to look at the entire passage from Romans, which consists of 3 verses. I'm only going to consider verse 28. It is a verse that gets cited a lot and not always in the best way. It often becomes a platitude, an unhelpful dismissal.scottdodge.blogspot.comGod loves you and calls you according to his purposesRomans 8:28-20 Once again, this week, I want to focus on the so-called "epistle reading." And, once again, I do so for two reasons. First... 010
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 24/07/2026I need to strive to better cultivate what Saint Ignatius called 'indiferencia.' This is not apathy. Instead, it is the ability to let go of what does not help me.scottdodge.blogspot.com"Use it any way you will"My longtime leitmotif of the Καθολικός διάκονος Friday traditio is the fleeting nature of time. "Now" is just the intersection of the past ... 010
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 19/07/2026Some thoughts on the "epistle reading" this week: Weeping, laughing, sighing, groaning, quietly listening, singing, just being silent are all ways of praying.scottdodge.blogspot.comPraying as I can, trusting the SpiritRomans 8:26-27 This week I am departing from commenting on the Gospel reading. Instead, I'm going to write about the epistle reading from... 020
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 11/07/2026Some thoughts on a familiar parable: Anyone who's been around for a while has seen the dynamics Jesus describes in the Parable of the Sower play outscottdodge.blogspot.comCultivating and conserving rich soilMatthew 13:1-23 In our Gospel this week, Jesus makes us insiders. He places us among those to whom he makes the mysteries of God's kingdo... 010
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 10/07/2026"Be patient with everyone, but above all with yourself..." Saint Francis de Salesscottdodge.blogspot.com"I want this light in my to show"Fridays have become, to use a word I don't like very much, a little "triggering" for me. But then, 2026 has not been a great year, as both m... 010
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 04/07/2026Some thoughts on the readings for Year A, 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time: We burden ourselves with so many things.scottdodge.blogspot.comRest in the LordReadings: Zechariah 9:9-10; Psalm 145:1-2.9-11.13-14; Romans 8:9.11-13; Matthew 11:25-30 "See, your king shall come to you; a just savior... 010
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 03/07/2026Sobering thoughts for a Friday: In my view, many recovery communities better model what the Church needs to become. This is due to the honesty that prevails in those groups.scottdodge.blogspot.com"I raise my hands to the sky as I climb to higher ground"It's been awhile since I posted a Friday traditio . This is largely due to the changes brought about by my major transition in work this yea... 010
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 27/06/2026A short reflection on Sunday's Gospel. No matter how you want to "frame" it, loving Christ first and foremost comes first in the 'ordo amoris.'scottdodge.blogspot.comReceive Christ, receive his loveMatthew 10:37-42 Our Gospel for this Sunday is provocative. But it's important not to change it from a provocation to scandal. In this pa... 011
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 21/06/2026My homily for today: Grace cannot be earned. God’s love cannot be earned. There’s no need to earn what you always already have. As we heard in our second reading, the grace of God overflows from the cross of Christ.scottdodge.blogspot.comYear A Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary TimeReadings: Jer 20:10-13; Ps 69:8-10.14.17.33-34; Rom 5:12-15; Matt 10:26-33 In his Letter to the Romans, Saint Paul asks, “If God is for u... 011
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 17/06/2026Ecumenism is Christians working together to foster communion among all who believe in Christ and are baptized into his death and resurrection.scottdodge.blogspot.comAn ecumenical noteWhen it comes to Christ's real presence in the Eucharist, Catholics, understandably, tend to focus intensely on his presence in the consecra... 021
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 16/06/2026As Christians, we are not compelled by the Law. Following Christ is not about complying with the checklist of holiness. Rather, as Saint Paul insisted, "For the love of Christ impels us" (2 Cor 5:14).scottdodge.blogspot.comA corollaryThis post is a corollary to my Sunday reflection on the epistle reading from Romans 5:6-11 . This following proposition also arises from the... 011
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 14/06/2026Some thoughts on a Sunday reading: To be a Christian is to be a grateful recipient of God's mercy given us in Christscottdodge.blogspot.comChrist died for usRomans 5:6-11 Okay, I did not preach this Sunday. Therfore, I can once again focus on the second, or "epistle," reading. This week's sec... 011
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 10/06/2026It's interesting being me these days. Of course, there are fundamental theological differences between Catholics and Latter-day Saints.scottdodge.blogspot.comWho is a Christian? Notes on a recent interviewToday, I was featured in an interview conducted by a reporter from a local television news station. See "What does it mean to be a Christian... 010
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 06/06/2026Corpus Christi: . . . the only truly convincing proof that the bread and the wine become Christ's body and blood are the lives of those who partake of it.scottdodge.blogspot.comWe are the Body of ChristReading: 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 Very often the second reading, sometimes known as the "epistle reading," is ignored. It's okay because th... 011
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 05/06/2026What comes after "No"? In essence, the Church teaches that chastity is "the successful integration of sexuality within the person, ensuring the inner unity of one's bodily and spiritual being" (CCC 2337).scottdodge.blogspot.comYou are beautifulProbably the greatest anthropological error in advanced societies today is the reduction of the human person to her/his sexuality. In short,... 011
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 03/06/2026"In a mystery we cannot fathom, God 'empties,' 'loses' Himself in bringing back to Himself His estranged, lost children." Ruth Burrows, OCDscottdodge.blogspot.comThe vulnerability of parental loveFor my morning prayer time this year, I have been using a book I found in a discard pile: An Ignatian Book of Days . Put together by Jim Man... 011
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 31/05/2026Some thoughts on the Most Holy Trinityscottdodge.blogspot.comSolemnity of the Most Holy TrinityJohn 3:16-18 According to the Church, it is possible for a person to come to the knowledge that there is a God on the basis of natural re... 011
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 29/05/2026My homily for today: At least according to Jesus, forgiving others “against whom you have a grievance” is necessary for your prayers to be answered.scottdodge.blogspot.comYear 2 Friday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary TimeReadings: 1 Peter 4:7-13; Psalm 96:10-13; Mark 11:11-26 There is a lot that can be gleaned from our readings this morning. But it’s neces... 121
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 24/05/2026Pentecost homily: With their Spirit-given ability to speak unknown foreign languages and proclaim salvation through Jesus Christ to all present, the apostles were able to begin God's work uniting humanity.scottdodge.blogspot.comPentecostReadings: Acts 2:1-11; Psalm 104:1.24.29-31.34; 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7.12-13; John 20:19-23 In Greek, “pentecost” means fiftieth. Jews ob... 011
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 22/05/2026My homily for today: But the third time the Lord asks Peter, “Do you love me,” He meets Peter where he’s at, so to speak.scottdodge.blogspot.comYear 2 Friday of the Seventh Week of EasterReadings: Acts 25:13b-21; Psalm 103:1-2.11-12.19-20; John 21:15-19 In today’s Gospel, the Risen Lord asks Peter, who betrayed Him three t... 031
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 17/05/2026My homily for today: Christ ascended so that He could send the Holy Spirit. By means of the Holy Spirit, the Lord can be closer to you than if He had remained bodily. The Holy Spirit is the mode of Christ’s resurrection presence among, in, and through us.scottdodge.blogspot.comAscension of the LordReadings: Acts 1:1-11; Psalm 47:23-.6-9; Ephesians 1:17-23; Matthew 28:16-20 Today we are celebrating Ascension Thursday. For those who d... 000
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 10/05/2026A reflection on today's first reading: Once in Samaria, like Stephen in Jerusalem, Philip "proclaimed Christ to them," that is, proclaimed Jesus as Messiah to the people of Samaria (Acts 8:5).scottdodge.blogspot.comDeacons extendedReading: Acts 8:5-8.14-17 Today finds me in rural Pennsylvania. I am here to lay my father-in-law to rest. He died in late January. It's ... 000
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 08/05/2026My homily for this morning: "Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy" Fr M. Louis O.C.S.O.scottdodge.blogspot.comYear 2 Friday of the Fifth Week of EasterReadings: Acts 15:22-31; Psalm 57:8-10.12; John 15:12-17 Along with “thy will be done,” having no greater love than laying down one’s lif... 000
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 06/05/2026A short reflection for our Marian celebration this evening: Just like I can’t pass up the opportunity to use the words “penultimate” or “juxtapose,” I can’t do a reflection on our Blessed Mother without at least mentioning 'hyperdulia.'scottdodge.blogspot.comReflection on the Blessed Virgin MaryMay and Mary differ by only one letter. Since May is traditionally the month dedicated to our Blessed Mother, maybe we should just call it “... 000
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 03/05/2026Both then, in the early Church being persecuted and now even in a comfortable culture, Christ is a 'skandalon.'scottdodge.blogspot.com"But they were looking for a king to conquer and to kill"Not sure why I am not inclined to deal with today's Gospel, which takes us back to Saint John's Last Supper Discourse. I think perhaps it's ... 000
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 02/05/2026Our first reading for today is what the Church, at least since Saint Irenaeus of Lyons, has taken to be the scriptural account of the institution of the diaconate.scottdodge.blogspot.comGood shepherds to good deaconsActs 6:1-7 Our first reading for the Fifth Sunday of Easter is what the Church, at least since Saint Irenaeus of Lyons, has taken to be t... 000
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 02/05/2026Some late thoughts on last Sunday's Gospel: ". . . there is only one Good Shepherd: Jesus Christ."scottdodge.blogspot.comBelated Short Reflection for Good Shepherd SundayEach year, the Fourth Sunday of Easter is observed as Good Shepherd Sunday. Understandably, this Sunday often used to encourage young men to... 000
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 01/05/2026Homily for today's Memorial of Saint Joseph the Worker: The antiphon for the Invitatory for today’s Memorial is: “Come let us worship Christ the Lord who was honored to be known as the son of a carpenter.”scottdodge.blogspot.comMemorial of Saint Joseph the WorkerReadings: Genesis 1:26-2:3; Psalm 90:3-4.12-14.16; Matthew 13:54-58 In 1955, Pope Pius XII made 1 May the feast of Saint Joseph the Work... 000
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 24/04/2026A homily for this Friday in Easter: Theologically, the two most difficult matters to address are the Blessed Trinity and the Holy Eucharist, perhaps followed by the hypostatic union.scottdodge.blogspot.comYear 2 Friday of the Third Week of EasterReadings: Acts 9:1-20; Psalm 117:1bc-2; John 6:52-59 It’s funny how so many people who take the entire Bible quite literally, thus readin... 000
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 19/04/2026A concentrated reflection on today's Gospel. The story of the road to Emmaus tells the story of the Word becoming flesh and how the Word still becomes flesh.scottdodge.blogspot.com"Were not our hearts burning. . .?"Luke 24:13-35 After quite a bit of planning and some fanagaling, I have a weekend off. Yesterday evening, after a long day of teaching, I... 000
Deacon Scott @deacondodge.bsky.social · 17/04/2026Homily for this Friday of Easter: The other day, driving down Orchard, I was behind a car that had on its back bumper a sticker that read: “If Jesus had owned a gun, he’d still be alive today.” Talk about an exercise not only in missing the point but in missing the most important point.scottdodge.blogspot.comYear 2 Friday of the Second Week of EasterReadings: Acts 5:34-42; Psalm 27:1.4.13-14; John 6:1-15 “And all day long, both at the temple and in their homes, they did not stop teach... 000
