I just saw the much talked about film “Project Hail Mary.” It's very entertaining and uplifting and features a fine performance from Ryan Gosling. But what most intrigued me were the powerful Christian themes at play in it. The title, of course, refers to the Hail Mary pass in football, since the adventure undertaken is a fairly desperate attempt to save the planet. But it also becomes eminently clear that the reference is not just to football but to the Blessed Mother herself, for the Gosling character is undoubtedly a Christ-figure. I don't want to give away too much of the plot, but it involves a willingness to sacrifice one's life utterly in order to deliver the entire human race from disaster. It is, of course, no accident that Gosling's character is called Ryland Grace, for throughout the movie, his presence and actions constitute undeserved favor to others. A particularly intriguing character in the film is a sober German scientist who relentlessly presses Grace to make the supreme sacrifice, even when he is unwilling. She represented for me the great moral demand that presses upon us throughout our lives, continually summoning us to self-gift. A last observation: Jesus had a second in command whom he called Peter (the Rock); Ryland Grace has a very unusual sidekick whom he calls “Rocky.” I'll leave it at that.
I know lots of people say that Christianity is in irreversible decline and that we are inhabiting, at least in the West, a post-Christian society. I'm not so sure. Like it or not, we remain a Christ-haunted culture—and a film like “Project Hail Mary” makes this clear.
As we celebrate the Solemnity of the Mother of God today (1 Jan), let us recall the place where, in 431, almost 200 bishops gathered and debated the nature of Christ's personhood. This photo shows all that remains of the Basilica of St Mary in Ephesus; the basilica was ruined by invading Arabs in the 7th century, although it remained in use as a sacred place until the 11th century.
In this sacred space, St Cyril of Alexandria argued that
“We must not think that the holy Virgin gave birth to some unspecified man, into whom the Word descended later; no, we must believe that there was one single reality from the first moment in his Mother’s womb… This is why we do not hesitate to call the holy virgin Theotokos, not in the sense that the divine nature of the Word took its origin from the holy Virgin, but in the sense that he took his holy body, gifted with a rational soul, from her. Yet, because the Word is hypostatically united to this body, one can say that he [the eternal Word] was truly born according to the flesh”.
https://t.co/Oyd0w9yNZz
The Bethlehem manger wasn't random; it was prophetic.
A lot of folks don't realize that when the Bible talks about Jesus being laid in a manger, the Greek word for it is "phatne," which just means a feeding trough. In Bethlehem back then, these were often carved from stone.
What's really striking about this is the shepherds around there. They raised lambs specifically for Temple sacrifices. Right after birth, they'd check each lamb for any flaws and put the perfect ones in a manger to keep them safe from getting hurt, since only spotless lambs could be used in offerings to God.
So here comes the Lamb of God himself, placed in the exact spot where those sacrificial lambs were protected.
And who do the angels tell about his birth? Not rulers or religious leaders, but these shepherds, guys who knew all about sacrifice, blood, purity, and flawless lambs.
When the angels said, "You'll find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger" (Luke 2:12), it clicked for them right away.
This wasn't some ordinary child. He was the ultimate Lamb, the one who'd remove the world's sin. From day one, Jesus was set apart for sacrifice, not by people, but by God.
"Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." (John 1:29)
*Jesus is the reason for the season.
Merry Christmas!
We had a special visitor come by the parish before Christmas. He told us “This Church and you all are a major reason why this happened.”
Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
Congratulations, Fernando and a Merry Christmas!
“All men, whether collectively or individually, are under the dominion of Christ. In him is the salvation of the individual, in him is the salvation of society.” — Pius XI
Behold Christ the King!
Pope Leo XIV to university students: “As a young man, Saint Augustine was brilliant but deeply unsatisfied, as we read in his autobiography, The Confessions. He searched everywhere — in success and in pleasure — and got involved in all sorts of things, but he could find neither truth nor peace. When he discovered God in his own heart, he wrote a very profound phrase that applies to all of us: “My heart is restless until it rests in you.” This is what it means to educate ourselves for the interior life: to listen to our restlessness and not flee from it or fill it with things that do not satisfy. Our desire for the infinite is a compass that tells us: “Do not settle — you are made for something greater;” “do not simply get along, but live.””
"So, you spent your whole inheritance?"
"All of it, yeah"
"And now you're feeding pigs in a dead-end job?"
"Yes, Dave"
"And your father isn't even dead yet?"
"That's right, Dave"