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The 70 disciples play key role in overthrowing worldly powers
By Glen Argan Empowered by Jesus, 70 disciples – that is, all of us – head out in pairs into “the midst of wolves” to prepare the way for Jesus and to proclaim, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” They return later, giddy with the success of their mission: “Lord, in your…
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Quebec’s war on religion no source of pride
By Glen Argan (Originally published in The Catholic Register) Since the Quiet Revolution of the 1960s, Quebec governments have been bent on driving religion out of their culture. Ironically, this campaign has coexisted with the broader campaign to preserve Quebec’s uniqueness in an English-speaking North America. I say “ironically” because it was the Catholic Church…
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Are we able to slaughter the oxen?
By Glen Argan For Elisha, turning back was no longer an option. A wealthy man who received a call from the prophet Elijah, Elisha slaughtered his twelve yoke of oxen, boiled the flesh and fed the people. He closed the door on his past and became Elijah’s servant. His possessions and his material security were…
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Offering of bread and wine represents call to give deeply of ourselves
By Glen Argan The choice of the Gospel for Sunday’s celebration of Corpus Christi – the Feast of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ – is slightly perplexing. Here we celebrate Christ’s real presence in the Eucharist, and the Gospel provided is that of the multiplication of the loaves and fish. Look more closely,…
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We all share responsibility for fate of Indigenous women
By Glen Argan (Originally published in The Catholic Register, June 16, 2019) In our liturgy, Catholics confess that we have “greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do.” Sin takes more than one form, and often what we fail to do…
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Trinity Sunday an opportunity to jettison authoritarian notion of God
By Glen Argan Trinity Sunday is an invitation to get our understanding of God right. This may seem like an abstract, intellectual exercise, but it is not. It has enormous ramifications for our lives and for our world. The 20th century theologian Karl Rahner once wrote that although most Christians profess a belief in the…
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Jesus transforms fear, abolishes sin by sending his Spirit
By Glen Argan It is not human to desire suffering. We recoil from any experience of suffering, whether it be physical, emotional or spiritual. Yet our redemption is founded on Christ’s suffering and death. Sunday’s Gospel tells of “the disciples” cowering behind locked doors on Easter Sunday out of fear of “the Jews.” Jesus enters…
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Modi’s mysticism does not overcome sectarian tribalism
(Originally published in The Catholic Register, Toronto) By Glen Argan The overwhelming election victory of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party has heightened fears among members of the nation’s minority religions, including Christians. Yet Christians in the Western world might well learn some lessons, both positive and negative, from Modi’s politics of Hindu…
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Luke’s Ascension accounts give different messages
By Glen Argan St. Luke sees Jesus’ Ascension into heaven as the turning point of world history. Why else would the evangelist tell the story twice – once as the conclusion of his Gospel and the second as the launching point of the Acts of the Apostles? Both versions are included among the readings for…
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Jesus’ going to the Father brings us profound peace
By Glen Argan When Jesus declared during his Last Supper discourse, “If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father.” Going away?! Rejoice! “How could we rejoice that our beloved Jesus is going away?” they would have asked themselves. Yet, one lesson of life is that letting a beloved friend…
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