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In the days following the Thanksgiving Day weekend, our society, for the most part, is immersed up to its neck in what many consider to be rampant mass consumption as shoppers flock the stores and markets, looking for that perfect bargain, engaged in the rampant frenzy of a season when people are driven by a spirit of generosity, hoping to move their friends and loved ones with the perfect gift. It is a time of rapid shifting from a banquet of thanks, to the preparation for however they celebrate the Christmas holiday.

The story of the Great Catch of fish is told only twice among the four Gospels, once in Luke and again in John. The Gospel of Luke places the story at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and links it with the call of His first disciples. The Gospel of John places it at the end and associates it with the Resurrection. In both cases, the story concludes with an exchange between Jesus and Peter that sets Peter apart as first among equals in the apostolic role of both “fisherman” and “shepherd”.

Of the four Gospels, John has the most elevated, mystical presentation of the mystery of Jesus. As such, some have proposed a number of places where the Gospel can in fact end, having presented the true efficacy of the life and death of Christ in symbolic or theological language or stories.

A popular question when facing a moral dilemma or an application of the Christian faith is: “What would Jesus do?” or “What would Jesus say?” While it can be a deep reflection on what it means to imitate Christ, have you ever noticed that those who ask the question, invariably answer that question the same way, regardless of the issue at hand – “What do you know! Jesus would do exactly what I would do!”

With the recent birth of the third child of Prince William of Wales and his wife Catherine, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, came a great deal of speculation as to what name they would choose. At the birth of their firstborn there was even greater expectation that the name chosen would speak to the traditions and institutions of English history, particularly of the monarchy, as the child, along with his father, (the future William V) and grandfather (the future Charles III) are in direct succession to the British crown, following Queen Elizabeth II. With the name, George, the young prince will become the seventh of that name to sit on the throne of England, the continuation of a dynasty of Hanoverian monarchs, who eventually took the more British name of Windsor during World War I. Truly the name of the future George VII speaks to the history of the current ruling dynasty, as well as the historical Act of Succession that only a Protestant should sit on the English throne.

The Gospel according to John is divided into two main parts – The Book of Signs and The Book of Glory. Between these two parts, John 12:20-30 marks the virtual halfway point in the Gospel of John. As the Book of Signs wraps up and the Gospel flows into the Book of Glory, Jesus sets His sights on preparing for his glorification.

At the conclusion of the novel “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” (the fifth of the series), Harry is mourning the death of Sirius Black, his godfather and close friend. The manner of death was being blown through a mysterious stone arch, a thin veil covering the entrance, behind which could be heard faint, whispering voices.

Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines the word “encourage” as “to inspire with courage, spirit, or hope.” The word “inspire” has a similar definition: “To influence, move, or guide the intellect or emotions” but includes “by divine or supernatural action or power.”

If you’ve heard one story of Jesus curing a blind man you’ve pretty much heard them all, whether it be of Jesus smearing mud paste, simply touching the man’s eyes, whether the man cries out to the “Son of David” or first experiences his cure by seeing people who look like “walking trees,” after which Jesus sternly orders them to tell no one.

According to USA Today, (May 25, 2014) the ratio of priests to parishioners in 2010 was 1:1,653. That would mean if each priest spent six minutes with each parishioner, he would have two hours and 42 minutes left per week to eat, sleep, pray and rest.

In the Disney film, “Mary Poppins,” one of the more aggravating qualities of the magical nanny, to Mr. George Banks, is that he cannot understand her eccentric ways that seem to energize his children as he never could.