Doubtless Jesus did not enjoy the opposition his ministry engendered. He proclaimed the love of God and for that there were attempts on his life several times before his ultimate trial and execution. After one of those attempts St. John reports that Jesus “went back across the Jordan to the place where John first baptized,… Read More »

“I will give to you and to your descendants after you the land in which you are now staying, the whole land of Canaan, as a permanent possession; and I will be their God.” There were several major turning points in the history of the people of God: the call of Abraham, the exodus, the… Read More »

“How can this be?” Mary’s question to the angel is one we have all asked in our own way. In a world which responds to power, how can it be that God wants us to show compassion. In a world where the rich get rich and the poor get poorer, how can it be that… Read More »

The story of the bronze serpent in the Bible is strange. Moses did not intend for it to become a magical symbol (although in subsequent history it seemed almost an idol) but rather to confront the people with their sinfulness. They needed to look at what was bothering them square in the eye if they… Read More »

There’s an old (even old for me!) movie by Cecil B. DeMille called the King  of Kings. He stages the story of Jesus and the woman caught in adultery by the sea shore, not the temple. (And, by the way, why was only the woman caught in adultery?) When the Pharisees accuse the woman, Jesus… Read More »

“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Martha and Mary thought that things would have gone differently if their friend Jesus had been with them. Wasn’t he the one who loved them and cared about them? How come they were left with the loss and grief of this moment? Couldn’t… Read More »

In the Fourth Gospel St. John includes seemingly throw away lines which are actually commentary on the action. For example, when Judas leaves the Last Supper in the ultimate act of betrayal St. John says, “It was night” (John 13:30). That isn’t an observation about the time but the state of the soul of Judas.… Read More »

In the news recently have been reports that Cesar Chavez had committed crimes against women and girls. Honors that were bestowed in his memory are being withdrawn. This is an echo of the time when Martin Luther King, Jr. was accused of being a less than ideal character, one who had faults and failings. There… Read More »

I read (the current version of) Dear Abby in the paper everyday. Daily there is a letter complaining about some hurt or slight or pain that someone has experienced with the plaintive question: should I write the person who hurt me out of my life. Inevitably the answer is, maybe you should talk to the… Read More »

The Bible has many images for God. God is the lord of armies, the king of kings and Lord of Lords, the almighty, the creator of all that is, the holy one, the ancient of days. None of those titles are very endearing. They keep God at a distance, so far above us as to… Read More »