“Why do you speak to the crowd in parables?” This question posed by the disciples to Jesus is one worth answering. Jesus left us no list of commandments, no pillars of behavior to guide our actions. Rather, when asked specific questions he responded in parables, in open-ended stories that the listener must puzzle out for… Read More »

The call of the prophet Jeremiah and the parable of the sower serve to comment on each other. Jeremiah is reluctant to assume the role of prophet. God assures him that it is the word of the Lord that he will be delivering. The parable of the sower (as distinct from the commentary on it… Read More »

We live in a world that tries to divide us into “us and them.” In doing so we create enemies out of those who are other: the police are the other, black folk are the other, Mexican immigrants are the other, Muslims are the other. Hunkering down behind our barricades creates tension and fear. Jesus… Read More »

The prophet Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah and shared many of the same concerns. The destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel was a shot across the bow warning the southern kingdom of Judah to get right with God or to suffer the same fate. The prophetic message was: reform your lives and return… Read More »

Are you Martha or are you Mary? Everyone can relate to this story of Jesus having a dinner party with his friends. As we all know from experience it is the Marthas of this world that make for an enjoyable time. The people who work at being hospitable are a joy to be around. However,… Read More »

I went with Margaret the other day to the housing authority. She had received an eviction notice. We negotiated with the officials so that Margaret and the two grandchildren she was raising might be able to stay in her place. Reading the prophet Micah comes off not as an old, old story but as current… Read More »

Jesus invoked the prophetic tradition in his preaching: “it is mercy I desire, not sacrifice.” Pope Francis continues to stress that tradition in proclaiming this a Year of Mercy. To understand what that means in the concrete I thought of my mother. I am the oldest of six and I complained once that she was… Read More »