The children of Israel complained to God about their “wretched food” — the manna and the quail which came to them as a unearned gift and were keeping them alive as they wandered forty years in the desert. Complaining is a human constant. In this political season everyone seems to be complaining about something. Sure,… Read More »
March 13, 2016 Bulletin
March 13, 2016 wk 15 Bulletin web
MARCH132016
On December 1, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks, a local seamstress, refused to obey the segregation laws and give up her seat on the bus to a white man. For this act of civil disobedience she was arrested. That arrest was the small pebble which started an avalanche ultimately leading to the end of… Read More »
MARCH112016
I try to imagine what kind of person would “beset the just one” or would try to kill Jesus. Certainly no one like me! But then I think of Dorothy Day. How much I admired her outreach to the hungry and the homeless that continues today in the various Catholic Worker houses. Yet I confess… Read More »
MARCH102016
One of the characteristic complaints that God expresses toward the Jewish people is that they are “stiff-necked.” I never quite got that as a criticism until I slept wrong one day and woke up with a stiff neck. When I got into the car I realized how dangerous a stiff neck could be. I had… Read More »
MARCH92016
The Bible gives us many images of God: King of Kings, Lord of Lords. Since I don’t know many kings or lords that is not really a helpful image of God for me. Even the more beloved images, like the Good Shepherd, don’t really connect with my experience since I don’t run into shepherds very… Read More »
MARCH82016
Jesus asked the paralytic by the pool of Bethesda, “Do you want to be well?” You can almost imagine the sick man saying “DUH, of course.” But what he does instead is make excuses for all the reasons he is not well. What Jesus is really asking him, will you do those things which will… Read More »
MARCH62016
How did we end up here? We certainly didn’t all start from the same place. Maybe you started as Peter Prodigal and did all the good things the bad boys do. After trying this, that, and the other thing in striving for happiness you discovered that nothing worked. In fact, pretty soon you found yourself… Read More »
MARCH72016
The first half of St John’s gospel is referred to as the Book of Signs. Jesus’ words and deeds are signs of the presence of God in our midst. For the Fourth Evangelist those signs promote belief. The signs of the presence of God continue to surround us. How can you not be filled with… Read More »
MARCH52016
The parable of the Pharisee and the Publican illustrates the problem with the very human tendency to make comparisons. Is Ziva David better than Ellie Bishop? Is the pitcher we traded for better than the other? Which is the lesser of the evils that I should vote for in the next election? Jesus wants us… Read More »
