Who does the hospitality after Mass today? Martha. Who will set up for St. James day next week? Martha. And clean-up? Martha. Who goes to visit the sick and shut-in of the parish? Martha. Who is on the parish council and the various committees? Martha. Who waters the flowers and sets up for Mass and… Read More »

The lectionary (daily Bible readings) is taking a quick tour through the Old Testament prophets. Micah was a rough contemporary of Isaiah but without his influence in the palace. He was more a man of the people, particularly the poor. During his time the northern kingdom of Israel was destroyed and the population sent into… Read More »

Like King Hezekiah we often pour out our hearts in prayer asking some favor. We feel blessed when the favor is granted. I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will heal you… I will add fifteen years to your life. I was talking with a priest once who was recovering from a… Read More »

The Prophet said: The way of the just is smooth. Jesus said, “Come to me … and I will give you rest.” These promises, though, come with a cost. To experience the smoothness, the rest we must first take on the “yoke” of Jesus.  We should look on this as a swap — taking off… Read More »

My scripture teacher used to call Matthew 11 “a Johannine lightening bolt in a Matthean sky.” The direct address of Jesus to God as “my Father” which is typical in St. John shows up here in St. Matthew’s gospel. It strengthens the opinion that these are an accurate memory of the words of Jesus. You… Read More »

The readings this summer provide a small tour through the Jewish prophets. They began with Amos and Hosea and this week turn to the greatest of the prophets, Isaiah. Amos and Hosea are outsiders — they are the ones holding up a protest sign outside the palace. Isaiah is the classic insider. He was born… Read More »

Isaiah, like the prophets before him, is more concerned about how the faith of Israel is lived out then about religious observence.  Trample my courts no more! Bring no more worthless offerings; … cease doing evil;  learn to do good. Make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow. The… Read More »

A priest, a minister and a rabbi are trying to decide how much to give to charity. So the priest says, we’ll draw a circle on the ground, we’ll throw the money way up in the air and whatever lands inside the circle, we give to charity. The minister says “no”, we’ll draw a circle… Read More »

The prophet Isaiah is so important both in Jewish and Christian thinking that he is frequently referred to as the capital “P” Prophet. The account of his call to become a prophet reminds us that no one chooses to a prophetic vocation but that God chooses them. Isaiah’s call came from two sources: first, his… Read More »

Israel had the misfortune of lying between the two superpowers of the time — Egypt and Assyria. With so much of the region being desert, the only invasion route with adequate water and resources went through Israel. The kings of Israel tried to play one off against the other in a game of realpolitik. The… Read More »