We tend to look with nostalgia at some of the giants of the past with admiration in a way that diminishes our sense of our times. Where is the Newton and Einstein today, the Rembrandt and Van Gogh, the Beethoven and Mozart, the Washington and Jefferson, the Rahner and Barth? Today’s artists, thinkers and leaders… Read More »

Jesus tells us to love our enemies. The conflict between King Ahab and the prophet Elijah provides an interesting perspective on the unexpected results of loving enemies. The king had acted in an unjust manner and the prophet confronted him. Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me out, my enemy?” Elijah proceeded to provide… Read More »

“Turning the other cheek” is one of those commands of Jesus that challenge us (me!). When someone hurts us or disrespects us, our (my!) tendency is to lash out. The reality is that the opportunities to turn the other cheek are more occasional than frequent. More challenging, because more frequent, is the word of Jesus:… Read More »

There was a movie a few years ago (is twenty-five a few?) called Good Will Hunting. The Will of the title had been beaten and abused as a child and the trauma of that experience created a disregard for others that led to criminal behavior as an adult. The heart of the movie is the… Read More »

The Church in Jerusalem sent Barnabas to go to Antioch … for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith. The “Church in Jerusalem” were local yokels. Barnabas was more cosmopolitan so he seemed better equipped to evaluate how things were going outside of the closed Jewish society they knew. In… Read More »

Psalm 27 has as its refrain: I long to see your face, O Lord. We as believers can all take that as our mantra. The temptation, though, is to imagine that seeing the face of God will be dramatic, unusual, spectacular. That seems to be what Elijah expected but he could not find God in the… Read More »

The Sermon on the Mount provides the outline of the Christian life. Jesus praises the law which has guided Jewish life: ” I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” He then describes what the fulfillment looks like in what are known as the six antithesis: you have heard this, but I say….  “Unless… Read More »

The readings assigned for today provide an interesting contrast. The Prophet Elijah looks for God to operate in dramatic and concrete ways. “The God who answers with fire is God.” Jesus introduces in the Sermon on the Mount the God of small things.  “Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the… Read More »

After the forty days of Lent and the fifty days of Easter we are back in “ordinary time.”  The scripture readings during this season are a “continuous reading” — going through a book of the Bible chapter by chapter. For the Old Testament lesson we turn to the book of Kings and hear about the… Read More »

In 2018 Pope Francis added a new Marian feast to the Universal Calendar of the Church. The day after Pentecost (Whitmonday which is a public holiday in many countries) is dedicated to Mary, Mother of the Church. The title goes back to St. Ambrose in the fourth century and was invoked often over  the years.… Read More »