There was a TV show in the early days of television called “You bet your life.” On the show no one literally bet their life but we find Jesus doing so in St. John’s account of the passion. In the trial scene with Pilate Jesus bets his life on the truth. “For this I was… Read More »

Today we begin the Triduum, the “three days,” leading up to Easter. The liturgies during these days are designed to help us enter fully into the Pascal mystery. They can be quite a workout: the up and down foot-washing, Eucharistic procession, reading the passion, long series of prayers, veneration of the cross, lighting the Easter… Read More »

A friend, Allen Wright, wrote a book: Silent Witnesses in the Gospels. He described how certain individuals appear in the Jesus story and play their part without any fanfare. Take, for example, the landlord who provided the space for the Last Supper. Jesus said, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him,… Read More »

The followers of Jesus were able to make sense of the events surrounding Jesus passion and death by referring to the Prophet Isaiah, particulaly what are known as the “servant songs.” They were written during the time of the exile of the Jewish people when all of their national hopes had been dashed. The Prophet… Read More »

Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil and anointed the feet of Jesus; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. All the gospels report the incident of the anointing of Jesus but each with a slightly different emphasis. In St. John’s telling the woman is not a “sinner” but instead one… Read More »

At a funeral or memorial service family members and friends often offer some thoughts about the deceased and what he or she meant to them. There is something similar going on in the Bible with this added bonus – Jesus has not gone away from us at death but through the resurrection is with us… Read More »

A wag once observed, a cynic is someone who knows the price of everything but the value of nothing. The truth of that aphorism can be seen in the high priest’s cynical comment about Jesus. “It is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may… Read More »

Historians see in the times of Jesus a society with a great deal of diversity: the Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, Herodians and several other groups all co-existed. However, when Jesus came on the scene that spirit of tolerance died. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of these… Read More »

Abraham is featured in the book of Genesis, in John’s gospel, and throughout the Bible. He is invoked as the father of faith for Jews, Christians and Muslims. One of the heroes of the post-Vatican II era, Dom Helder Camara, used the image of “Abrahamic minorities” as the key to a more just and peaceful… Read More »

Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” I used to have a poster with that saying of Jesus in bold print along the top. In smaller print on the bottom it read, “But first, it will make you miserable.” Think how that operates in fact: the truth is… Read More »