The entire congregation of Israel decreed that the days of the dedication of the altar should be observed with joy and gladness on the anniversary every year for eight days. Even though the Books of Maccabees is not part of the Hebrew Bible this memorial feast continues to be celebrated by the Jewish people every year… Read More »

As you come down the Mount of Olives you come to a church called “Dominus Flevit,” the Lord wept. You can see the city of Jerusalem spread out before you and can imagine this as the spot St. Luke remembers in the Gospel.  As Jesus drew near Jerusalem, he saw the city and wept over… Read More »

The books of Maccabees are not included in the Hebrew Bible (nor in the Protestant Bible.) The Catholic traditions included the first two books of the Maccabees because of their presence in the Greek Bible. It is in these books that there is clear evidence of a belief in the blessing of eternal life. “The… Read More »

Today in Baltimore the US Bishops are having a debate about the worthy reception of the Eucharist. The story of Jesus’ encounter with Zacchaeus suggests that the discussion should not center around who to exclude but rather how to include everyone. Then as now there are people who look on others as unworthy, unfit, beyond… Read More »

After the death of Alexander the Great his kingdom was split among his generals. The territory of Israel was controlled by the Seleucid monarchy. In 167 BC the Seleucid king decided to abolish Judaism. He thought it would be better if the country had only one religion. (There are political figures in the US who… Read More »

Growing up in a row home in Baltimore my knowledge of nature was pretty much limited to raking leaves and mowing the lawn. Now that I live next to the Just Roots Farm I have come to appreciate many of the images that Jesus used in the Bible. Like most people for most of history… Read More »

The parable usually called the “importunate widow” (when was the last time you used “importunate” in a sentence?) has been interpreted as an admonition to pray unceasingly. Because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her. While ceaseless prayer is certainly good advice a closer look at the parable offers… Read More »

They were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building [when] fire and brimstone rained from the sky to destroy them all. So it will be on the day the Son of Man is revealed. Jesus warns us that it is so easy to get caught up in the stuff of daily life that we lose the… Read More »

Leo Tolstoy wrote a book entitled, The Kingdom of God is within You. It is powerful mediation on the conversion each individual is called to make to be faithful to the Gospel. However, the personal nature of the Kingdom of God that Tolstoy describes is not what Jesus had in mind when he said (in… Read More »

The Wisdom Literature in the Bible reflects a genre of writing which was common in the ancient world. The elite were given special training so they would have wisdom and govern wisely. Wisdom in the Bible shows a shift from this emphasis on the ruling class and exhibits are democratizing spirit. The Lord of all… Read More »