In the days and weeks after Easter we read from the Acts of the Apostles. These stories tell us that the Resurrection of Jesus was not something that only transformed him. His followers, the apostles and disciples, were transformed as well at the Resurrection of Jesus. Before the Resurrection they were fear-filled, vacillating, doubting; after,… Read More »

Some stories are too good to be true. Lucy is not going to hold that football this time so that Charlie Brown can kick it. You really aren’t going to get a million dollars from the prince of Wakanda if you just send him your bank account number. That car really doesn’t have such a… Read More »

This is from an ancient sermon (about 180AD) concerning Holy Saturday: “Something strange is happening — there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and He… Read More »

In the days when Christ was in the flesh,  he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. This is the way the Epistle to the Hebrews talks about the scene in Gethsemane. Remember he… Read More »

As we read in the Epistle, on the night before he died, Jesus had supper for the last time with his friends. During the meal he took bread, blessed it, broke it and shared it. We follow his commandment to do as he did in memory of him every Sunday, indeed, every day, as we… Read More »

“What are you willing to give me?” That is the question Judas asked. Whenever we find ourselves asking “what’s in it for me” we are asking the Judas question. Any sports fan can tell you that when a member of a team focuses on his playing time or the amount of points she is scoring… Read More »

St. John’s gospel was carefully written. Even in the midst of telling the story the fourth evangelist throws in little phrases that make you pause and think. For example, at the Last Supper when Jesus is confronting his betrayer, dealing with his denier, and predicting his abandonment St. John adds:  And it was night. Earlier in… Read More »

All the gospels report the story of the anointing of Jesus’ feet. By the time the story is told by St. John the unnamed woman has become his good friend, Mary. Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair.  In addition, the generic… Read More »

  What would it take for someone to would recognize that Jesus was the Son of God? Maybe it would be when he cured the paralyzed man? Or when he raised Jairus’ daughter from death? Maybe when he fed five thousand with only five loaves and two fish? Perhaps walking on water or calming the… Read More »

Economists and sociologists talk about the “law of unintended consequences.” You think you are doing one thing but it produces an unexpected result. For example, using fossil fuels to power modern society has the unintended result of global warming. Caiaphas, the chief priest, produced an unintended result in the decision to kill Jesus. He prophesied… Read More »