Today is the feast of Purim in the Jewish calendar and in the Catholic calendar the reading is taken from the book Esther. Providence suggests we think about the Biblical story. Queen Esther had recourse to the LORD. “As a child I used to hear from the books of my forefathers that you, O LORD,… Read More »

Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. Jesus knew the story of his people and drew from that history to help understand the significance of what was occurring during his life. It is the past that informs and shapes the present. That truth must… Read More »

We ordinarily think of the Word of God as something that comes down from God to us. So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; offering us instruction and guidance. We think of prayer as something that comes from us to God bringing to the throne of grace our praise, our hopes, our… Read More »

You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church. We have to be careful in thinking about the image of the “rock.” The faith is not a rock, something solid and unchanging that I received from someone else and then hand on to others. The faith is alive and as such grows… Read More »

Every year the first Sunday of Lent tells the story of the temptation of Jesus.  This year we hear St. Mark’s version. Those of us of a certain age will remember an early TV show, Dragnet Dum-de-dum-dum, where the main character, Sargent Friday, would start an interview with a witness by saying some version of… Read More »

If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech; If you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; Then light shall rise for you in the darkness. The scripture readings for the beginning of Lent set up a steady drum beat for justice. Religion, faith have in our culture… Read More »

This is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; Setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; Sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own. This admonition from the prophet… Read More »

During Ordinary Time the scripture readings are what is called a “continuous reading,” a lectio continua. We start reading from a book of the bible for the first reading and from one of the four gospels and just go through them chapter by chapter. During Lent the first and second reading are chosen to comment on each… Read More »

One of my favorite authors is Ursula LeGuin.  In one story a space traveler comes to a planet where they can actually predict the future. The natives do not think this is a very big deal much to the astonishment of the traveler. He asks the practitioner about it. He answers that they perfected this… Read More »

The story of Noah in the Bible is similar to other flood stories common among the people in the Middle East.  I will bring rain down on the earth for forty days and forty nights. Some who are obsessed about the actual historicity of events reported in the Bible seek for evidence of such a… Read More »