How to deal with sinners is a perennial issue. Jesus had to confront the issue when the sinful woman anointed him at the home of Simon the Pharisee. The saints for today, Cornelius and Cyprian, developed a system of reconciling those who sinned by apostacy during persecution when some wanted such sinners to remain excluded.… Read More »

Early on in my time as a campus minister at LSU a young woman came to see me because she was worried — worried about how she would cope with the “empty nest” syndrome. As I probed a bit it turned out she did not have any children yet nor was she married. Needless to… Read More »

In the Book of Numbers, chapter 21 we read that the people complained against God and Moses. I think of this as the “what have you done for me lately” chapter. The people had escaped slavery, been led through the Red Sea, been fed with manna from the heavens, had flocks of quail provide dinner… Read More »

It is my wish, then, that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger or argument. The idea of praying by “lifting up holy hands” reflects the common prayer practice of the early church. Portraits in the catacombs and other early Christian art portray people standing with arms upraised, palms… Read More »

Do you think that Jesus was a bit unfair with Peter? Jesus chides him because he was “thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” I imagine Peter responding, “how am I supposed to think? I am a human being after all.” Human beings think in terms of what is best for me… Read More »

Back in the day, (WAAAY back in the day), I used to be a youth minister. The group used to role play being in Roman times and brought before the emperor for trial. The Prosecutor would ask: “Is there enough evidence to convict this person of being a Christian.” The evidence brought forth never included… Read More »

Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our savior to Timothy, my true child in faith. The two letters to Timothy and the one to Titus are referred to as the “pastoral epistles.” They put an emphasis on church governance and for this reason nineteenth century scholars (mostly protestant) were reluctant to accept… Read More »

Since the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were written down long after the events described, it contains layers. In the text is the memory of what Jesus said and did. Then the story was shaped as told and re-told by the Church for generations. Finally, the evangelist wrote down the story in a… Read More »

The Lord will give them up, until the time  when she who is to give birth has borne, And the rest of his brethren shall return to the children of Israel. The Bible does not talk about the birth of Mary. Christian imagination has invented pious legends to fill in what we don’t know. My… Read More »

St. Luke tells us that after Jesus spent the night in prayer he selected the twelve apostles. I’m sure that they were honored at being chosen. But what about the ones who weren’t chosen, did they feel passed over? We know the names of at least two of them from the Acts of the Apostles… Read More »