Says the LORD. Indeed, like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, house of Israel. The image of God as the potter and we the clay reminds us that we are not finished yet. The potter continues to mold and shape the clay until it looks as intended. So… Read More »

I read the modern equivalent of Dear Abby (I can’t remember what the current iteration is called) every day. It is moral theology at its most basic. My guess is that about 90% of the advice sought has to do with problematic family interactions. Certainly the Bible has many examples of families that have a… Read More »

When we hear from the prophets they are usually doing one of two things: they are either fussing with the people telling them to shape up or consoling the people when things seem dire. A mantra meant for journalists fits the role of prophet: to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable.  Jeremiah fulfills… Read More »

 Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables. He spoke to them only in parables. By speaking in parables to reveal something of God, using the common everyday experiences that everyone would recognized, Jesus let us know that God is not out there but in here, with us. Jesus did not invent the parable form. Look… Read More »

In our parish we transfer the celebration of our patron, St. James, to this Sunday so that all can join in. As with anyone but the most prominent citizens of antiquity we know very little about St. James. The Bible reports an incident or two while he lived as a disciple of Jesus. There are… Read More »

We hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us. St. Paul contrasts our ordinariness, our fragility with the glory of faith in God which we possess. We don’t have faith because we are great but we are made great by the faith. There is another… Read More »

They will in those days no longer say, “The ark of the covenant of the LORD!” They will no longer think of it, or remember it,  or miss it, or make another. Some historical background: Jeremiah was a prophet during the time the Babylonians kept squeezing Judah — eventually to death. After 586BC there is… Read More »

The daily liturgy continues to introduce us to the Hebrew prophets. We’ve heard from Amos, Hosea, Isaiah and Micah. Jeremiah is one of the major prophets of the kingdom of Judah. He was active after the fall of the Northern Kingdom Israel and did his best to warn Judah that the same fate awaited them… Read More »

In the heady days after Vatican Council II priests would go to workshops to learn what the Council was all about. The seminarian training they had grown up with was no longer adequate. One of the priests came out of the session muttering under his breath the words of Mary Magdalene: “They have taken my… Read More »

The opening ceremony for each game at the World Cup began in a similar manner: a large flag for each of the contending team was spread on the field, the teams would walk in (holding children by the hand), then the national anthem for each team was sung. It was striking that every member of… Read More »