The prophet Nahum, one of the “twelve minor prophets,” ministered in the seventh century BC. During his time the Assyrian empire was conquered by the Babylonians and their capital, Nineveh, was destroyed. Assyria had been previously destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel and so it was with a certain satisfaction that Nahum pronounces God’s judgement.… Read More »

There is something dissonant about the remembrance of the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima occurring on the the Feast of the Transfiguration. On the one hand you have Jesus appearing in the bright glory of God’s grace and peace. On the other hand you have the memory of the bright but destructive power… Read More »

The encounter between Jesus and the woman of Tyre and Sidon marks a dramatic shift in his ministry. When this pagan woman was begging for help Jesus answered:  “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” She pushes him to look at things from her perspective  and his understanding of his… Read More »

No one would accuse Jeremiah of being brother sunshine. He denounced those prophets who proclaim that everything is coming up roses. In the name of God he tells the people of Israel: Your pain is without relief because of your great guilt. However, he offered a word of encouragement as well. If they did repent… Read More »

Hananiah was a prophet. However, his message was directly contrary to the message of the prophet Jeremiah. He said everything is going to be hunky-dory. Jeremiah warns of destruction and woe. Jeremiah said he wished that he could believe in the up beat  message but that was not what God was revealing to him. He… Read More »

“I am convinced,” says St. Paul in the epistle to the Romans, “that nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Not the coronavirus, that’s for sure! We know that St. Paul had troubles and difficulties.  He enumerates some of them in his second epistle to… Read More »

In the US the “separation of church and state” has become such a sacred mantra that we seldom stop to examine its ambiguity. The state will always try to use the church for its own ends. It was the state in the person of the princes wrestling for power who protected the prophet Jeremiah after… Read More »

“A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house.” The prophetic word of both Jeremiah and Jesus was rejected. The people realized that if they heeded that word, if they listened to what the prophet was telling them of what God required, they would have to change. The… Read More »

There is an old Bruce Hornsby song with the lyric: “that’s just the way it is; some things will never change.” The Me Too movement and Black Lives Matter are testimony that things can change, that we can make society a little more just and peaceful. Change is also possible in our own lives. The… Read More »

The image of Martha as the “doer” and Mary as the “thinker” or “pray-er” might be one way of looking at the story of Jesus receiving hospitality in their home. However, when you look at what Jesus says to her another interpretation presents itself: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There… Read More »