Jacob is one of the great heroes of the Bible. He became Israel, the father of the nation. He was, however, greatly flawed. He is sometimes called a trickster but let’s not kid ourselves. Jacob was a liar and a cheat. In the USA we try to wrap the father of our nation, George Washington,… Read More »

Periodically there are news items about this or that bishop refusing to give communion to a particular politician. The stated reason for such a refusal is that his political decisions are in opposition to the Church’s teachings and thus he does not deserve Holy Communion. In contrast, Pope Francis has been stressing that receiving Holy… Read More »

The story of the binding of Isaac (as it is known in Jewish traditions) has been the source of continual reflection among Jews, Christians and Muslims. Is this simply a demonstration of the rejection of human sacrifice on the part of God? Or, as some Christians have allegorized, does it serve as a foreshadowing of… Read More »

In the book of Genesis, Ishmael is the oldest son of Abraham, father of the faithful. Hagar is one of our mothers in faith. The Bible treats them with great reverence and their story ends with the promise of God that they are the ancestors of a “great nation.” In the Quran, Ishmael is considered… Read More »

“Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?” These words of Jesus are consoling but at the same time challenging. We are terrified because there are terrible things out there. We don’t always see the powerful word of the Lord calming the storms of life. But the message of scripture in so many ways… Read More »

St. Thomas had the right instincts. Genuine faith in Jesus comes when we are willing to touch his wounds. “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” The same is true of us. Our… Read More »

Throughout the history of the Church there have been martyrs. Certainly we remember the ancient Roman persecutions. Whenever the gospel is brought into a new land it provokes opposition and produces martyrs: Korea, Japan, Viet Nam, Uganda. When a “new order” is being imposed persecution results: the martyrs of England and Ireland, those killed during… Read More »

The encounter of Abraham and Sarah with the three heavenly visitors is a favorite story for believers. Rublev famously painted an icon of the scene as an image of the love of the Trinity. The point of the story is found in the words of “the Lord;” Is anything too marvelous for the LORD to do?… Read More »

If you want to make God laugh just describe your plans, goes the traditional saying. In the Bible it is not God but Abram and Sarai that laugh — not laughing “ha ha” but laughing “are you kidding me?” It is ridiculous to imagine that Abram at 99 and Sarai at 90 are going to… Read More »

Saints Peter and Paul are rightly viewed as the pivotal figures among the early followers of Jesus. They nurtured the Jesus movement from a small Jewish sect into a world wide Church. Of all their contemporaries they are the ones we know best. They come across as fully human characters with all of the strengths… Read More »