In the letter to the Galatians, St. Paul reports on what has been called in the tradition as the “Council of Jerusalem.” (St. Luke gives his version in the Acts of the Apostles.) There was a sharp disagreement — among those we recognize as saints! — about what the Gospel of Jesus required. They had… Read More »

In his letter to the church in Galatia St. Paul reported on his conversion experience. This was a major event in the life of the Church — so important that St. Luke in the Acts of the Apostles tells the story three times, with slightly varying details. St. Paul doesn’t dwell on the event itself… Read More »

“And who is my neighbor?” That question addressed to Jesus is just as relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago. In fact, it might be more relevant because in this age in instant global communication the sense that we are all connected has deepened. Think of that image of the Syrian refugee baby washed… Read More »

“It is not good for the man to be alone.” You got that right. The same goes for the woman too. It is not good to be alone.  Jesus agreed. He thought that being together was better than being alone. He gathered people together wherever he went. He had a close knit group of apostles.… Read More »

After 38 chapters of poetry the Book of Job ends with a prose passage that basically says, “And he lived happily ever after.” Does that ring true to you? In my experience after a tremendous loss you are never the same. You can replace the sheep and the camels and the she-asses (!) but you… Read More »

At the end of the Book of Job God responds to all the accusations that Job has made about the unfairness of his life. Instead of justifying the divine actions, God, somewhat snarkily, demands that Job look at the magnificence of creation — the implication being if God can figure out how to spin the… Read More »

The book of Job resonates with the human experience. As people of faith we all can say: “But as for me, I know that my Vindicator lives.” (Cue the aria from Handel’s Messiah.) At the same time so often when we are going through grief or sorrow or loss we cry out: “Pity me, pity… Read More »

We read in the ninth chapter of the book of Job, “Should God seize me forcibly, who can say him nay? Who can say to him, ‘What are you doing?’” The next thirty chapter of the book are Job asking that exact question! That is the story of faith, isn’t it? We know that God… Read More »

Jesus inherited from his Jewish roots a belief in the presence of angels — a hierarchy of created, spiritual beings above humanity as diverse as the rest of creation below humanity . The feast of the Guardian Angels testifies to the Catholic understanding that God has assigned to each individual a special spiritual protection. In… Read More »

The Book of Job is a cry of the heart. Job dared to challenge God. Why do good people suffer? Shouldn’t the innocent be rewarded and the evil punished? The book begins with the prose explanation to how Job found himself in such dire straights. The bulk of the book is poetry — eloquent explorations… Read More »