We read in the gospel of Luke: Jesus summoned the Twelve … and he sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God. We read in St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians: “I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”  Jesus preached the kingdom of God; Paul and the rest of the apostles preached… Read More »

For the next several days the scripture readings will be taken from what, in the Christian tradition, we call the Wisdom Literature. In the Hebrew Bible these books are simply called “the writings.” The first selections are from the Book of Proverbs, a collection of sayings on how to live a godly life. Many cultures… Read More »

There is a wonderful painting by Caravaggio, The Calling of Saint Matthew. The scene: group of dandies dressed in the finest clothes are seated around the counting table. Jesus is depicted as having entered the building and pointing to the tax collector. Matthew points to himself in a “who me?” gesture. The picture describes not just… Read More »

We tend to have a stereotype in our head of a child coming in from trick or treating on Halloween clutching his or her stash of candy. When mother says, “Why don’t you share some of that with your sister” there is immediate resistance. “This is my candy.” What researchers into child psychology have found… Read More »

As befits a primarily agricultural economy images from farming are predominant in the Bible. Farmers, planting, reaping, weeds, etc. all serve as metaphors for spiritual realities. Seeds are mentioned frequently, perhaps because of the almost miraculous power they possess. Put a tiny acorn in the ground and eventually that seed produces a mighty multi-ton oak.… Read More »

You can picture St. Luke’s wife telling him, “Don’t forget to mention the women.” His is the only gospel that particularly mentions the role of women right up there with the twelve apostles. Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another… Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women who had been cured of… Read More »

A few years ago there was a book published entitled “The 100 Most Influential People in History.” According to this list Number One was the Prophet Mohammed. The author argued that, while Jesus (#3 on the list) has inspired billions of followers, his movement was dependent on St. Paul to be successful. St. Paul would… Read More »

Human nature hasn’t changed much over the centuries. One thing is true, no matter what you do you will be criticized. Jesus observed how he was criticized for one thing and John the Baptist for the opposite: ‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance. We sang a dirge, but you did… Read More »

We tend to think of suffering as something to avoid. Mothers can tell you that suffering is woven into their job description. The only picture my mother had on her bureau was of my youngest brother playing in the surf when he was a toddler. She explained that picture symbolized motherhood for her — the… Read More »

In the play Man of La Mancha Aldonza asks Sancho Panza why he is following Don Quixote. “What do you get out of it?” she questions. “You’ve gotten nothing.” Her question is a reminder that there is a human tendency to wonder “what’s in it for me?” St. Paul, explains the meaning of the cross not… Read More »