The Song of Songs is an anomaly in the Bible. It doesn’t talk about God, the Covenant, the commandments, Israel, sin, wisdom or any of the usual topics you would expect in the Bible. The book instead is an example of erotic love poetry that would be completely at home in a secular context. Yet, there… Read More »

You would think after an angel told you “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you” that you would feel pretty good.  That was not what Mary experienced. St. Luke reports, “she was greatly troubled at what was said.” Why would you be “greatly troubled” after hearing such positive words? Perhaps because most of the… Read More »

How you ask something can carry more weight than the actual question itself.  Zechariah responds to the angel’s announcement of the birth of John the Baptist by asking, “How shall I know this?” Mary responds to the announcement of the birth of Jesus by asking, “How shall this be?” Zechariah’s question has an edge of cynicism… Read More »

We tend to punctuate things by major events. The American Revolution! The Civil War! Jeremiah does the same thing for the people of Judah. Do you remember that great thing God did for the people at the Exodus? God is going to do something equally great in the restoration from exile. “As the LORD lives, who… Read More »

One technique that scientists use to track down diseases is a genogram. Putting the medical history of one’s ancestors on the family tree helps doctors to locate what diseases are inherited and the risk an individual patient might face. They have even used a genogram to track mental health issues; for example, does depression tend… Read More »

Wouldn’t it be great if there was some person so highly respected nowadays that you could go up to him or her and ask, “What should we do?” That’s what the crowds, the tax collectors, the soldiers were able to do with John the Baptist. They had questions about how they should act, how they… Read More »

Elijah is one of the most memorable figures in Judaism. To this day, when a Jewish family sits for their Passover meal they set an extra place “for Elijah.” It is no surprise that the followers of Jesus were curious about Elijah … and only a little surprising that Jesus names John the Baptist as… Read More »

The example of Jesus demonstrates that no matter you do, you are going to be criticized. John the Baptist was criticized for being too rigorous, Jesus for being too lax. Of course, that human tendency to find fault continues up to today. Some Catholics were critical of Pope Benedict for being too aloof and theological.… Read More »

Modern educational theory has discovered that having a poor self-image or low self-esteem leads to poor choices and diminished prospects. No wonder, therefore that efforts to bolster self-image and esteem can lead to strange conclusions; for example, that all the children in Lake Woebegon are “above average.” You have to wonder what modern educators would… Read More »

The feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe helps to orient us to proper devotion to the Blessed Mother. When she appeared on December 9, 1531 to a newly baptized Juan Diego, she looked like him, she dressed like him, she spoke his language. She belonged in the environment where she found herself. This serves as… Read More »