“If you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest.” Jesus lived in an agricultural society and used images that people could relate to. The parable of the sower made sense to them. The image of weeds and wheat growing up in the same field… Read More »

The Ten Commandments contain this admonition: “You shall not have other gods besides me. You shall not carve idols for yourselves.” Whew, you can think, I might have trouble with some of the commandments but at least I am not an idol carver. Israel’s neighbors had idols. In fact, one of the ways a conquering… Read More »

“We hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us.” The image of an “earthen vessel” is given to us on the feast of an apostle, St. James, our patron. It serves as a vivid reminder that those who bring good news, the gospel, to others… Read More »

“A Sower went out to sow.” The way Jesus tells the parable focuses on the sower. In the explanation of the parable a little later in the chapter the emphasis shifts to what happens to the seed after it is sown and most times that is where preachers have tended to focus. Are we good… Read More »

First it was Ireland, and now Poland. The Catholic Faith which was a given in those countries is waning in importance. In Latin America the presence of the evangelical sects has been happening for some time but in a recent census in Mexico the fastest growing group were “the nones,” those with no religious affiliation.… Read More »

“Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Grieving is a universal human experience. Loss is something that we all go through. So in one sense, Jesus asking twice about Mary Magdalene’s weeping seems odd. Weeping is appropriate when the one you love has been “taken away.” In the Gospel Jesus is warning… Read More »

Radical hospitality is a buzz word in church circles today. The idea is simple — in a world full of strife and division, church is the place were “all are welcome.” Of course this is not a new idea; it is as old as faith itself. Father Abraham practices radical hospitality when he welcomed the… Read More »

“The time the children of Israel had stayed in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years.” That’s a long time. 430 years ago the English were enjoying their defeat of the Spanish Armada! What would you like to say to your 21-times great-grandfather? The Biblical point is that God always comes on time. Maybe it’s… Read More »

“Your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do.” This accusation hurled at Jesus has echoed through the ages. Being a priest in Elizabethan England was unlawful — and hundreds were martyred. Sitting at a lunch counter in the Southern US was unlawful. Hundreds were jailed for doing so. When Dr. King was asked about… Read More »

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me … For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” Jesus used an image that his hearers would be familiar with — that of a plow team. The yoke enables the two animals to combine their strength to complete the work at hand. Jesus wants us… Read More »