The call of the prophet Isaiah is one of the iconic moments in the Bible. “Here I am, send me,” said the prophet in response to God’s call for volunteers. We all strive for the freedom to be able to respond to God’s call to us. Look at all that led up to that moment… Read More »

Sometimes the prophets warn the people to change their ways with threats of fire and brimstone. At other times the prophets urge the people to change by holding out a vision of the “new heaven and the new earth” that God has in store for those who are filled with love. Hosea, while certainly using… Read More »

The prophet Hosea is part of a tradition that finds the presence of God in the realities of human life. A mother caring for her child, making sure the child is fed, even holding the child up to her cheek becomes for the prophet the image of God caring for the people of Israel. Often… Read More »

We are an “apostolic church” because only the testimony of the apostles tells us about Jesus. He left no record except in the hearts of his followers. When the evangelists mention the naming of the “twelve apostles” we sit up and take notice. What I find most interesting is that we know so little about… Read More »

Jesus pitied the crowd because they “were troubled and abandoned.” Things don’t change all that much. This election cycle seems to be driven by crowds that feel troubled and abandoned. There is a difference though between then and now. Modern politicians blame the problem as lying with someone else. The reason you feel the way… Read More »

The prophet Hosea uses his personal tragedy as an analogy to understand the relationship of God with the people of Israel. His inability to preserve his marriage serves as a metaphor for God’s inability to keep Israel faithful to the divine covenant despite all of the effort God has expended. Hosea wants to recapture his… Read More »

Opening lines can set the tone for the entire book to follow. Moby Dick: “Call me Ishmael.” Leo Tolstoy: “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Charles Dickens: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was… Read More »

Like many of the Old Testament prophets Amos proclaims that the “word of the Lord” which came to him included warnings, threats, admonitions, judgment, punishment. He insists that God wants the people to change, to be converted, to live a more Godly life. But he can’t leave it there — besides the stick he also… Read More »

Several years ago some bishops made news for refusing to give Holy Communion to politicians whom they believed were not sufficiently decisive in supporting life. There was a mood in some quarters suggesting the need for a “smaller but purer Church.” Pope Francis has a different approach. His emphasis on mercy, highlighted in proclaiming this… Read More »

God creates. God redeems. God forgives. Human beings don’t create or redeem. But we can forgive. When Jesus encounters the paralyzed man he forgives him. The scribes object that forgiveness is a divine prerogative. Jesus asks, “Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?” We can infer from… Read More »