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 »

In the creed we profess to being an apostolic church: “one, holy, catholic and apostolic.” This does not simply mean that we are successors to the apostles. Sts. Peter and Paul would surely be amazed at the magnificent churches built over their tombs. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, while faithful to their teaching, would… Read More »

Imagine a world where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, where the one percent build bigger and bigger houses and the bottom ninety percent struggle to find adequate housing, where new stadiums and public buildings go up but there is no money for school children, where the decisions in the courtroom always… Read More »

In one sense it is a coincidence that on Sunday the lectionary proposes St. Luke’s version of the requirements for discipleship and on Monday, St. Matthew’s. But maybe it isn’t coincidence, but providence. God is giving us a little smack on the side of the head: pay attention. What strikes me about Jesus’ encounter with… Read More »

Prisoner #492867 had schemed and then worked on the plan for years. He had silently punched a hole in the cell block and then spent month after month digging a tunnel out of the prison and underneath the fences. When he had calculated he had gone as far as the little stand of trees outside… Read More »

While it is certainly true that the Bible is the Word of God, even the most casual of reading show it to be a human word as well. (The Bible, like Jesus, is an incarnate word.) The readings assigned for this day illustrate this in dramatic fashion. We have all had to endure times of… Read More »

Only three birthdays are celebrated in the liturgy: Jesus, Mary and John the Baptist. Pretty elite company! This reflects the important place that John the Baptist played in the history of salvation. The sermons in the Acts of the Apostles testify to this. The writings of the Fathers of the Church look on John as… Read More »

We have been reading the Old Testament lessons telling the story of the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah for the past few weeks. They end today with the account of the conquest of Jerusalem by the Babylonians and the exile of the people. The Gospel account of the Sermon on the Mount also concludes today… Read More »

Around the year 622 B.C. “the book of the law” was found in the temple in Jerusalem. (Perhaps this book was an early version of the Book of Deuteronomy?) King Josiah took this find as the model on which to base the reforms he was instituting in the kingdom of Judah. The need to reform,… Read More »

The deliverance of Jerusalem from the Assyrian army of Sennacherib around the year 700 B.C. was prophesied by Isaiah. This led to a popular opinion that God would protect the Holy City against the enemies of Judah. “Mount Zion, is the city of the great King. God is with her castles; renowned is he as… Read More »