More than fifty years ago Cardinal Avery Dulles wrote an influential book entitled Models of the Church. He proposed that there are different ways of thinking about the church which tend to shape how we live out our faith. For example, one of the models is “the Church as Servant” which suggests that caring for… Read More »

My favorite book of all time is Franny and Zooey by J.D.Salinger. It is about a brother and sister who have been on a spiritual quest from when they were young. In one dramatic scene the younger sister barges into her brother’s room and tells him she doesn’t like Jesus any more. Why? Franny (the… Read More »

Jesus lived and died an observant Jew. His mother and his initial followers were all observant Jews. They understood his identity in terms of Jewish expectations of the Messiah. It is no surprise the first generation of Christians looked on following Jesus as a further expression of their Jewish faith. That non-Jews, Gentiles, were attracted… Read More »

One of the commandments of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount: “Thou shalt not judge.” St. Paul expands that commandment: “Do you suppose, then, you who judge those who engage in such things and yet do them yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God?” Living out this commandment is a challenge because… Read More »

St Paul uses the Epistle to the Romans as an opportunity to develop his theological vision. He opens his expostion by describing what we might call natural revelation. Ever since the creation of the world, [God’s] invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made.… Read More »

For the next several weeks we will be reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Church in Rome. Unlike his other letters, for example to the Corinthians or the Galatians, he did not know the Romans. This letter was to serve as an introduction since he was planning on visiting. (The arrest by the Roman… Read More »

The expression of gratitude at the healing of the leprous Samaritan is a familiar story. “He returned glorifying God in a loud voice and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.” We use that text every Thanksgiving Day to show the importance of gratefulness in the life of a Christian. It reminds… Read More »

When an unnamed woman praises Jesus’ mother he answers:  “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” Mary’s is truly blessed not because of the biological fact of bearing and weaning a child but because she responded to God’s will in her life with “Be it done unto me according… Read More »

Let all who dwell in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming. Scholars have a difficult time situating the Prophet Joel in the history of Israel. He is reacting to a catastrophe but which one? Perhaps we should take his message as a timeless one since catastrophes seem to be perennial.… Read More »

For our knowledge of Jesus we are completely dependent on the witness and testimony of others. He left us no record except in the lives of those he touched. In the New Testament the various authors share their faith to call others to faith. We are in the same situation today. If others are to… Read More »