According to tradition St. John was the last living apostle, maybe as late as 100AD. The story goes that when anyone would come to him with whatever the current problem in the Church was he would simply reply, “Little Children, love one another.” He was, of course, echoing the words of Jesus: “This I command… Read More »

“I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete.” Joy is not the same as happiness. Happiness depends on external circumstances. I am happy when my team wins the game. Joy is something deeper, something that lingers no matter how things are going. For example,… Read More »

Some people criticized Pope Francis for emphasizing synodality as the practice of the Church. He was, in fact, going back to the earliest reported way of being Church. In the Acts of the Apostles the early leaders of the Church met at 49AD in synod to decide the issue of their day — did one… Read More »

There is a constant tug in the church between mission and maintenance. The Church is, by nature, missionary, charged to spread the good news far and wide. Yet, as any human institution, it needs to maintain structures and organization in order to carry out that mission.   St. Paul, the missionary par excellence, knew this. They… Read More »

In the play by Shakespeare, Henry V, after the English have defeated the French at the Battle of Agincourt the king prays from Psalm 115, “Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name give glory.” In the movie version of the play Kenneth Branagh recites the psalm while walking through the… Read More »

The call of the first deacons in the Acts of the Apostles seems like a natural progression in the church. The need for additional leadership was obvious as the number of believers grew. In addition, the arrival of Greek-speakers into the faith made it even more important to have ministers who could speak their language.… Read More »

When Moses sought to see God he was permitted only to witness God’s retreating back. God is too big, too much for a human being to handle. The apostle Philip wishes to see God and Jesus reminds him that he already has! “Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father… Read More »

“Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds? Is he not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother named Mary?” Jesus cures us of the idea that finding God requires moving into the realm of the unusual, the extraordinary, the exotic. Like the people of Nazareth we have a hard time understanding that… Read More »

For St. Paul to help people understand the message of Jesus he gave a history lesson.  “Fellow children of Israel and you others who are God-fearing, listen. The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors.” It was only by knowing the story of their past would they be able to appreciate what God was… Read More »

I do not condemn him, for I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world. There is an image in the popular imagination of God as kind of a cosmic traffic cop. The rules of the road are out there and if you don’t follow them God will come get you.… Read More »