John the Baptist was not a Christian. In fact, his followers were in something of a competition with the followers of Jesus in the first century. Yet we consider the Baptist to be a saint, as the collect prayer for today puts it “a martyr of truth.” This is consoling when you think of your… Read More »

St. Paul goes out of his way to praise the church in Thessalonica. What thanksgiving, then, can we render to God for you, for all the joy we feel on your account before our God? Their faith got them through “every distress and affliction.” But that is not the end of the story.  Night and… Read More »

In receiving the word of God from hearing us, you received it not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God. Being able to discern what is truly the word of God seems particularly important in today’s world. Many voices are raised which claim to be speaking for God… Read More »

As a nursing mother cares for her children, with such affection for you, we were determined to share with you not only the Gospel of God, but our very selves as well. What would St. Paul think about our current seminary system? Young men (and it is only men currently) are trained in theology, trained… Read More »

St. Paul’s first letter to the Church in Thessalonica is the probably oldest literature in the New Testament, written in 52AD. Paul begins the letter (as became his custom) with a word of gratitude: We give thanks to God always for all of you, remembering you in our prayers. As he praises the Thessalonians the… Read More »

In upper Manhattan there is a turn of the last century neighborhood of brownstone houses called St. Nicholas Park. It was designed to be an enclave for the elite. It is in Harlem and as the Great Migration filled the area with African-Americans the elite turned out to be black. Today no one remembers it… Read More »

There are three books in the Bible named after a woman. Unfortunately they do not get much play in the lectionary, the daily readings of the liturgy. The book of Judith is never featured. The book of Esther gets one weekday reading but no Sundays. The book of Ruth also has not Sunday readings but… Read More »

In the post-Vatican II era the faculty at the seminary were up in the air about how they should be teaching the new ideas flowing from the Council. One memorable day Fr. Gilbert was the homilist at Mass and said, “You can love, love, love until the cows come home but you’ve still got to… Read More »

The story of Jephthah’s daughter is one of the “texts of terror” in the memorable words of one scripture scholar. When Jephthah goes into battle he vows to God he will sacrifice the first thing he sees if he is triumphant. The first thing he sees is his (unnamed) daughter. He feels obliged to fulfill… Read More »

Andrew Carnegie, at the time the richest man in America, was asked how much money he wanted. His response: “Just a little bit more.” That is almost the default position of our species. We want more than what we have. Russia, already the largest nation on earth, went to war to get more land. Billionaires… Read More »