The Jesus movement was not a family affair. Jesus said, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.” That serves as a reminder that no one comes to the faith as a birth right. We tend to think that the Irish are Catholics or the Mexicans… Read More »

Every culture seeks advice about how to live. The “Dear Abby” of the Bible is the Book of Proverbs. It’s historical context seems to be training those destined for the royal household the actions expected of our courtier. In more recent times this book was also the “Dr. Spock” for families seeking guidance in child… Read More »

When the Pope or the bishops speak on economic matters you sometimes hear the complaint: why are they messing in the marketplace. They should stick with religion. Actually, economics, in particular caring for the poor, has a prominent place in the Bible. At least 2,000 verses address directly the responsibility believers have to caring for… Read More »

Jesus’ accustomed way of teaching was in parables. He would tell a story and let the hearers enter into the story in order to unpack its meaning. The use of images is the most effective way of dealing with matters too deep for words. “Show, don’t tell” is the mantra of good writing technique. Not… Read More »

Jesus used to travel from town to town bringing good news. St. Luke points out: “Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women.” The Evangelist wants us to notice that from the beginning women had served in leadership in the Jesus movement. We need this reminder since leadership in the Catholic Church for the past… Read More »

St. Paul composes a mini-creed to remind the people of Corinth that their faith is based on the concrete human experiences of real human beings. The feast of the Sorrows of Mary serve as a reminder that human experiences can be sad and painful. The tradition was that there were “seven dolors” of Mary but,… Read More »

“Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself.” Grasping was, of course, the original sin. Adam grasped that apple. Jesus reverses the effect of sin by not grasping. We know had ugly greed can be — grasping after this,… Read More »

We hear the term “body of Christ” so often (every time we receive Holy Communion) that the richness of the term can be obscured. For St. Paul “body” was the best image of the Church on three levels. First, a body to be a body must be one, must be whole, must be a unity… Read More »

St. Paul says: “I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you.” The process of receiving the faith from those who have gone before and then handing it on is known as tradition. As Tevye the milkman says in Fiddler on the Roof “Because of our traditions each of us knows who… Read More »

September 11. That date will always be associated in the minds of Americans with evil. While the enormity of that sin is obvious for all to see, the power of sin is also at work in our lives in a less dramatic fashion. That is why the call to repentance is such an important part… Read More »