And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? These words of Elizabeth are ones which express a feeling that is all too common. We feel we’re not good enough, we don’t deserve it, we don’t measure up. Elizabeth is amazed that someone like her, someone whose… Read More »

The first reading for today is taken from the Song of Songs. This is the only time a passage from this particular book of the Bible is used as one of the lectionary readings — and there is an alternative suggested if you want to avoid even this one time! That the book is in… Read More »

The prophet tells the king he can ask for anything he wants from God. You would think he would have jumped at the offer. But, no. Ahaz answered, “I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!” The problem, Ahaz knew, that when you put yourselves in God’s hands you have to trust where… Read More »

In the week before Christmas there are a special set of antiphons before the gospel called the “O antiphons” — because they all start with “O.” Today the antiphon begins “O Root of Jesse’s stem,..” Jesse was the father of King David who lived one thousand years before Jesus. The ancient memory of the ancestors… Read More »

The prophet Jeremiah announced the promise of the Lord: Behold, the days are coming. Centuries later the angel assured St. Joseph the prophecy was fulfilled.  The Lord said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.” The… Read More »

Using a technique called a genotype tree can be helpful in understanding one’s own health situation. For example, alcoholism or diabetes or depression frequently occurring among your ancestors can serve as a red flag that you might have a genetic disposition to those diseases. St. Matthew provides a genotype of Jesus and we learn from… Read More »

Jesus said to them, “Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.” Jesus was not being elusive with “the chief priests and elders of the people” in refusing to answer their question about his authority. He was trying to find a common frame of reference out of which to answer the… Read More »

News junkies among us might remember that the State of Louisiana passed a law requiring every classroom, from pre-school through college, to post a copy of the Ten Commandments on a bulletin board. I presume that the point behind the law is so every student would know how to behave. (Although they probably could figure… Read More »

The disciples asked Jesus, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” As good Jewish people the disciples knew their story — for good and for ill. They knew of King David and they knew of the exile. Asking about Elijah was their effort to understand how the history of the nation impacted… Read More »

Jesus said to the crowds: “To what shall I compare this generation?” Nobody likes to be criticized. Jesus shakes his head at the criticism he and his cousin, John the Baptist experienced. It seemed like no matter what you did, you were going to be criticized. People say you’re either a goody-two-shoes or a wild… Read More »