In his book, “The Passion and the Cross,” columnist and author Father Ron Rolheiser writes, “The cross of Jesus doesn’t just reveal God as unconditional love; it also reveals how vulnerability is the path to intimacy. How is this revealed in the cross? The best place to start is with God. What the cross tells […]
The world is awash with weapons! Handguns, semi-automatic assault weapons, grenade launchers, tanks, anti-tank missiles, artillery, attack helicopters, drones, fighter jets, bombers, cruise missiles, anti-personnel mines and cluster bombs (https://bit.ly/3tUjqve) are just a sampling of the myriad of instruments human beings have designed to kill each other. So much of the world is obsessed with […]
When reflecting on a Gospel passage, we are urged always to consider the context of the passage within the Gospel as a whole to have the full understanding of what is happening. In her recent book, “Entering the Passion of Jesus,” Amy-Jill Levine, Ph.D., a Jewish New Testament scholar, fleshes out the meaning of Scripture […]
On a rainy Rome evening, two Lents ago, a solitary elderly man in white, climbed the numerous steps leading to the front of St. Peter’s Basilica. Upon reaching the top, he turned to face an empty St. Peter’s Square to preside over a prayer service asking for God’s guidance, strength, and protection in the face […]
In the days leading up to President Putin’s decision to order invading Russian troops into Ukraine, Pope Francis, in an apparent effort to jolt the conscience of the Russian leader, as well as the consciences of all of us, made this appeal: “Let us not forget: war is madness.” He lamented, “Those who wage war […]
As I write, war between Russia and Ukraine is dangerously close. I hope and pray that as you read this, war has not become a reality. War between Russia and Ukraine will be a total disaster. Many mostly young combatants on all sides will lie dead. Countless innocent children, women and elderly will have their […]
Last September, I reflected on Mark Allan Powell’s “What Do They Hear? Bridging the Gap between Pulpit and Pew.” Powell’s contention is twofold: first, that one’s social location or life experience influences how one fills in the background for a scripture passage, and, secondly, which character(s) one relates to bears on the meaning derived from […]
In Afghanistan, “hunger is rising and children are dying,” said David Beasley, executive director of the U.N. World Food Program. “We can’t feed people on promises – funding commitments must turn into hard cash, and the international community must come together to address this crisis, which is fast spinning out of control.” Beasley’s quote appeared […]
As I write, it is the U.S. holiday commemorating the great civil and human rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. On the evening of April 4, 1968, after preaching and being present in solidarity with poorly paid African American sanitation workers, King, while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, […]
The gospel reading for Jan. 23 is taken from Luke’s Gospel, first the introduction, 1:1-4, then the story of Jesus teaching in the synagogue of Capernaum, 4:14-21. Previously, I concentrated on the quotation from Isaiah that Jesus read. The lectionary, coupling this with the introduction, led me this time to the action with the scroll. […]
