In 1965, one of the principal documents of the Second Vatican Council, “Dei verbum (Word of God),” emphasized the use of lectio divina or divine reading, as a method of praying with scripture. Both Pope Benedict XVI and the Synod of 2008 reiterated the use of scripture for prayer and suggested this ancient practice of […]
Recently, Pope Francis stated that the lay and religious women present at the “universal Church” stage of the Global Synod will be voting; in other words women will have a voice in that Church assembly. Many women and men have greeted this as a welcome development in Church decision making, while others are vocally opposed […]
The solemn days of Holy Week offer us the opportunity to realize and reflect on the human forces who colluded to kill Jesus. But where and why did the opposition begin? The earliest Christians who heard the Gospels would be aware of Jesus’ struggle with supra-human evil forces as well as the series of controversies […]
The gospel reading for Sunday, Jan. 22, recounts Matthew’s call story of the first disciples of Jesus. It is commonly accepted that Matthew drew on Mark’s Gospel for the “backbone,” one could say, of his narrative. Comparing both accounts enables one to see the similarities and differences between the two passages. Mark begins the section […]
A new Liturgical Year begins on the First Sunday of Advent. This year many of the Gospel readings at our Sunday Eucharists are from the Gospel of Matthew. On the Fourth Sunday, we read of the annunciation to Joseph, Matt.1:18-24 (Luke’s gospel has the annunciation to Mary). The narrative relates Joseph’s discovery that his betrothed […]
The Responsorial Psalm for the Eucharistic Liturgy for Aug. 28 is taken from Psalm 68:4-11. There are different ways to pray a Psalm. One can pray it as an Israelite worshipper of Yahweh in the Jerusalem Temple, or, as a Christian, one can direct the psalm prayer to Christ who is both human and divine. […]
Many Catholics rejoiced when weekday and weekend Mass attendance restrictions were lifted after the Covid pandemic “lockdown.” Most often comments centered around missing the presence of Christ in the consecrated bread and wine along with the reception of Communion. The live-streamed Masses had presented the Liturgy of the Word quite well; however, one’s actual presence […]
One of the stories that has always interested me is near the end of John’s Gospel. In 20:1-14, after Jesus’ death and first resurrection appearances, Peter and six other disciples are fishing in the Sea of Tiberias. They had worked all night and caught nothing, yet a stranger on the shore tells them to keep […]
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 […]
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 […]
