My friends often ask me this question. Mark Allan Powell’s “What Do They Hear? Bridging the Gap between Pulpit and Pew” recently caught my attention because I know Powell’s solid biblical scholarship; his title resonates with my own teaching on the meaning of scripture. His book is for those who preach or hear homilies and […]
The fullest New Testament description of widows is found in 1 Timothy. While this letter is attributed to Paul, a study of its contents shows more developed ministries in the communities than in Paul’s time and contradictions of material found in genuine Pauline letters. The letter, therefore, was probably written by a follower of Paul […]
The New Testament repeats the Old Testament concern for needy widows. Jesus condemned scribes who “devour the houses of widows” (Mark 12:40), lamented upon seeing a poor widow convinced to give everything she had to live on to the Temple (Mark 12:38-44), and resuscitated the only son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-17). The […]
The Book of Ruth can be dated to the early years after the Exile, 587-37 BC, during a time when intermarriage with foreigners was being debated. The book concerns the plight of three widows, Naomi and her two daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth, both Moabite women. Briefly, Naomi and her husband, Elimelech, had settled in Moab […]
This past April 17, the funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was held in Windsor Castle, England. One memorable image was that of Queen Elizabeth, in widow’s black, sitting alone in the chapel for the services. She reminded me of the many stories of widows or references to widows in the Bible. This reflection, the […]
When I taught in the Oakland area, my friends and I often drove down the coast to Carmel by the Sea. There we enjoyed the 17-mile drive along the ocean, the Pebble Beach Golf Course, Mission Carmel, the shops, and the art galleries galore. Some of the galleries had a second floor. One that I […]
Last month I wrote on the Transfiguration, emphasizing the words of God, “Listen to him,” and the setting of the passage within the journey of Jesus and the disciples to Jerusalem. Along the way, Jesus predicted his passion three times each followed by a misunderstanding by the disciples. February’s reflection concentrated on the second and […]
The gospel reading for Sunday, Jan. 10th, four days after the insurrection in Washington, DC, narrates the baptism of Jesus. The passage includes: “A voice came from the heavens, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased’ ” (Mark 1:9-11). Clearly, Jesus heard the voice of God; at this point in the […]
Beginning on Jan. 10, the gospel readings for Sundays are taken, for the most part, from Mark’s Gospel. The weekday gospels are a continuous reading from Mark, starting on Jan. 11. Mark’s Gospel is the shortest of our four Gospels. Today almost all New Testament scholars believe that Mark was the first written. During the […]
Advent has begun and in many gatherings in our churches we sing/hear the familiar hymn, “O Come, O Come, Emanuel.” Beginning on December 17, the “O Antiphons” will be recited during the Liturgy of the Hours; December 23 features “O Emmanuel.” On one level the name Emmanuel can signal haunting melodies, Advent wreathes, winter’s arrival, […]
