First of all, I want to remind you that in chapter nine of St. Luke’s Gospel, we heard that Jesus had resolutely decided that it was time for him to leave Galilee and go to Jerusalem. His hour had come, and he was ready to obey his Father’s will. Everything that appears in the Gospel after this statement must be read with that in mind. In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks about...
Today we hear a wonderful story of faithfulness and devotion! What starts as a story of two widows, who by definition are the voiceless of their society, is followed by a story of how the Lord shows His love and mercy by rescuing Ruth and Naomi from a difficult situation and incorporating their faithful lives into salvation history. We must also not forget that Boaz was also...
In the reading from the Book of Ruth, her dedication is, first, to Naomi and then to Naomi’s God. This reflects the way things usually go. We come to God, to love, to faithfulness and a sense of loyalty, to responsibility, and to an appreciation of commitment first of all through our admiration or our love for some person. Naomi has been an example to Ruth, a mirror through which she can...
The passage from the Book of Judges that we hear today is disturbing for all of us. Why it is included in the Book of Judges does nothing to help us when we hear it. Even more curious, it is included in the Lectionary for Daily Mass. Jephthah’s vow violates the law that appears in the book of Leviticus both in chapters eighteen and twenty: “Tell the Israelites: Anyone, whether an...
Both the reading from the Book of Judges and from the Gospel of St. Matthew contain parables that confront the issues of leadership, expectation, and jealousy.
The parable from the Book of Judges is told by Jotham, the half-brother of Abimelech. Their father, Gideon, sired many sons. Abimelech slaughters seventy of his brothers in order to force the hand of the people to choose him as their...