In the first reading for this Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, we read of a vision or dream of Isaiah the prophet. In his vision he is transported to heaven where he sees the Lord God seated on a throne. His reaction to this is predictable because the Israelites believed that no man could look upon God and live. Isaiah exclaims: “Woe is me; I am doomed. I am a man of unclean lips living...
Through Jesus, let us continually offer God a sacrifice of praise. These words from the first reading are both instructional and encouraging. In essence, they give clear directions on how to live the Christian life while assuring us that we can and will do so through reliance on Jesus.
God created us out of love – to know him and to love him, to be in relationship with him, and to...
The experience that the children of Israel had as they stood at the base of Mount Sinai waiting for Moses to return was full of dread and awe. Thunder, lightning, fire, and wind accompanied the presence of God atop Mount Sinai. So frightened were they that they asked Moses to promise them that they would not have to undergo this experience again. Instead, they asked Moses to make sure that...
The experience that the children of Israel had as they stood at the base of Mount Sinai waiting for Moses to return was full of dread and awe. Thunder, lightning, fire, and wind accompanied the presence of God atop Mount Sinai. So frightened were they that they asked Moses to promise them that they would not have to undergo this experience again. Instead, they asked Moses to make sure that...
Despite the fact that Jesus’ fame has spread throughout the communities around the Sea of Galilee, his former neighbors simply can’t see beyond the fact that they know him as the son of a carpenter. There could be a number of reasons for this. Perhaps they are jealous of all the attention that Jesus is getting. Maybe their pride is rankled by Jesus’ popularity. At the same...