Had it not been for the Solemnity of the Assumption, we would have begun reading from the Book of Joshua yesterday. The Book of Joshua is the first book of what Scripture scholars call "The Deuteronomic Corpus." The first five books of the Bible, which we call the Pentateuch and our Jewish brothers and sisters call the Torah, contain the story of the covenant relationship which God offered...
The Gospel passage for the Feast of the Assumption follows Monday's Gospel passage from the Gospel of St. Matthew in which Jesus taught the disciples that they had to become like little children, placing the needs of others before their own. Today, St. Luke illustrates that notion with the very familiar "Magnificat" of Mary, another example of humility. Indeed, Mary is the model "Little...
In the minds of some Scripture scholars, today's Gospel passage is one that has often been misunderstood. Many have mistakenly assumed that both "paragraphs" of the passage refer to children. (The English translation is divided into paragraphs while the original Greek used no such conventions.) Instead there is some possibility that Jesus is not talking about children at all. Rather he is...
Today's Gospel passage presents us with an interchange between Peter and Jesus about taxes. Taxes were as popular in the time of Jesus as they are today. Nothing has changed in that regard. However, this passage is not really about taxes at all. It is about sensitivity to the thoughts and feelings of others. Jesus chooses to pay the Temple tax even though he could argue that no one,...
The Gospel for this Friday reminds us once again of the role of redemptive suffering in the life of the Church and in the life of every member of that assembled body. The image of Jesus hanging on the cross reminds each and every one of us that this life is not "about us." Our lives are about something far greater and far more important than my needs, my wants, or my desires. We are...