I hesitate to do this, but if you wish to understand the ritual that Joseph and Mary are going through in today’s Gospel reading, read chapter twelve of the Book of Leviticus. You might find it somewhat unsettling because it is a bit distasteful to our modern sensibilities. However, as St. Luke makes very clear, Joseph and Mary are doing what is necessary according to Mosaic law. In the...
Both of the readings for today’s liturgy are sets of instructions, one of David to his son Solomon, the other of our Lord to his disciples. David offers noble advice to his son though our reading omits other instructions from David telling Solomon to take revenge on various enemies. That advice is more like that of a mafia don. The instructions of Jesus to his disciples have none of...
In today’s reading from the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses tells the people that God has promised them that one of their own kin will take the place of Moses and will, like Moses, speak the Word of God to them. I am astonished, you may be as well, that the children of Israel actually said that they didn’t want to hear God speak to them directly. They were afraid that they would not...
This morning’s first reading comes to us from the Hebrew Scriptures, the book of the Prophet Jonah. We are given a short excerpt from a very short book of the Old Testament. One could easily read the entire book in no more than a half-hour. The story that is told in this book is that of a disobedient prophet who did not heed a commission given him by the Lord God. We pick up the story in...
When Jesus takes over people’s lives, they sometimes do seemingly crazy things.
St. Francis of Assisi stripped off his fine garments in the middle of town embarrassing his rich father who was appalled that his son became a mendicant friar.
St. Ignatius of Loyola abandoned the dissolute life as a soldier to fast and pray for days on end enroute to forming his “company”...