Jesus in Context: August 2005 ("Lord, teach us to pray...")The Gospel readings for the month of August (Mt 14:22-33; 15:21-28; 16:13-20; 16:21-27) each offer a unique glimpse into the life of Jesus. Since prayer is a fundamental element of our Catholic faith (CCC 2558-2854!), lets consider our Lord Jesus – a first-century, faithful Palestinian Jew – at prayer in Mt 14:23. Read More... Jesus in Context: September05 (The Casuistry of the Son of God) In the Gospel reading for the 23 rd Sunday of ordinary time (Mt 18:15-20), we are given a glimpse of how Jesus functioned as a Jewish interpreter of Torah much like the Pharisees of Matthew’s Gospel who are, ironically, portrayed as vigorous opponents of Jesus throughout. After offering his disciples guidance on how to handle a sinful and recalcitrant brother or sister in the context of the Church (“ekklesia” Mt 18:15-17), Jesus tells them
Jesus In Context: October 2005 Scribes, Pharisees, Hypocrites? Well...Maybe In our Gospel readings for the 27th through the 31st Sundays in Ordinary Time (Mt 21:33-43; 22:1-14; 22:15-21; 22:34-40; 23:1-12), we are treated to some rather tough controversies between Jesus and several groups – elders, scribes, Herodians, and Pharisees. To a certain extent in our Gospel narratives, each of these groups collectively represent a form of Judaism that began to emerge after the Temple was destroyed by Rome in AD 70 – namely Rabbinic Judaism.* As we progress through each of the five Sundays in October, the tension between Jesus and these opponents intensifies, culminating in the devastating invective of the 23rd chapter of Matthew directed toward the scribes and Pharisees.Read More... Jesus In Context: November 2005 Watching for the Advent of God & the Final Judgment The gospel readings for November (Matthew 25:1-13, 14-30, 31-46; Mk 13:33-37) concern the kingdom of God as it is articulated by Jesus in parables. The first and the last readings thematically sandwich the other two underscoring a singular theme - watchfulness. On the 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time we encounter the strange story of the ten virgins watching for the coming of the bridegroom (Mt 25:1-13). Likewise, the 1st Sunday in Advent offers the explicit imperative uttered by Jesus three times to his disciples, “watch!” (Mt 13:33-37). Read More... Jesus in Context: Advent 2005 A Holy Man in the Wilderness, and a young girl of Nazareth The Gospel readings for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Sundays of Advent each center around important characters in the life of Jesus who themselves resided, more or less on the relative margins of 1st century Palestinian society – Mary (4th Sunday, Lk 1:26-38), and John the Baptist (2nd and 3rd Sundays, Mk 1:1-8; Jn 1:6-8; 19-28). Read More... Jesus in Context: January 2006God’s Holy Man and the Angels & Demons The first two Gospel readings for the month of January walk us through the remainder of Christmas – The Solemnity of the Mother of God (Jan.1), and Epiphany (Jan. 8). Read More... Continuity in the Midst of Conflict Our Gospel readings for the month of February (Mk 1:29-39; Mk 1:40-45; Mk 2:1-12; Mk 2:18-22) are so very thick with several layers of themes important to Mark's Gospel that it is difficult to choose which to highlight. Read More...Receiving the Gifts of Christ: Ways of Reading the Fourth Gospel Narratives During Lent The Gospel readings for the third and fourth Sundays of Lent offer two familiar texts from John’s Gospel that invite the reader to dispense with familiar categories of certitude when it comes to Jesus. Read More... Not Quite What they Expected!: Resurrection! Surrexit Christus! Christ is risen! Alethos Anesti! Read More...
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