St. Luke describes the Jesus movement rippling out like a pebbled dropped into a pond. From the Hebrew-speakers in Jerusalem it moves out to Greek-speaking Jews, to suspect Samaritans, to African converts to Judaism, into the “God-fearing” pagans who knew something of Judaism and then in Antioch to both Jewish and Gentile (i.e. pagan) followers… Read More »

The Church does not look on the fifty days of the Easter season as starting at the high point of Easter and then gradually rolling down the hill. Rather, Easter and the fiftieth day — Pentecost — are looked on as twin poles with the energy of the season flowing between them. In these last… Read More »

My guess is that St. Paul was not happy that he was “prevented from preaching the message in the province of Asia” and was not allowed “to go on into Bithynia.” He had plans. He had things to do. He, no doubt, felt frustrated that he wasn’t able to carry them out. It was only… Read More »

According to the Acts of the Apostles, the Council of Jerusalem ended its deliberations by sending a letter which stressed that preserving the unity of the Church required only that everyone observe “the essentials.” When St. Paul gives his own report about the Council in his epistle to the Galatians he also stresses unity as… Read More »

The Jesus movement gathered in Jerusalem to decide how inclusive the nascent Church was going to be. As St. Luke describes the debate in the Acts of the Apostles they could only come to that decision after finding the proper methodology. St. Peter, and then Paul and Barnabas, argued “from below.” Look at the evidence… Read More »

St. Luke describes what has come to be known as the Council of Jerusalem. The issue that brought the early leaders of the Jesus movement together was a perennial one in the Church. Do we expect Christians to abide by a certain set of rules and behaviors and if they don’t they are excluded from… Read More »

St.Paul’s initial missionary activity was centered on what today is the country of Turkey. In most of that area Christianity has almost completely disappeared. How could a Church founded by an apostle prove so vulnerable to the advance of Islam several centuries later? At least part of the answer lies in the feuds, disputes, factionalism,… Read More »

Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Mark. Scholars tell us that even though his Gospel is listed second in the current structure of the New Testament it was, in all likelihood, written first. We have St. Mark to thank for creating the Gospel form — a narrative of the life of Jesus leading… Read More »

Love is a many splendored thing. All you need is love. What’s love got to do with it? Where did our love go? You’ve lost that lovin’ feeling. I just called to say I love you. I can’t help falling in love with you. I want to know what love is. Love will keep us… Read More »

You’ve got to love the apostles — they are so much like us. They had the master catechist putting them through the most rigorous RCIA program for three years and still they didn’t get it. After Philip asks his question you can almost see Jesus slapping his forehead with a DUH: “Have I been with… Read More »