Recently President Biden apologized for the treatment of native children at government sponsored reservation schools. Similar apologies have been extended in the Catholic Church for the abuse and dehumanizing treatment at schools run by the Church. The prevailing cultural ethos is to never admit wrong-doing. “Don’t explain, don’t complain” goes the public relations mantra. To… Read More »

Philippi was the first city in Europe that Paul evangelized. It was a “Roman Colony,” that is, retired soldiers from the Legions were given property there (and at various places throughout the empire) to ensure a friendly environment as the army moved throughout the Roman provinces. Paul seems to have great affection for the people… Read More »

In one sense, all sins are a repeat of the first. Adam and Eve grasped after something they didn’t have instead of receiving gratefully what God gave them. In our sinfulness we grasp after some pleasure, some power, some possession, some payback. Instead of gratitude we tend toward greed. Jesus came to reverse the human… Read More »

In the past several years the word “transactional” has entered political discourse in a major way. A transactional realtionship is one which is focused on “what’s in it for me.” The reality was always there (in Chicago they call it “quid pro quo”) but instead of being something done clandestinely, it has moved out into… Read More »

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Commandment keeping is in the news again since certain states are requiring that the Ten Commandments of the Old Testament be posted in classrooms. I would like to write a book one day entitled the Ten Commandments… Read More »

Just as Christ was raised from the dead  by the glory of the Father,  we too might live in newness of life. For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection. Anyone who has ever attended the funeral of a… Read More »

Happy Feast Day, everyone! All Saints Day is a reminder that God has made us blessed. See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. (1 John 3:1) We don’t ordinarily think of ourselves as saints. In the popular mind a saint… Read More »

St. Luke’s gospel is constructed so that Jesus is always “on the way” to Jerusalem. It is in Jerusalem that he will meet his destiny. He knows that suffering awaits him in Jerusalem. He understands that there are people who oppose him, who desire him harm in Jerusalem. His reaction to all this is surprising.… Read More »

Slaves, be obedient to your human masters with fear and trembling. Isn’t slavery a sin! How does St. Paul accept it as somehow appropriate for a Christian? And let’s flip the question over: how can the Church call slavery a sin when it is acceptable in the Bible? The answer is found in understanding the… Read More »

“This is a great mystery, but I speak in reference to Christ and the Church.” St. Paul is criticized as being anti-women and patriarchal when he says “Wives should be subordinate to their husbands.” What is often missed is the sentence preceding that one: “Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ.” St.… Read More »