When Jesus heard that John had been arrested … Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” St. Matthew reports that the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus flowed from the work that John the Baptist had been doing. The gospels are almost apologetic that Jesus had a… Read More »

The magi came because they saw a star. We saw his star at its rising.   It is obvious but worth pointing out that to see the stars you must enter the darkness. Martin Luther King, Jr. said “Only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.”  Annie Dillard wrote: “You do not have to sit outside in the dark. If,… Read More »

You sometimes hear someone claim to be “spiritual but not religious” because they don’t need “all that doctrine.” St. John in his first epistle would beg to disagree. It is exactly “doctrine” that grounds our spirituality, he would assert. Who is the liar?  Whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ.  Whoever denies the Father and… Read More »

The Bible provides us words to live by — perhaps the most famous is the Golden Rule. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Popular culture possesses similar adages, proverbs, sayings which are meant to guide behavior. Some we think are wise: a friend in need is a friend indeed. Others… Read More »

I wonder if the creator of the lectionary was having a little December 31 fun with the first reading beginning, it is the last hour and the gospel starting off, In the beginning. Ending the year with the prologue to St. John’s gospel seems fitting. The structure of the passage is the key to its… Read More »

When Assyria conquered the northern kingdom of Israel they deported the ten tribes there and they, apparently, never returned — as did the tribe of Judah deported from the southern kingdom by the Babylonians almost 200 years later. The “lost tribes of Israel” have entered into cultural myth. However, the Bible suggests maybe they weren’t… Read More »

In the days after Christmas we read from the first epistle of St. John. To understand its message it helps to know the context in which it was written.  The epistle of St. John is written in response to a crisis in the church. Certain people were claiming they were the true believers and anyone… Read More »

The feast of the Holy Innocents is a reminder of the suffering that children have endured throughout the ages.  It should inspire us to do what we can to protect innocent life. On a more theoretical note, this feast has inspired theological reflection on the statement in the Apostles’ Creed that Jesus “descended into hell.”… Read More »

Last July I clipped a cartoon strip from the newspaper and put it on my bulletin board. The pig character is very happy about the pandemic. “I’ve been given a whole year to focus on what’s important to me all the while spending more time with my loved ones.” I wonder how he is feeling… Read More »

In 415 the bones of St. Stephen were miraculously discovered on December 26.  St. Augustine commented on how wonderful it was to receive a relic of the first martyr in his African city. So in one sense it is sheer coincidence that the feast of St. Stephen, protomartyr, is celebrated on the day after Christmas.… Read More »