According to St. Luke the parable of the “importunate widow” is about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.  The logic of the parable: if an unjust judge responds to the widow badgering him, “Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and… Read More »

There are three epistles from St. John in the New Testament. The first is substantial in thought and length, the other two seeming to address a specific concern of the writer. For example,  2John is concerned with right action. The author starts off praising the community for knowing the creeds and catechism.  I rejoiced greatly… Read More »

Some background for St. Paul’s letter to Philemon: Onesimus (the name means “useful” and Paul puns off of it) is a runaway slave. He somehow met Paul and was converted to Christianity. Paul decided to send Onesimus back to his owner, Philemon, so the he “might have him back forever, no longer as a slave… Read More »

Scholars speculate that the “pastoral epistles” — those to Paul’s companions Timothy and Titus — were not written by the Apostle himself. They reflect a later, more settled period in the history of the Church than the great epistles to the Romans or Corinthians. In the earliest epistles St. Paul suggests that Christians must separate… Read More »

When I was in community leadership I would visits the missions. Frequently there was some kind of program at the end of which I would thank all those who made it possible. Inevitably I would forget someone and would feel terrible about it. I didn’t want them to feel unappreciated. However, Jesus reminds us that… Read More »

The image of the Church as the “body of Christ” is one we are familiar with. It works because it celebrates the many different ways that each individual member contributes to the health and well-being of the whole.  The image comes from St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians — but a little earlier in… Read More »

When I lived in Louisiana everyone kept one eye on the weather channel. When a hurricane was coming there was a run to the grocery store to stock up on the essentials you would need if the storm hit. You’d better shop early or there won’t be any toilet paper left for you! Since the… Read More »

Most pastors are reluctant to talk about money — doing so seems like taking time away from preaching the gospel. However, doing so is in our job description: the lights must be kept on, the buildings in good repair, the salaries paid and, most importantly, the resources available for the works of mercy (feed the… Read More »

The authorities got nervous when Malcolm X announced that he was going to work to end racism, oppression, injustice “by any means necessary.” The matter was so serious in the view of Malcolm X that it required  intervention. I suspect that Jesus was saying something along the same lines in the parable of the unjust… Read More »

I was visiting my friend, Fred, at his farm in Iowa when then piglets were weaned. In moving them to the pig pen one of the piglets got crushed and died. “There goes our profit,” said Fred. He explained that running a farm was so expensive that every life and every bushel made the difference… Read More »