Jesus had a successful ministry in Galilee. The people responded to his preaching, his healing, and his invitation into table fellowship. However, Galilee was the provinces so Jesus decided to move toward the big time. “If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere.” “When the days for Jesus to be taken up were… Read More »

The prophet Zechariah ministered to the people at the time of the return from exile. He encouraged the people to have confidence in the future God had in store for them. The prophet picked up a theme that Ezekiel had expressed — namely, that God was mobile. “I will return to Zion, and I will… Read More »

At the very beginning of the Catholic Mass we present our credentials for being here. We let everyone know that we belong by confessing that we are sinners. The one requirement for entry into our worship is that we face our sinfulness, our need for God’s forgiveness and healing. Non-sinners need not apply. Sinners are… Read More »

Zechariah was a prophet who spoke the divine word to the people who had returned from exile. After the return the people are discouraged. God did not protect them from the enemy or preserve their homes. What good is it to have God in your life if you still have troubles and difficulties and suffering?… Read More »

The prophet Haggai urged the people to re-build the temple that had been destroyed when Jerusalem was conquered by the Babylonians. They heeded the prophetic message but then were disappointed that the restored temple was not grand and imposing. The prophet asked, “Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory?… Read More »

The Prophet Haggai is one of the shorter books in the Bible. We only read from it in the lectionary (the scripture readings scheduled for each day over a several year span) for two days, every other year. Haggai was active as a prophet after the Babylonian Exile, the time when the Jewish people had… Read More »

There are two visions of how to be a Catholic in the world today. One is similar to that of Ezra at the time when the Chosen People returned from Exile; namely, that the people of God are called to be a “remnant,” to hold onto our values in the face of a hostile world.… Read More »

The “children of Israel, priests, Levites, and other returned exiles” were united in their dedication to God as seen in the re-building of the Temple in Jerusalem after the return from exile. Jesus has an all-embracing vision of who belongs: “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act… Read More »

The Old Testament Book of Ezra tells the story of the people of God returning from their two generation long exile in Babylon, present day Iraq. Their Babylonian conquerors had in turn been conquered by the Persians (present day Iranians.) The Persian king released the Jews (called the Jews since the only tribes left was… Read More »

“I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg, I know what I shall do…” In the, from our perspective, very strange parable of the “unjust steward” Jesus commends him for “acting prudently.” The steward knows his gifts and knows the system and uses it for his own ends. The parable… Read More »