St. Paul lists seven “ones:” one Body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father. For him, unity lies at the core of reality. We live in a society which notices differences rather than unity. My country is better than your country. This people are “other” than I am… Read More »

“The love of money is the root of all evil.” St. Paul suggests that we get ourselves in trouble when we lose our “contentment.” “If we have food and clothing we should be content with that.” I have noticed that what I require for “contentment” has expanded over time. First, I decide I need a… Read More »

The gospel writers tell the story of the woman who washed the feet of Jesus. (In Luke she is simply unnamed as “a sinful woman.”) It is important to see the direction of cause and effect. Jesus informs the Pharisee that “she has shown great love” because “her many sins have been forgiven.” The forgiveness… Read More »

“To what shall I compare this generation?” Jesus asked. One thing which is a perennial throughout human history is that no matter what you do, you are going to be criticized. John the Baptist was criticized as a religious fanatic because of his lifestyle. Jesus was criticized as “a glutton and a drunkard” because he… Read More »

St. Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus reflect how quickly the church developed structures that we recognize today. Then, as now, the issue of finding good leaders in the Church was crucial. When the Apostle lists all the qualities for a bishop — “temperate, self-controlled, decent, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not aggressive,… Read More »

“It is my wish that in every place the [people] should pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger or argument.” When we think about sinfulness we usually associate it with satisfying one’s appetites — sex, food, drink, possessiveness, etc. However, St. Paul seems to have worried more about another type of sinfulness where we react… Read More »

I was taking a walk in rural Hidalgo, Mexico when I came across a shepherd with a flock of sheep – not 99 but, perhaps, four or five dozen. What surprised me was that the shepherd was not leading the flock to those green pastures. Instead, he was behind the flock. The sheep were kind… Read More »

St. Paul contrasted the first Adam with Christ as the “new Adam.” The first Adam grasped after that apple. He wanted what he wanted and was determined to satisfy himself. Jesus did not look on even his “equality with God” as “something to be grasped.” Instead of fulfilling his own desires he “emptied himself.” We… Read More »

When you talk with people about why they have been turned off by the Church one answer stands out: I did not want to feel judged. The experience of feeling judged created a sense of whose in and whose out, of who belongs and who doesn’t. Of course, in the Church everyone belongs, everyone is… Read More »

Jesus gave instruction on how to live as his follower: be compassionate, forgiving, generous, etc. St. Paul picked up those themes in his epistle to the Colossians summarizing these admonitions by adding “and over all these put on love.” The Apostle then proposed the overarching attitude we must have in order to live the virtuous… Read More »