St. Luke describes what has come to be known as the Council of Jerusalem. The issue that brought the early leaders of the Jesus movement together was a perennial one in the Church. Do we expect Christians to abide by a certain set of rules and behaviors and if they don’t they are excluded from… Read More »

St.Paul’s initial missionary activity was centered on what today is the country of Turkey. In most of that area Christianity has almost completely disappeared. How could a Church founded by an apostle prove so vulnerable to the advance of Islam several centuries later? At least part of the answer lies in the feuds, disputes, factionalism,… Read More »

Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Mark. Scholars tell us that even though his Gospel is listed second in the current structure of the New Testament it was, in all likelihood, written first. We have St. Mark to thank for creating the Gospel form — a narrative of the life of Jesus leading… Read More »

Love is a many splendored thing. All you need is love. What’s love got to do with it? Where did our love go? You’ve lost that lovin’ feeling. I just called to say I love you. I can’t help falling in love with you. I want to know what love is. Love will keep us… Read More »

You’ve got to love the apostles — they are so much like us. They had the master catechist putting them through the most rigorous RCIA program for three years and still they didn’t get it. After Philip asks his question you can almost see Jesus slapping his forehead with a DUH: “Have I been with… Read More »

“Lord, we do not know where you are going.” That anguished cry from the apostles to Jesus is similar to one we probably all have cried at one time or another. We imagine that there is some goal, some end, something we need to attain in order to be happy. Jesus’ answer to the apostles… Read More »

One of the things that happens to a couple as they move toward marriage is an increasing understanding of themselves as a “we.” In the intimacy of marriage, instead of “him and her” they think of themselves in terms of “us.” This movement becomes obvious when a new father announces, “We’re pregnant.” (Although I always… Read More »

The Book of Acts tells the story of Paul and Barnabas being sent out as missionaries from the community at Antioch because the Holy Spirit told them to go. It made me a little jealous — I wish the Holy Spirit would tell me what to do. On further reflection, I realize that I have… Read More »

God can transform everything, even negative things, for some good end. We see this most dramatically on the cross where God transformed death into life. The scattering of the early followers of Jesus due to persecution in Jerusalem reported by the Acts of Apostles was, no doubt, perceived by them as negative. But God used… Read More »

St. Luke describes the story of the early church in Acts as a series of outgoing ripples — from Jerusalem, to the doubtfully orthodox Jews of Samaria, to an African who converted to Judaism, to a non-Jew (a gentile.) St. Luke is careful to point out that it is St. Peter, the leader of the… Read More »