One of the cliches you near nowadays is that “Christmas is for children.” That is certainly not the way the Bible or the liturgy of the Church looks at the feast. One of the great Biblical scholars of our era even wrote a book “An adult Christ at Christmas.” The liturgy comments on the meaning… Read More »

Christmas is special. The “most wonderful time of year” according to the song. Even those who don’t ordinarily notice things religious feel the tug of the season. For one thing it’s got some fantastic images – away in a manger, angels we have heard on high, we three kings of Orient are. But at its… Read More »

King David wanted to build “a house for the Lord.” He had united the tribes of Israel under one king. He had established a capital that all could pay allegiance to, Jerusalem. Now he wanted to centralize worship in a temple in that capital. He frames it as doing something for God, as if he… Read More »

“What, then, will this child be?” That question raised about John the Baptist could be asked of any child. Every child has a vast potential to live out their identity as beloved of God if only given the chance. However, when parents feel their child imperiled the question become even more urgent. Parents in the… Read More »

And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? These words of Elizabeth are ones which express a feeling that is all too common. We feel we’re not good enough, we don’t deserve it, we don’t measure up. Elizabeth is amazed that someone like her, someone whose… Read More »

The first reading for today is taken from the Song of Songs. This is the only time a passage from this particular book of the Bible is used as one of the lectionary readings — and there is an alternative suggested if you want to avoid even this one time! That the book is in… Read More »

The prophet tells the king he can ask for anything he wants from God. You would think he would have jumped at the offer. But, no. Ahaz answered, “I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!” The problem, Ahaz knew, that when you put yourselves in God’s hands you have to trust where… Read More »

In the week before Christmas there are a special set of antiphons before the gospel called the “O antiphons” — because they all start with “O.” Today the antiphon begins “O Root of Jesse’s stem,..” Jesse was the father of King David who lived one thousand years before Jesus. The ancient memory of the ancestors… Read More »

The prophet Jeremiah announced the promise of the Lord: Behold, the days are coming. Centuries later the angel assured St. Joseph the prophecy was fulfilled.  The Lord said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.” The… Read More »

Using a technique called a genotype tree can be helpful in understanding one’s own health situation. For example, alcoholism or diabetes or depression frequently occurring among your ancestors can serve as a red flag that you might have a genetic disposition to those diseases. St. Matthew provides a genotype of Jesus and we learn from… Read More »