Daniel J. Harrington

The only formal definition of religion in the Bible appears in today rsquo s reading from James It is not an exhaustive or comprehensive definition But it does provide a starting point for reflecting on what the biblical tradition understands to be true religion The first characteristic of true re

Among the New Testament writings the Letter of James is important for its emphasis on social justice By social justice I mean how we find our way among the various social ethnic economic gender and political realities that shape our lives When this letter was written there were probably only a

During our series of reflections on Jesus rsquo ldquo bread of life rdquo discourse in John 6 we have seen repeatedly how the Old Testament passages chosen for each Sunday cast fresh light on Jesus and the Eucharist Today rsquo s selection from Proverbs 9 reminds us that the Eucharist is also W

The passages from John 6 that we have been considering on recent Sundays have reminded us of some of the ways in which God feeds his people Most fundamentally God feeds his people through Jesus the revealer who explains and exemplifies who God is and what God wills for us This revelation is tra

In today rsquo s world there is a great hunger for spiritual sustenance Millions of people believe that there are realities beyond material possessions that the questions about who we are and what will become of us must be addressed and that we cannot reach peace of mind and soul without acknowled

The Transfiguration is the event in which the inner circle of Jesus rsquo disciples experienced his true glorious nature as a kind of preview or anticipation of his glory as the risen Lord When the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord falls on a Sunday its readings supersede those of the Sun

In the world of the Bible sheep and shepherds were common sights so it was not unusual for ancient Near Eastern kings and rulers to adopt the image and title of shepherd That was natural and even irresistible since shepherds care for their flocks provide leadership and direction for them and pr