The title got your attention did it not What if I had titled it The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity In the May 25 2009 issue of America Edward Foley O F M Cap wrote on the homily and its relationship to the lectionary readings of the day He argues that it is not always necessary to pr
John W. Martens
John W. Martens is an associate professor of theology at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minn,where he teaches early Christianity and Judaism. He also directs the Master of Arts in Theology program at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity. He was born in Vancouver, B.C. into a Mennonite family that had decided to confront modernity in an urban setting. His post-secondary education began at Tabor College, Hillsboro, Kansas, came to an abrupt stop, then started again at Vancouver Community College, where his interest in Judaism and Christianity in the earliest centuries emerged. He then studied at St. Michael's College, University of Toronto, and McMaster University, with stops at University of Haifa and University of Tubingen. His writing often explores the intersection of Jewish, Christian and Greco-Roman culture and belief, such as in "let the little children come to me: Children and Childhood in Early Christianity" (Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press, 2009), but he is not beyond jumping into the intersection of modernity and ancient religion, as in "The End of the World: The Apocalyptic Imagination in Film and Television" (Winnipeg: J. Gordon Shillingford Press, 2003). He blogs at www.biblejunkies.com and at www.americamagazine.org for "The Good Word." You can follow him on Twitter @biblejunkies, where he would be excited to welcome you to his random and obscure interests, which range from the Vancouver Canucks and Minnesota Timberwolves, to his dog, and 70s punk, pop and rock. When he can, he brings students to Greece, Turkey and Rome to explore the artifacts and landscape of the ancient world. He lives in St. Paul with his wife and has two sons. He is certain that the world will not end until the Vancouver Canucks have won the Stanley Cup, as evidence has emerged from the Revelation of John, 1 Enoch, 2 Baruch, and 4 Ezra which all point in this direction.
Posted inThe Good Word
Pentecost
A colleague of mine regularly gives students in her Christian Belief Ancient and Modern course a question on the role of the Holy Spirit The lead in to the question is a headline from The Onion America rsquo s Finest News Source February 26 2003 ldquo God Quietly Phasing Holy Ghost Out Of Tri
Posted inThe Good Word
Grounded by the Ascension
It is necessary as Fr Schineller S J points out in his recent post that the Ascension be seen as God rsquo s nbsp ldquo act of faith in us rdquo not a time to be gazing skyward or backward St Augustine gets to the ground of this reality in The City of God Book XVIII Chapter 53 when he s
Posted inThe Good Word
Scared of Paul?
The First Reading for the fifth Sunday of Easter is Acts 9 26-31 Luke is often thought to give an ideal or idealistic picture of the earliest Church and perhaps this is so though elements of friction disputation and consternation amongst the earliest Christians can be found throughout the Acts
Posted inThe Good Word
Do Not Use This Blog Entry for Your Homily
Why not use this blog entry Not that you would use it perhaps that s presumptuous of me even to assume it but no one wants to hear about word studies from the pulpit On the other hand what will people say when they hear Acts 4 8-12 proclaimed this Sunday According to the NAB Peter asks if he
Posted inThe Good Word
Happy Birthday!
I wish I could be present at the celebration of America Magazine rsquo s 100th Anniversary tomorrow in New York nbsp It was about two years ago that I was invited to participate in the blog ldquo The Good Word rdquo and I have enjoyed the opportunity that I was given by Tim Reidy and the magazi
Posted inThe Good Word
Easter Sunday
One of the readings for Easter Sunday The Resurrection of the Lord is the account of Cleopas and the unnamed disciple on the road to Emmaus Luke 24 13-35 I love this reading for it is a perfect example of Jesus rsquo loving presence even when we are not aware that he is near that he is with
Posted inThe Good Word
Good Friday
Good Friday is betrayal by a dear friend a part of an inner circle preparation in a long dark night for a coming arrest trial public and painful humiliation repudiation and death on a cross Why is it called Good Friday It doesn rsquo t seem very good At some point most Christians have ha
Posted inThe Good Word
Memory and Proclamation
The Second Reading for Holy Thursday is 1 Corinthians 11 23-26 In the tradition which Paul received of Jesus rsquo words of institution he relays Jesus rsquo command to do this in remembrance of me when partaking in both the bread and the cup This is my body that is for you Do this in rememb
Posted inThe Good Word
Palm Sunday
I wrote something different for Palm Sunday than what I am posting here but felt it was too personal to post not with respect to me but with respect to neighbors friends my family and my parish I did not identify anyone by name with the exception of a kind and good neighbor identifying him a