The Good Word

Many scholars evaluate Ephesians as a pseudonymous letter of Paul s attributing it to a period some twenty years approximately after Paul s martyrdom and composed by disciples of Paul sometimes styled as a Pauline school Others note that the earliest manuscript traditions lack to the Ephesi

Building on last week rsquo s readings about prophets in a way unusual and interesting we now get additional insight from Amos and Mark nbsp The Amos narrative looms oddly in a book where otherwise the prophet is a speaker rather than spoken about and it comes too abruptly since the lectionary s

Many centuries ago the Pope decided that all the Jews had to leave Rome Naturally there was an uproar from the Jewish community nbsp So the Pope made a deal nbsp He would have a religious debate with a member of the Jewish community nbsp If the Jews won they could stay nbsp If the Pope won

The year of St Paul ends with the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul on June 29th 2009 I think this year has been a tremendous gift for the Church if only to draw considered attention to the man Paul and the many facets of his ministry Certainly in my diocese that of St Paul and Minneapolis

Brothers and sisters As you excel in every respect in faith discourse knowledge all earnestness and in the love we have for you may you excel in this gracious act also 2 Cor 8 7 What is this gracious act of which Paul speaks I am having a difficult time concentrating as I hope to be a

There is a common theme running through the readings for the Solemnity of the Nativity of John the Baptist Mass during the day and that is your purpose and mine I know that Isaiah 49 1-6 pertains directly to God s servant Isaiah technically I suppose this is Deutero-Isaiah but who names their

nbsp The readings for the Twelfth Sunday of Ordinary Time both the Old Testament reading from Job 38 1 8-11 and the Gospel reading from Mark 4 35-41 place us in the presence of God who is sovereign over nature It is on my mind not only because of the readings for the week but due to our prese

This Sunday rsquo s Gospel reading Mark 4 35-41 is a story about Jesus calming the sea and waves nbsp This brief story is filled with meaning as one might expect nbsp Most notable perhaps is the immense power Jesus shows no one in Jewish history had done what he did here nbsp But this

If we follow the time line closely in Mark s Gospel the event in Jesus lifewe hear about this Sunday rounds off an action-packed day Jesus has aserious run-in with his townsfolk his Mother and family he has taught fiveoutstanding parables explained the detail of one of them and then in theeve

The Trinity is a response by Christians to the rich mystery of the Divine How to begin to approach it nbsp Four quotes from Elizabeth Johnson rsquo s Quest for the Living God Mapping Frontiers of Theology 202-03 ldquo The experience of salvation coming from God through Jesus in the power of