The Good Word

Is it foolish NRSV Galatians or stupid NAB Galatians It s so hard to know and so hard for a Galatian to catch a break one way or the other Paul writes in a polemical style common among ancient writers but jarring to our ears It is hard to imagine a papal encyclical beginning with stupid

The Greek words that lie behind the English translations of justify justification and righteousness in the letters of Paul are the verb dikaioo and the nouns dikaios and dikaiosyne This Greek verb and associated nouns originally referred to justice and the results of justice delivered that is

With the mission of the Twelve underway Mark has asked his reader to look beyond the life of Jesus to the continuation of God s offer of His kingdom to those who repent As their mission proceeds they keep central the call to repentance so as to enjoy the Kingdom and support their call with ast

The first reading for October 8 is Galatians 2 1-2 7-14 but we will look at the whole of the chapter Paul moves to explain the acceptance of the Gospel he preaches by the Church as a whole and he describes his encounter with the Apostolic Council in Jerusalem described also in Acts 15 Paul doe

As in the past so now does Mark present the theme of rejection after astounding miracles The rejection this time comes from his native place specifically from the synagogue attendees in Nazareth The intended irony of the story is that these long-time neighbors and friends of Jesus should

I think of yesterday s first reading 1 6-12 as the opening of the Body of the letter The omission of the Thanksgiving strikes me even now as a little shocking because even in situations that seem to have run out of control in other cities think Corinth Paul manages more than a perfunctory Tha

Mark has picked up again his recital of powerful deeds from Jesus The present two stories are notable for their vivid features which indicate that these particular stories remained very much alive in their color and drama over many years of retelling A particular sign of this remembrance is the

Paul writes in Philippians 4 6-9 Brothers and sisters Have no anxiety at all but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving make your requests known to God Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus Finally brothers

Sometime soon the Catholic University Press of America will publish a book authored by Cornelia Horn of Saint Louis University and myself on children in the early Church titled Let the Little Children Come to Me Children and Childhood in Early Christianity The genesis of this book was a s

Mark has shown his readership the powers of Jesus then offered explanations for both the successes seed produced fruit – 4 8 and failures of his sowing and has shown God s work in the sowing of the kingdom and its invincible spread to include all nations Leaving all and followin