The Good Word

The reading from Isaiah nicely picked up by the response–Psalm 122–takes us to Zion the hill on which Jerusalem sat where the temple rested whence royal Davidic enterprises worked and most important of all where stood God s cosmic throne rooted deep in the earth and brushing the heavens

The First Sunday of Advent December 2 2007 marks the start of a new liturgical year when we will again use the readings from Cycle A of the Lectionary for Mass Most readers of America are certainly familiar with the basic structure of the three-year Sunday Lectionary in which the Gospel readin

In last week s second reading Paul held himself up as a model for imitation to the Thessalonians 2 Thess 3 7-12 For Paul imitation is neither the sincerest form of flattery nor a cheap copy but a means to model oneself in the life of Christ Paul holds himself up as a model of imitation st

I found myself wondering how 2 Thessalonians 3 7-12 fit with Malachi 3 19-20a often 4 1-2a in English translations and Luke 21 5-19 Apart from thematic fit I wondered how appealing Paul s call for diligence in daily tasks could have been and I am assuming Pauline authorship of 2 Thessaloni

The Sadducees and Resurrection from the Dead Luke 20 27-39 This blog is written for the person who wants to enter more thoroughly into the meaning of this conflict story Sadducees against Jesus than a brief homily can provide 1 The first reading today from the Book of Maccabees shows that

Roman Catholics can be spotted with eyes raised to heaven overheard to give thanks that we are not like certain others fundamentalists and such When I was once engaging in that self-congratulatory behavior I was helpfully challenged by John R Donahue S J familiar to readers of America who s

If you d like to read my earlier posts on this subject simply click on my name above The most substantial arguments against Pauline authorship are concerned with issues of increased institutionalization in the Church and questions regarding supposed differences in theology from Paul s genuin

This Sunday s gospel 30th OT continues Jesus teaching on prayer in the eighteenth chapter of Luke s gospel Jesus proposes another parable that invites us to reflect on the proper attitude and manner of prayer and on what is improper Jesus briefly describes two figures who enter the t

Many people who are committed to social justice may still overlook what has come to be called ecojustice They do not realize that living in harmony with the natural world is fundamental to living in harmony with other people It is very clear that most of the wars fought are over land and or contro

Morris West in his memoirs reminds us of the words he puts into the mouth of Giordano Bruno in his play The Heretic Ever since the Greeks we have been drunk with language We have made a cage of words And shoved our God inside as boys confine A cricket or a locust to make him sing A private s