In today rsquo s Gospel the sweet Jesus of much Christian piety seems to be having a bad day He rebuffs a disciple and his sayings echo with images of intentional drowning self-mutilation and permanent residence in Gehenna with unquenchable fire These sayings which once may have been independen

Christians today tend to think of the age of martyrs in terms of the early centuries of the church with vivid pictures of lions about to devour those who would not deny Christ Yet Karl Rahner once noted that today we should speak not only of martyrs of the faith but also of martyrs of justice Th

The readings touch on the most profound mysteries of Christianity: why do the innocent suffer, why must the followers of Jesus deny themselves and take up their crosses?

Having completed a long tour through John 6 the Lectionary returns to Mark with a dispute between Jesus the Pharisees and some scribes experts in the law over rules to assure purity when eating The readings present something of a paradox The first reading the beginning of the prayer that Jew

While last Sunday rsquo s readings sounded sober warnings today rsquo s readings celebrate the saving deeds of God The reading from Isaiah opens with one of the most frequent biblical commands Fear not and then looks to the divine deliverance from exile when the blind deaf lame and the speechl

Even the most profound revelation of Jesus, that he is God’s wisdom for humanity and that all who eat his flesh and drink his blood will have fullness of life, does not take away the mystery of human freedom.