Learning lessons from history, there two mistakes to avoid. The first is ignorance of the past; the second, supposing that it was inevitable.

“It is not a figure of speech, a literary genre. I am a sinner.”

Parables are meant to change our perspective, and that is no small thing. 

What "I am a sinner" tells us about who Pope Francis is.

My grandfather never knew if the aid packages he sent back to Russia reached his brothers.  He died in Kansas, never seeing any of them again.

The parables of Jesus are meant to pounce, at least if we’ve truly heard them.  They’re a bit like playing with a kitten, one that surprises us with an unexpected swipe.  Each parable imparts a deeply personal lessen, but only if we enter the play.