Sunday Readings: Isaiah 60.1-6; Ephesians 3.2-3, 5-6; Matthew 2.1-12 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We observe his star at its rising and have come to pay him h0mage.” (Matthew 2.2) The three kings stand for all of us who do not share the Jewish identity of Jesus and his first followers. Jesus […]
Gospel Reflection for January 3, 2016, Epiphany Read More »
Sunday Readings: Revelation 7.2-4, 9-14; 1 John 3.1-3; Matthew 5.1-12 “Blessed are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of God is theirs.” (Matthew 5.3) When people identify the central message of Christianity, they will say loving God and neighbor or following the ten commandments. Rarely does anyone’s first response refer to the beatitudes. The thou-shalts
Gospel Reflection for November 1, 2015, All Saints Day Read More »
Sunday Readings: Deuteronomy 4.32-34, 39-40; Romans 8.14-17; Matthew 2816-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to observe all I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28.19-20) Our God is no smug solitary being enclosed in
Gospel Reflection for May 31, 2015, Trinity Sunday Read More »
Sunday Readings: Isaiah 60.1-6; Ephesians 3.2-3,5-6; Matthew 2.1-12 “The star which they had observed at its rising went ahead of them until it came to a standstill over the place where the child was.” Matthew 2.9 Matthew’s stories of Jesus’ birth don’t mention the manger, the swaddling clothes, the shepherds, or angels singing in the
Gospel Reflection for January 4, 2015, Epiphany Read More »
Sunday scripture readings: Ezekiel 34.11-12,15-17; 1 Corinthians 15.20-26,28; Matthew 25.31-46 “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that
Gospel Reflection for November 23, 2014, Feast of Christ the King Read More »
“Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter, so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.’” Matthew 25.24-25 One
Gospel Reflection for November 16, 2014, 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time Read More »
“Teacher, which commandment is greatest?” Matthew 22.36 Gospel love is not an idea or an emotion but an imperative–a call to act. The two great commandments–to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves–recognize that acts of love weave us into community, just as selfish and violent acts fray the social fabric. The commandments
Gospel Reflection for October 26, 2014, 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time Read More »
“Whose image is this and whose inscription?” Matthew 22.20 In Sunday’s gospel Jesus confronts a worldview about who images God–Caesar or the human person. Jesus insists we cannot keep separate our obligations to God and those to government. God blesses and calls us to integrate the spheres of our lives and image the One who
Gospel Reflection for October 19, 2014, 29th Sunday of Ordinary Time Read More »
“I have prepared my banquet…everything is ready. Come to the feast.” Matthew 22.4 Christians today don’t catch on readily to Matthew’s allegory. For first-century Jews, both Christian Jews and rabbinic Jews, the Jewish-Roman war that destroyed the temple was a watershed event. Until then, rabbinic Jews who studied the Torah in synagogues and Christian Jews
Gospel Reflection for October 12, 2014, 28th Sunday Ordinary Time Read More »
“The kingdom of God…will be given to people that produce its fruits.” Matthew 21.43 We humans are like all tenants of Earth and like those in Sunday’s parable. Our basest instincts are to draw everything to ourselves, the “owner” be damned. God has given us a precious vineyard/planet/home, teeming with life and extraordinary resources, but
Gospel Reflection for October 5, 2014, 27th Sunday Ordinary Time Read More »