Gospel

In our 21st c. Christian ears, what Jesus says is charming. But something is lost. We translate two different words from Matthew’s Greek manuscript. One word, “Kosmos,” we hear as “world,” as in “the light of the world.” The other we translate as “earth,” as in “the salt of theRead More →

Christ the Lord When Jesus teaches, he takes an authoritative posture: he is not just giving advice, he is unveiling Truth. St. Matthew illustrates this with two details prefacing Chapters 5-7 of his Gospel, the chapters that present in summary form Christ’s idea of how we ought to live, commonlyRead More →

There are still too many people in our world dwelling in darkness. Too many still without hope. Too many consumed by the bad news constantly being proclaimed. And it is up to us to show them the light. To be the light of the world. To let our good worksRead More →

This is day 2 of Jesus’ ministry.  John sees Jesus coming towards him and uses the phrase “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” for the first time.  This concept would have been earth shattering to a Jew.  The concept of an animal absorbing sin inRead More →

One of the most dramatic moments in this passage is the opening of heaven. In Jewish thought, the heavens represented the realm of God, often perceived as distant from the earthly realm. The image of heaven opening signifies a moment of divine intervention and revelation. It signals that what isRead More →

As he was describing the gift of the Word of God made man out of love for us, St. John the Evangelist also mentioned that “the world did not know him” and “his own people did not accept him” (John 1:11). We know that God created us free, and weRead More →

Joseph dreams of a life yet to be revealed. Herod is searching to keep the life he already knows. Joseph dreams about what might be. Herod searches for what was. Joseph is willing to get up and go, leave behind what he has, and change his life. Herod is afraid,Read More →

It seems that throughout the Bible God is always to trying to tell us this—“Do not be afraid, Abraham, when I ask you to leave your homeland and to travel to a new place that will be your own. Do not be afraid, Moses, for I will be with youRead More →

Many Christians down the ages have remodelled Jesus into something they find more palatable for their own tastes: a sweet and loving Messiah who could never be offensive; a powerful and furious Messiah who will come one day to avenge those who have made us uncomfortable, and who will whiskRead More →

One of the most beloved Christmas stories outside the Bible is really a story about repentance. What is the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, if not that? His story is really one of a man who was made bitter by suffering, and who then repented. The visit from the ghost ofRead More →