Posts

In the Hebrew Scriptures high mountains were traditionally seen as holy places where one could encounter God. It was on the summit of Mt Sinai that Moses received the Law from God (Ex 19) and it was on Mt Horeb that Elijah encountered God in the gentle breeze (1Kings 19:9ff).Read More →

We read that this Lenten fast was formerly observed by Moses and Elijah, and by it is shown that the Gospel does not differ from the Law and the Prophets. Moreover, by this fast we are instructed that after Baptism we ought throughout the whole time of this present worldRead More →

Jesus’ fulfilling was to be seen in contrast to annulling. Jesus would bring a new mindset to the Torah. He was not the first to do this. The prophets had consistently interpreted and studied the Torah in depth, teasing out its consequences, purifying it and applying it to the ever-changing social conditions. InRead More →

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 →