Scripture

In the readings at Mass this week we are pondering the account of original sin. Let’s explore the stages of sin that are manifested in Adam’s and Eve’s struggle. Many tend to describe original sin merely as the eating of a forbidden fruit. While this accurate, it is incomplete and leads... Read more

All Christians trust the Bible, including (especially) the New Testament. But the Bible leads me to the Church. This happens in two ways. First, the Bible tells me that Christ established a Church and gave her His authority to teach in His name. So, the Bible sends me forward to the... Read more

Continuing our reflection on the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, let’s ponder a moment that was glorious in its significance and fulfilment, yet was missed by nearly everyone. Joseph and Mary had brought Jesus to the Temple to present Him there. As they ascended the glorious steps to... Read more

So often in funerals I hear proclaimed the familiar lines from the Book of Ecclesiastes, which speaks to the great mystery we call time; more on its text, in a moment. If I were to ask you to define time, could you do it in a way that really satisfies? For example, some have defined as “the... Read more

The first reading from Mass for Tuesday of the First Week of the Year is from the Letter to the Hebrews. It sets forth the total victory of Christ and that the Father has subjected all things to Christ. Yet the text also shows how the outworking of this subjugation is paradoxical. Note... Read more

As the Church celebrated the feast of the Lord’s baptism yesterday, my mind returns to a pilgrimage to the Holy Land I made a few years ago. One of the highlights of the trip was a visit to the banks of the River Jordan, where Jesus was baptized by John all those years ago. During our visit to... Read more

Over the past six months the Church has suffered horrid revelations of clergy sexual abuse, homosexual activity, and attendant cover-up. These scandals have understandably prompted some to call for an end to celibacy in the Catholic Church. It would seem that the discipline no longer serves us... Read more

The feast day of January 1st is a very complex tapestry, both culturally and liturgically. Perhaps we can use the second reading by St. Paul to the Galatians as a way to weave through some of the many details. We can look at it in three parts. I. The chronology of our celebration– The text... Read more

St. Augustine said that “the New Testament lies hidden in the Old and the Old is fulfilled in the New.” Like other Church Fathers he distinguished between the outer “literal” and the inner “spiritual” meaning of Holy Scripture. And like the others, he often preferred spirit to... Read more

Recent passages in the Office of Readings of the Liturgy of Hours have seemed ominously applicable to the Church in our current crisis. Although these readings are part of a repeating schedule from year to year, they speak powerfully at this current time. Their perennial call to repent or else... Read more