Monthly Archives: April 2022

Peter’s Denial

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The arrest of Jesus leads into three successive and connected scenes: Peter’s denial (vv. 54-62), the mocking of Jesus (vv. 63-65), and the trial before the religious authorities (vv. 66-71). What is interesting is that in the midst of the Passion narrative of Jesus, there is the scene in all four gospels that concentrate on Peter and his response.  Luke’s account is unique in the following respects: sequence – in that the denials occur in the courtyard before the mocking and interrogation; structure – Luke does not connect the denial as a caused by the trial; and detail – such as the servant girl sitting at the fireside where there is light to clearly recognize Peter  – and most vividly, it is Luke that reports Jesus looked Peter “dead in the eye,” bring the full gravitas of the denials to Peter. Continue reading →

The time of testing

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Of course we all know that after the meal with his disciples that Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane.  Actually, no gospel says that.  Matthew and Mark wrote that he went to a garden. John says he went to Gethsemane. Fuse them all together and you get the “Garden of Gethsemane.”  What does Luke say? Luke only calls it “the place.”  There is no garden specifically mentioned nor is Gethsemane.  Is it important? Well, it is a reminder to be attentive to the text before you and not meld the familiar stories and scenes from other sacred writers.  Each sacred writer has something distinctive that can be missed if one fuses all the details from other accounts. Continue reading →

Teaching at the table

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Who of us has not been part of a trivial argument in the middle of what is supposed to be a festive gathering of family and friends? A trivial moment that absorbs the energy from the group, refocuses everything from the “forest to the trees?” Only later did we discern what an amazing moment was in the making, something important at hand, a memory for a lifetime, and we frittered it away. Welcome to the Last Supper. Continue reading →

Holy Rus

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Our world has a long history of secular power attempting to co-op religion, religion seeking to become the central secular authority, and most permutations and combinations in between. It rarely goes well in the long run. But in the short run it can be a rallying cry for whatever cause needs such support. Such is the promotion of “Holy Rus.” Continue reading →

The Passover Meal

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The account of Jesus’ last supper is an important and key narrative in the Christian community. It provides the foundation of our Eucharistic celebration, a poignant theology of the Messiah’s death, and more. In our Catholic tradition, Jesus’ words convey the sacramental understanding of Real Presence of Christ in our celebrations. These ten short verses contain more than a simple commentary can provide. Continue reading →

The Lucan Passion Narrative

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The passion narratives provide the climax for each of the four gospels, catching up themes that weave their way through the evangelists’ entire portrayal of Jesus’ life and bringing them to a dramatic completion. In deft strokes the evangelists tell us of the final hours of Jesus’ life – his last meal with his disciples; his arrest in Gethsemane; his interrogation by the religious leaders; the trial before Pilate; and finally the heart clutching scenes of Jesus’ crucifixion, death and burial. Continue reading →

Rummaging

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Although most everyone calls today Palm Sunday, today is properly called Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion. In the opening Gospel we recall the wonderful account of Jesus entering Jerusalem. We get to get to celebrate, wave palms, and greet the Messiah. It is a moment of joy.

It is all rather short lived. Not only in history, but in our liturgy, too. As soon as our entrance procession is over, the readings take on a decidedly different tone. There was a time when I thought that reading the Passion was jumping the gun a bit. I mean, won’t Good Friday arrive in its own good time? Can’t we let the week unfold, walking the journey with Jesus as he spends the week? Can’t we wait to hear about the Last Supper, the betrayal, Gethsemane, the trials, Pontius Pilate, scouring, the crucifixion, and Jesus dead, laid in a tomb? What is the rush? Continue reading →

A guide to Holy Week

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Every year Christians commemorate the week before Easter Sunday with special traditions and devotions that help them enter into the Passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is a special time of the year, culminating in the biggest feast of the Church’s calendar – Easter. Here are the basics of what Catholics look forward to during the week that precedes Easter Sunday.

Palm Sunday. This day inaugurates Holy Week with the triumphal entrance of Jesus in Jerusalem. In the Gospels Jesus comes to the city riding upon a donkey with the people placing palm branches in front of him. At Mass on this day the congregation relives this event with a procession in the church and a solemn blessing of palm branches. The Passion narrative is also read on this day. Continue reading →

God has a Name

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If you are a frequent reader of this blog you know that I am a big fan of The Bible Project. The project/website is a great way to begin or deep dive into Sacred Scripture. As you can see from the menu there are videos to watch, an app to download, podcasts, detailed studies, a blog – and an opportunity to support their mission and ministry.

The-Bible-Project

Today’s blog post was super interesting: “God has a Name”  Here is the opening paragraph:

Have you ever read the Bible, especially the Old Testament and thought God seems to be called by a lot of names? Who is this Yahweh, Elohim, El Roi, Adonai, Savior, Redeemer, and Angel of the Lord? What happened to the simple Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? There are in fact, dozens of ways in which the people of Israel referred to God. Many of these names are revealed to us in Genesis and the rest of the Torah. This multiplicity of names can be a little confusing for those who don’t know ancient Hebrew. So we thought we’d do our best to open up this fascinating can of worms and show you why it’s important to understand the many ancient names of God.

Enjoy!

If you would like to see a video version you can find it here.