Withholding Forgiveness

During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus references Exodus 21 in which Moses is explaining the Torah to the people. It is a description of and an attempt to regulate fair punishment for violence so that the punishment did not exceed the injury. The instruction was aimed not at excusing brutality, but at controlling vendetta. Here is a portion of the passage: Continue reading

A Next Step

This coming Sunday is the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Lectionary Cycle B.  From the beginning of Mark, chapter 4, we have seen Jesus teaching via some very memorable parables about the Kingdom of God:

  • Parable of the Sower (vv.1-9)
  • Purpose of the Parables (vv.10-20)
  • Parable of the Lamp (vv.21-25)
  • Parable of the Seed that Grows Itself (vv.26-29)
  • Parable of the Mustard Seed (vv.30-34)

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