Category Archives: Musings

A Barrier to Evil

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We should certainly hear an echo of the Lord’s Prayer in today’s gospel: ““Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.” The mention of “forgiveness” should echo Jesus’ teaching about prayer. In the Lord’s prayer we are told to forgive others as we are forgiven: “If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.” (Mt 6:14-15)

OK, the principle is clear, but the practical outworking still needs to be clarified, since its open-ended demand may easily be exploited by a manipulative person; surely there must be a limit? If Mishna B. Yoma represents rabbinic teaching, three times was regarded as sufficient. So, Peter’s proposal of up to seven times is probably intended to express a new limit of generosity. Or maybe it is a reference and contrast to sevenfold vengeance in the case of Cain (as in Cain and Abel). When Cain, doomed to wander homeless, worries that “Anyone may kill me at sight” (Gen 4:14), the Lord promises “Not so! the LORD said to him. If anyone kills Cain, Cain shall be avenged seven times.” (Gen 4:15) 

And so Jesus’ reply in our reading is all the more startling: “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.” (Mt 18:22)

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…their angel in heaven

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Today’s gospel is from Matthew and has an interesting verse: “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.” How should we understand these words? A good place to start is the immediate context.

On the whole, Matthew 18 is a discourse about humility, care for the “little ones,” and reconciliation within the community of believers. In verses 1–5, Jesus identifies “the greatest” in the kingdom as one who humbles themselves like a child. Verses 6–9 warn against causing these “little ones” to stumble.   

This raises an intermediate question: how are we to take the meaning of “little ones”? The options are likely either literal children, who exemplify trust and dependence or spiritually humble disciples, who, like children, rely on God. Most scripture scholars offer that Matthew intends both senses—beginning with literal children, then broadening to include all vulnerable believers. Verse 10, then, is a direct call not to despise (Greek: kataphronēsēte, meaning “look down upon, treat with contempt”) the humble or vulnerable believers symbolized by children.

The most discussed part of the verse is “their angels in heaven.”

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Why I Keep Reading

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People expect me to read the latest theology, spiritual, or scriptural commentary – and I try – but I am slowing down on those things. But I am working in a parish on a full-time basis. The people I serve are reading online news/opinions/articles/etc. from the different ends of the social/political divide and everything in between. I try to sample these things so that I can have some perspective on the perspective of the people I meet “on the sidewalk” after Mass. In our parish, we pretty much cover the spectrum with most people “in the middle” … more or less.

Boomers, Millennials, Gen X, Gen Y, Gen who knows and Gen Z – all have their own experiences, expectations, hopes, and the posture with which they face the future. It’s hard to keep up. I am a Boomer and can’t keep up with my generation. All my friends are retired and their world is morphing into something unknown to me.

Yesterday I read a fascinating article from The Free Press. The have White House credentials and an app – good signs of stability. If you want a Gen Z perspective on being an adult, take a “minutes” and read Admit It, Being an Adult Is Hard. It will give you some perspective.

I’ve shared it a few people and most of the initial reaction was “how could they not….” before pausing and realizing there was a point in time when we (boomers) did not know such things but we figured it out. Boomers and Millennials get to face: how does Medicare work? What is a RMD on by IRA? How could we not have known these things? Well… it wasn’t a need. I guess “need” is the mother of figuring things out.

Anyway… enjoy

Image credit: from the referenced article.

There is only One

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Today’s first reading is from the Book of Deuteronomy, the fifth and final book of the Torah, presenting Moses’ farewell speeches to the Israelites as they prepare to enter the Promised Land. Structured as a renewal of the Covenant, Deuteronomy restates the Law given at Sinai, calling the people to fidelity, obedience, and love for the Lord. It emphasizes the heart of Israel’s relationship with God—not merely external compliance, but covenant loyalty shaped by memory, gratitude, and reverence. 

In our first reading Moses reminds the  people of Israel’s unique experience of God’s direct action in history with them. It was not the interaction with some remote unknown deity. They have had a personal experience of God,  “the LORD, a God gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in love and fidelity” (Ex 34:6) That experience shaped them (and us) as religious people.

We would do well to pause and consider the landscape of religions across time up to now. How do they compare with the claims Christianity makes about God? Perhaps a short review is in order.

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Listen to Him

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The Feast of the Transfiguration is one of those Gospel scenes that almost overwhelms us with beauty. Jesus, radiant with divine light. Moses and Elijah appeared in glory. The mountain enveloped in a cloud—the biblical sign of God’s presence. And the Father’s voice from heaven.

It’s no wonder Peter is caught up in the awe of the moment. “Master,” he says, “it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents.” In other words: Let’s stay here. Let’s not go back down. Let’s preserve this moment forever.

Peter speaks for many of us. When life is full of light and peace, when prayer feels rich, when faith is consoling—we want to build our tents and stay put. We want the mountain without the valley. The glory without the Cross. The vision without obedience to the Word. We want Jesus the shining Savior, not Jesus the suffering servant.

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At large

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One of my daily emails comes from the good folks at Merriam Webster – “Word of the Day.” Most days I recognize the word and know its definition but there is always the etymology section of the email that traces its origin. It is perpetually fascinating to me how words and associated meaning morph and change. “We now recognize that a mouse isn’t always a rodent, and that the web might not be made by spiders. We understand cookie and bug as software today just as easily as we recognize their older meanings; context is the key to understanding words with several meanings.”

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Hidden Motives

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The first reading for today is one that is often quickly passed over. In part because it is in a book of the Old Testament which seems distant, filled with too many strange names, and there is often a sentiment of “let’s just move on to Jesus.” I have read it several times, but didn’t stop to delve into the passage. Probably a good time for me to do so.

The account centers around Moses and his brother Aaron and Aaron’s wife Miraiam. At the core of the story Miriam and Aaron complained, “Is it through Moses alone that the LORD speaks? Does he not speak through us also?” As a result, the Lord “calls them on the carpet” (so to speak – actually he calls them to the Tent of Meeting) and lets them know in no uncertain terms that Moses is the one who God has commissioned to act and speak on His behalf to the Israelites. “Why, then, did you not fear to speak against my servant Moses?” So angry was the LORD against them that when he departed, and the cloud withdrew from the tent, there was Miriam, a snow-white leper!”

How are we to understand this passage? And why is only Miriam affected? As a result she is going to be placed “outside the camp” apart from family and the people. No small thing in a wilderness environment.

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The End of One’s Rope

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In the first reading for today, it seems as though Moses has reached “the end of his rope.” We encounter one of Moses’ most raw and human moments—bordering on what may seem like a “pity party,” but is really a profound leadership crisis. A leadership that Moses was likely unprepared for and had to grow into the role. There was no mentor, no role model. He had been asked to do God’s work to free the Israelites from slavery. At this point, his encounters with Pharaoh are over and he has led the people from Egypt into the wilderness. The thrill of their freedom has worn thin and they begin complaining—again—particularly about food. They’re tired of the manna and cry out for meat.

“The riffraff among them were so greedy for meat that even the Israelites lamented again, ‘If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we used to eat without cost in Egypt, and the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.'” (Nb 11:4-5; the reading leaves out the first part of v.4)

The nostalgia for Egypt is ironic—they remember the food but not the slavery. The people’s constant complaining and lack of gratitude push him to the edge – Moses is overwhelmed

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Where Heaven and Earth Meet

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In the first reading today (from Exodus 40) we hear of the “Dwelling” or the “tent of meeting” also known as the Tabernacle. It was a “portable” sanctuary used by the Israelites during their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness – portable in the way a large meeting tent can be erected, taken down and transported. It was not a small tent.

Exodus 36, 37, 38 and 39 that describe in full detail how the actual construction of the tabernacle took place during the time of Moses. It is a part of the Bible when readers quickly start turning pages to “get back to the action” of Exodus. But let us pause for a moment and consider the Dwelling that is detailed extensively in the Book of Exodus.

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