Category Archives: Musings

More than Remembering

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The connection between the first reading and the Gospel becomes much deeper when we notice how the Servant imagery in Isaiah quietly anticipates the way Jesus speaks about Himself in John’s Gospel. I think the two connections are especially striking. Isaiah 49 belongs to the Second Servant Song (Isaiah 49:1–13). In this passage God appoints His Servant to restore Israel and bring salvation to the nations. God says: “I will keep you and give you as a covenant to the people…to say to the prisoners: Come out! to those in darkness: Show yourselves!” This Servant is presented as the one through whom God’s saving work reaches the world. Now listen to the language Jesus uses in John 5: “Just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also the Son gives life to whom He wills… the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.” I am struck by the parallels:

Isaiah 49
The Servant Who Restores Life		John 5
The Son Who Gives Life
God appoints a Servant to restore the peopleThe Father sends the Son
The Servant liberates prisonersThe Son calls the dead to life
The Servant brings people out of darknessThe Son’s voice awakens the spiritually dead

What Isaiah describes poetically as release from captivity, Jesus interprets at a deeper level as the gift of divine life. In other words, Jesus is presenting Himself as the fulfillment of the Servant’s mission.

When these connections are noticed, the readings create a unified message. Isaiah presents God’s promise that He has not forgotten His people and will send a Servant to restore them. John reveals the fulfillment that His Father is still at work and that the Son carries out that work by giving life and bringing judgment.

The tenderness of Isaiah—“Can a mother forget her child?”—finds its concrete expression in Christ’s mission. God does more than merely remember His people. He comes among us in the person of the Son to restore our life. What Isaiah promised in poetry, Jesus accomplishes in person.

Image credit: detail of Jesus Falls the Second Time by Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo, c. 1745-49 | Church of San Polo (Venice) | PD – Wikimedia Commons

On Living Waters

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Part of the baptismal ceremony for infants is the blessing of the waters of the sacrament. It is a wonderful blessing that tells the history of salvation through the story of the living waters. It is a panorama of events from Sacred Scripture: “At the very dawn of creation your Spirit breathed on the waters, making them the wellspring of all holiness. The waters of the great flood you made a sign of the waters of baptism, that make an end of sin and a new beginning of goodness. Through the waters of the Red Sea you led Israel out of slavery, to be an image of God’s holy people, set free from sin by baptism. In the waters of the Jordan your Son was baptized by John and anointed with the Spirit. Your Son willed that water and blood should flow from his side as he hung upon the cross.”

It is as Jesus tells Nicodemus, he must be born of water and Spirit – it is what we celebrate in the Sacrament of Baptism. One chapter later in John’s gospel Jesus meets the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well and asks her if she wants “living water” (hydor zon), an expression that has two possible meanings. It can mean fresh, running water (spring water as opposed to water from a cistern), or it can mean living/life-giving water.

From the side of Jesus, water flowing as a means of living waters of baptism for the whole world.

It was an image foreshadowed in the first reading today from the Prophet Ezekiel: “I saw water flowing out from beneath the threshold of the temple toward the east.” It is water that“ flows…and empties into the sea, the salt waters, which it makes fresh. Wherever the river flows, every sort of living creature that can multiply shall live, and there shall be abundant fish, for wherever this water comes the sea shall be made fresh. Along both banks of the river, fruit trees of every kind shall grow; their leaves shall not fade, nor their fruit fail. Every month they shall bear fresh fruit, for they shall be watered by the flow from the sanctuary.” (Eze 47:9,12)

As the New Testament mentions in several places, Jesus is the new Temple, the one Ezekiel was describing. And as St. Paul reminds us, in our Baptism, born from above by water and the Holy Spirit, we too are temples of God.

The challenge is to live out our baptismal promises and be like Ezekiel’s Temple vision: a source of living water in which our faith and witness makes fresh and new the lives of others.

Image credit: Photo by Pixabay – macro-photography-of-water-waves-355288 | CC0

On Remembering

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The Prophet Isaiah lived in times there were indeed troubled: foreign armies at the walls of the city, kings that had led the people astray from Covenant faithfulness, relying on alliances, warriors and gold to fend off the invaders from nations far larger than Israel. Yet for Isaiah, the vision of God’s majesty was so overwhelming that military and political power faded into insignificance. He constantly called the people back to a reliance on God’s promises and away from vain attempts to find security in human plans and intrigues. Isaiah insisted on the ethical behavior that was required of human beings who wished to live in the presence of such a holy God. Inevitably the people failed and Isaiah then delivered the message of judgment upon the people… but always with a parallel message of hope. It was never too late to turn to God.

It is a pattern present in the opening chapters of Isaiah and some 60-odd chapters later it continues to be the message. In today’s first reading, I find great comfort in one of Isaiah’s messages of hope:

“Thus says the LORD: Lo, I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; The things of the past shall not be remembered or come to mind. Instead, there shall always be rejoicing and happiness in what I create” (Is 65:17-18)

The things of the past: things we’d love to forget, but whose regret lingers – what we’ve done and what we’ve failed to do. Things we have confessed and been forgiven – and yet we remember. Even for we who, however imperfectly have turned to God, Isaiah’s message is that there will come a day when the things of the past shall not be remembered or come to mind. Then in a new and deeper way he can join the Psalm refrain: “I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.” (Ps 30:2) Rescued me from myself.

On that day we will truly be at peace.

National Pi Day

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Today, March 14th, is the annual celebration of the mathematical constant π (pi). Pi Day is observed on March 14 (3/14 in the month/day format) since 3, 1, and 4 are the first three significant digits of π. And it is not just because some mathematicians got together and said so, on March 12, 2009, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a non-binding resolution (111 H. Res. 224), recognizing March 14th as National Pi Day. So, its official… in a non-binding kind of way. Continue reading →

Commanding Love

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The scribe’s question in our gospel from St. Mark about the greatest commandment was not posed “to test” Jesus as is done in Matthew’s and Luke’s gospels. The question is, in fact, a familiar one from Jewish tradition: “Is there a way of summarizing the commandments?” Jesus gave a traditional answer. The first part is from Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (Shemaʿ ), but combined with another part from Leviticus 19:18.

What is interesting is that only Mark quotes v.4 from the traditional Shema: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God: the Lord is one.” The traditional response is the imperative command: “Hear.” It is a present tense imperative, which implies continuous or repeated action: “Keep on listening!” “Continue to hear!” This command to listen is heard frequently in Mark, e.g., in the parable of the sower (4:3) and at the Transfiguration: “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him” (9:7). Perhaps the “first command of all” is: “Listen!”

What follows this initial command are the consequences of truly listening and hearing as indicated by the shift to a future tense: “You shall love…”; a thing that cannot be commanded and still remain true.

Brian Stoffergen offers an insight on love and its command. He writes: “Could you imagine a young couple on their first date? The woman thinks to herself, ‘I really like this guy. He’s so handsome. He’s so charming. I wouldn’t mind spending the rest of my life with him. What can I do to get him to love me?’ Then you hear the woman say in a stern voice: ‘I command you to love me. You will marry me. We will live happily ever after.’ Would a marriage like that work? Can such love be commanded?”

Of course, one question to ask is whether that is the kind of love Jesus is talking about?

The underlying word for the verb “to love” is agano. It implies action rather than emotion. No command can change one’s heart, soul, mind, and strength. Rules might make us act more lovingly towards other people but not “with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” But then again there is one other time agano is used in Mark’s gospel.

In the story of the rich young man who comes to Jesus asking him what he must do to inherit the kingdom of God (10:17-22), we read: “Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to [the] poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” Jesus’ love for the man was evident in the action recommended. Jesus’ response was not a Hallmark card moment, but a response for the good of the other. Jesus commands us to love our enemies (in Matthew 5:44). Our response might well be all action accompanied by feelings not commonly described as “love.” So, maybe there is a way that love can be commanded.

In any case, I think there is perhaps a prelude to the greatest commandments: Listen!  In the case of the Word of God – first listen, then do it. One day your heart, soul, mind and strength will catch up.

Image credit: If you want to be perfect (Christ and the rich young man), A.N. Mironov 2010, Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Until

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The gospel for today comes from Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount. The verses following the Beatitudes and the longer portion of the Sermon in which Jesus will explain the deeper meaning of the Commandments of God. (“You have heard it said, but I say to you…). The between verses are subject to much debate as to the correct understanding:

“Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.’”

The problems are centered on the use of the word “until.” Long story short, there is one view that essentially says, “Well…. Jesus perfectly fulfilled the Law and the promises of the Prophets… hence the Law and Prophets – a way to say the entire Old Testament – all of it can be ignored now.”

Then again, “Until heaven and earth pass away” is the equivalent of our modern “until hell freezes over” – a none too subtle “never” (also used in Jeremiah, Job and the Psalms). The conclusion is all the OT laws still apply and so we should keep the Sabbath (Friday sunset to Saturday sunset) and move away from Sundays.

The scholar RT France offers a great understanding: The law, down to its smallest details, is as permanent as heaven and earth, and will never lose its significance; on the contrary, all that it points forward to will in fact become a reality.  The new reality is present in Jesus, but not fully present as the kingdom of heaven. Still the law (smallest detail and all) have to be seen in a new light, but they still cannot be discarded.  Matthew will make that clear in the Sermon on the Mount.

Image credit: Cosimo Rosselli Sermone della Montagna, 1481, Sistine Chapel, Public Domain

The Bulwark

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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)

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Disturbed

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I am a bit troubled by today’s readings. The gospel is this uncomfortable sequence in which Jesus, for the third time, has told his disciples 

“Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified.” 

At least this time Jesus lets them know he will be raised from the dead… not that they understand what he is telling them – or maybe they weren’t really listening.

Then comes the mother of the sons of Zebedee. It is as though they are saying: “OK, sure, that’s all good and well, but when you come into your kingdom…” 

There is a part of me that wants to reply, “Really?!?” 

And there is the part of me that is troubled. 

How many times have I missed the important Words of God while I was thinking of something else, something focused more on me than on the ones I am called to serve. When I am focused on my list of things to do… no doubt important … but are they things of service to the Lord and his people?

I wonder if sometimes I am exactly like the people in the first reading who are conspiring against Jeremiah. They’re thinking: So what if we get rid of Jeremiah, “It will not mean the loss of instruction from the priests, nor of counsel from the wise, nor of messages from the prophets.”  At least not the ones who give us what we want to hear, offer easy grace, and don’t disturb us from our view of the world.

The Word of God: just last week the prophet Isaiah told us that the Word goes out and accomplishes its mission and does not return to God empty-handed. 

The question is will the Word return with us in hand? Did we listen even when it made us uncomfortable, disturbed our world view, and shone a light on a path we are less-than-willing to walk.

The world is not ready to hear the disturbing words of the Gospel. Folks don’t like the true prophet who draws people’s attention to the things they don’t want to hear. Folks need to figure all that out. 

But what about us? Are we willing to be disturbed?

Image credit: The Prophet Jeremiah, Michelangelo, fresco on ceiling of Sistine Chapel, Vatican City | Public Domain

When Worship and Life Drift Apart

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Both readings today speak with a sharpness that may unsettle us but it is the sharpness of a physician’s scalpel, not a weapon. God is not condemning for the sake of condemning. He is calling His people back to integrity, back to a faith that is lived and not merely displayed.

Through the prophet Isaiah, God addresses leaders who are very religious on the surface. They offer sacrifices. They observe rituals. They show up for worship. And yet God says something shocking: “I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity.” In other words, religious activity has become disconnected from moral conversion.

So God does not ask for more prayer, more offerings, or more public devotion. Instead, He says: “Wash yourselves clean. Put away your misdeeds. Learn to do good. Make justice your aim.” God is not rejecting worship. He is rejecting worship that does not change how people live.

Jesus makes the same point in the Gospel from Matthew, though He directs it squarely at religious leaders. The scribes and Pharisees know the law. They teach correctly. But Jesus says they “do not practice what they teach.” Faith has become something they perform rather than embody.

Jesus’ concern is not with leadership itself, but with leadership that seeks recognition instead of responsibility. Titles, honors, places of importance—these become substitutes for humility. And when faith becomes about being seen, it quietly stops being about being faithful.

At the heart of both readings is a single question God asks every generation:
Does your worship shape your life or does it simply decorate it?

God desires a people whose prayer leads to justice, whose knowledge of the law leads to mercy, and whose closeness to God leads to humility. That is why Jesus ends with a simple but demanding truth: “Whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

Humility, in Scripture, is not thinking less of ourselves it is living honestly before God, allowing Him to align our words, our worship, and our actions. It is choosing consistency over appearance, conversion over comfort, obedience over applause.

Today’s readings invite us to examine not how religious we appear, but how deeply our faith is shaping our daily choices: how we speak, how we forgive, how we treat the vulnerable, and how we seek God when no one is watching.

If we are willing to listen, God still speaks the same promise Isaiah proclaimed: “If you are willing, and obey, you shall eat the good things of the land.”

Not because we performed well but because we allowed our hearts to be changed.

Image credit: CANVA, “a sailboat adrift” AI generated, downloaded Mar-1-2026

A Litany for Our Life

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What did you take away from today’s readings?  Before reading on, take a moment. Click on the link and peruse the readings for today. What are the one or two notions or ideas that stand out for you? We’ll wait…

The first reading is largely a confession of sin, a lament and recounting of all that the people of God have done that led to the Babylonian Exile and the ensuing tribulation. It is a prayer by the prophet Daniel as he meditates on Jeremiah’s prophecy that seventy years would pass while Judah remained desolate and its people captive. As ponders he also does penance and fasts. It is a very Lenten scene.

Daniel offers a prayer that opens with a frank confession of the disobedient sinfulness of the covenant people. Then just beyond the scope of our reading, Daneil recalls God’s graciousness in leading the people out of Egypt and God’s justice in punishing Jerusalem. Then Daniel petitions God to deliver the holy city and the nation that bears God’s name. He does so in a threefold request which is akin to an Old Testament version of Kyrie eleison or “Lord, have mercy.”

The Responsorial Psalm is, in its way, also a frank confession of our sad condition in the valley of tears – we are sinners who acknowledge the justice due to the Lord and yet we hope: “Remember not against us the iniquities of the past; may your compassion quickly come to us. Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.”

Then in the Gospel, after all our pleading, God doesn’t not recount our sins, does not lecture us on the justice due the Lord, the litany from our loving God is this: Be merciful…stop judging…forgive. Do these things and “Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing.”

A litany for life: Be merciful…stop judging…forgive.

Like Daniel, people of Faith are quite good at recounting their sins. But as a priest and confessor it seems to me, like the first reading, we stop short. We fail to recall God’s graciousness and loyal love. Like the psalmist we are good at asking the Lord to not remember our sins and to be compassionate. And yet, even when forgiven, we are a people who not only recall our failures, but dwell on them, failing to let the compassion of the Lord infuse our souls in a way that we are able to be compassionate with ourselves.

Be merciful…stop judging…forgive. We are better at doing that for others than ourselves as though it is a litany for every life except our own.

Be merciful…stop judging…forgive. These are Jesus’ words, akin to a divine version of Kyrie eleison. It is the Lord’s prayer for us about ourselves.

Image credit: “Kyrie Eleison” by Soichi Watanabe, Japan; used with permission