Emmaus

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In the gospel reading for today we share the story of the two disciples on that first Easter heading home discouraged by the events that had unfolded with the death of Jesus. By the time that Cleopas and his unnamed companion had walked with Jesus the seven miles from Jerusalem to Emmaus, the evening darkness had descended upon them. When Jesus acted as if he would continue walking, they implored him, “stay with us, for the day is almost over.” And so they had dinner at Emmaus. Continue reading →

In the beginning was the Word

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This coming weekend we celebrate the 2nd Sunday of Easter in Lectionary Cycle B. Consider this one verse: When Jesus prayed for his disciples he said to the Father, “As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world” (17:18).

Jesus and the disciples were not born into a time of theological vacuum.  Jewish theology was robust and with a history of succeeding and competing rabbinic schools.  The followers of Jesus and the people of his time were Jews who were raised and lived this theology.  It provided the framework for their daily lives and shaped their expectations about the Messiah, the Anointed One, who was to come.  Among the gospels, John’s is the writings whose work expresses the fulfillment of those expectations and provides the theology for those that would follow Jesus.  The basis of the theology is evident from the opening:

John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and Word was God…”

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Lasting Joy

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In the gospel reading today we encounter a well known scene. It is Sunday morning in the first light of the day, the third day since the crucifixion. Mary Magdalene is there to complete the burial rituals to honor the corpse of Jesus – only to discover an empty tomb. She was already grieving, carrying that pain and loss until the completion of the Sabbath, and now this – someone has taken the body of Jesus; a final insult and desecration. It is too much. She is in tears. Continue reading →

Peace be with you

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This coming weekend we celebrate the 2nd Sunday of Easter in Lectionary Cycle B. The disciples, still reeling from the events of the last three days, gather in the upper room. In Matthew 28:8, Mary Magdalene’s reaction to the encounter with Jesus was “fearful but overjoyed.” Perhaps this too is the experience of the disciples. All John tells us is that they were gathered together, hiding as it were, for fear of the Jews (v.19) Continue reading →

Baltimore Bridge Collapse – Who Pays?

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For those interested in keeping up with the maritime story behind Baltimore’s Key Bridge collapse, Sal Mercogliano – maritime historian at Campbell University (@campbelledu) and former merchant mariner – provides an update on MV Dali and discusses the insurance ramifications of the accident.  You can watch the full video or just the segments you are interested in.

00:00 Update on MV Dali and Key Bridge
03:36 Review of Power Outage on Dali 
07:15 Dali Sitting on Gas Lines
10:18 Insurance Implications
19:08 $3.1 Billion in Insurance!

The Easter Praise of Christ

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“We should understand, beloved, that the paschal mystery is one once old and new, transitory and eternal, corruptible and incorruptible, mortal and immortal. In terms of the Law is it old, in terms of the Word it is new. In its figure it is passing, in its grace it is eternal. It is corruptible in the sacrifice of the lamb, incorruptible in the eternal life of the Lord, It is mortal in his burial in the earth, immortal in his resurrection from the dead.

Easter Homily by St. Melito of Sardis

What had been a full day

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This coming weekend we celebrate the 2nd Sunday of Easter in Lectionary Cycle B. In the Johannine narrative our gospel occurs on what has been a full day: “On the evening of that first day of the week.”  It was only that morning that Mary Magdalene had visited the tomb and confessed, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him” (20:2) – ironically echoing one the decisive misunderstanding of Jesus’ ministry: from where did Jesus come and where is he going (e.g. 7:33-36, 8:21-23).  Mary became the first disciple of the good news of the empty tomb conveying the word to Peter and “the one whom Jesus loved.” Slowly the implications of the empty tomb and the burial linens come to the disciples and they begin to understand – each in differing ways and to varying degrees. The disciple whom Jesus loved “saw and believed” (20:8), however “they did not yet understand the scripture that he had to rise from the dead” (v.9). Continue reading →

Act 4

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There are lots of ways to tell a story. Just start at the beginning and move ahead to the end. That’s one way. One you see used a lot in television is to show a scene where the protagonist is in mortal peril with the outcome uncertain. For example, the scene opens, Jesus is standing before Pontius Pilate and the crowds are shouting “crucify him, crucify him”, then Pilate washes his hands, and the screen fades to black with the on-screen title, “Five Days Earlier.” There are lots of ways to tell a story. Continue reading →

Easter Sunday According to John

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Up until now, I had never written a commentary on the gospel for Easter Sunday. Perhaps it was left undone by all the activities leading up to Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, Holy Week, and Easter itself. But now it is done. This Easter Sunday the gospel reading is taken from John and describes the scene at the empty tomb:

1 On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.” 3 So, Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. 4 They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; 5 he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. 6 When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, 7 and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. 8 Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed. 9 For they did not yet understand the scripture that he had to rise from the dead. (John 20:1-9) Continue reading →

Being Hopeful

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There are no Scripture passages that describe Holy Saturday. There are no accounts of disciples huddled in the Upper Room wondering how the life of Jesus came to an end on Calvary. There are no stories of what the disciples were thinking… or not thinking. Their world had been torn asunder. But were they hopeful? Were they well grounded in the meaning of the word “hope“? Are we?

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