On Prayer

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“Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. (Luke 18:10). In today’s gospel we encounter a Pharisee and tax collector in prayer. Interestingly, the pericope follows the parable of the persistent widow and the unjust judge (Luke 18:1-8).  While the common thread is certainly prayer, there are other aspects which bind together these two narratives. One of Luke’s ongoing themes is the inclusivity of the Gospel. In these two parables, God who hears all prayers is addressed by a (saintly and probably poor) widow and the sinful (and probably rich) male tax collector. Luke continues to demonstrate that the Reign of God is open to all – a message of keen importance to his Gentile audience. Continue reading →

A Final Thought

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A Reflection from Gail O’Day

In interpreting John 3:1–21, then, it is not enough to say on the basis of the discourse in vv. 11–21, for example, that this text is about faith, decision, and judgment, because that way of interpreting diminishes the full impact of the text. One needs the preceding dialogue, with Nicodemus’s misunderstanding and Jesus’ repeated offer of new images, to understand what the words of vv. 11–21 are really saying. The interpreter must attend to how John tells this story of Jesus and Nicodemus, how he moves the reader through the give and take between the two characters and thus affords the reader the chance to understand what Nicodemus can only misunderstand. Because the reader has participated in the dialogue between Jesus and Nicodemus, the words in vv. 11–21 are heard with more immediacy. Moreover, the reader has read the Prologue and attended to the witness of John, so that he or she has a wider theological context in which to place those words. 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. Continue reading →

Living the Truth

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This coming Sunday is the 4th Sunday in Lent. 19 And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. 21 But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God. These three verses portray this intricate balance between judgment and decision in the metaphorical language of light and darkness. This language recalls the language and imagery of the Prologue (1:5, 9-10). To love darkness more than light is the same as not believing, and it results in judgment (v. 19). Continue reading →

Hard Hearts

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“If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts” (Ps 95:8) – our refrain from today’s Psalm. The thing is that God knows the hearts of humans and can anticipate our responses, a sobering thought echoed throughout the Bible (see Jeremiah 17:10). While the Psalm command is clear enough, you have to wonder if our “hearts” are already leaning one way or another. Think about the biases and prejudices we carry – aren’t a heart already leaning in one direction. Being from the South I was always under the assumption that New Yorkers were rude and folks from Boston were prickly. Of course they probably heard the semblance of a Southern accent and wondered if I could read. Continue reading →

Given.

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This coming Sunday is the 4th Sunday in Lent. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. Verse 16 provides the link between the two parts of the discourse. It sums up vv. 14-15 by reiterating the salvific dimensions of Jesus’ death, but moves the argument forward with its reference to God’s love. God gave Jesus to the world because God loves the world. Continue reading →

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.’”

Continue reading →

Lifted up to Eternal Life

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This coming Sunday is the 4th Sunday in Lent. In the previous post we discussed the account from the Book of Numbers in which “Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert.” Whoever looked at the bronze snake was healed. And, just as that snake was “lifted up” in the wilderness, so, Jesus says, “so must the Son of Man be lifted up.” The key to interpreting this analogy between Moses’ lifting up of the serpent in the wilderness and the ascension of the Son of Man is the verb (hypsoō), meaning both “lift up” and “exalt.” (The Hebrew verb nāsā’ has a similar double meaning; see the pun based on this verb in Gen 40:9-23.) Continue reading →

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) Continue reading →

Moses and the Fiery Saraphs

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This coming Sunday is the 4th Sunday in Lent. With the dialogue with Nicodemus over, the verses become a monologue by Jesus in which he makes a reference to a well known story from the Book of Numbers – well known to the first century audience, but perhaps not to you. The setting for the reference is that the tribes have transited the wilderness and are near the Promised Land. Moses sends out 12 spies to reconnoiter the land. Ten return giving reports of dire warning and the message to turn back. Two recognize the peril but also note the fertility of the land – and point out that God is ever on their side. The people turn back, condemned to wander in the wilderness and the grumbling begins (actually continues!): Continue reading →