Futile Fishing

Posted on by
Reply

This Sunday is the 3rd Sunday of Easter. Our gospel describes the Apostle’s encounter with Jesus at the Sea of Tiberias. This after the Resurrection and, as instructed, the disciples have returned to Galilee – and it seems, taken up their former profession as fishermen.

1 After this, Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. He revealed himself in this way. 2 Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples. 3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We also will come with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.  Continue reading →

Clothe yourselves with humility (1 Peter 5:5)

Posted on by
Reply

One afternoon in the synagogue, a rabbi was overcome with rapture and threw himself to the ground proclaiming, “Lord, I am nothing!” Not to be bested, the cantor prostrated himself and exclaimed, “Lord, I am nothing!” The temple handyman, working in the back of the sanctuary, joined the fervor, prostrating himself and crying, “Lord, I am nothing!” Whereupon the rabbi nudged the cantor and whispered, “Look who thinks he’s nothing!”

It can be a very thin line between humility and pride. Continue reading →

Context and Scholars

Posted on by
Reply

This coming Sunday is the Third Sunday of Easter in Lectionary Cycle C. Our gospel describes the Apostle’s encounter with Jesus at the Sea of Tiberias. These verses are from the final chapter in the Gospel according to John. Immediately preceding this chapter are these verses: “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of (his) disciples that are not written in this book.  But these are written that you may (come to) believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.” (John 20:30-31)  Continue reading →

Baseball, Easter and the possibility of a nap

Posted on by
Reply

A few days ago I posted an interesting video commentary on Sunday’s gospel. The priest in the video considered the story of “doubting Thomas” with a baseball connection. It started me thinking about faith and baseball. Maybe it is a coincidence of calendars and scheduling; maybe not. But Easter and Eastertide are always right there with the start of major league baseball season. Just saying. Continue reading →

Sent in Mercy

Posted on by
Reply

You encounter someone whose actions you judge as inconsiderate, hurtful, brusk, and dismissive. What do you do?  ….hold onto that thought. We’ll come back to it.

Today’s gospel has a month of Sundays worth of content about which one could preach. But I want to focus on these few, rich, amazing words: “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”   Continue reading →

The dominoes begin to tumble

Posted on by
Reply

In the conclave after the death of the Medici Pope Leo X, Leo’s cousin, Cardinal Giulio de’ Medici, was the leading figure. With Spanish and French cardinals in a deadlock, the conclave looked to an absent prelate as a compromise candidate, Adriaan Florensz Boeyens of the Netherlands, a former tutor of the HRE Charles V.  On 9 January 1522 he was elected by an almost unanimous vote. He is the only Dutchman to become pope and he was the last non-Italian pope until the Polish John Paul II 455 years later. Adrian had never been to Italy and actually inquired where he could hire lodging for his stay in Rome as pope. He was sure to be dismissed and hated by the people of Rome. Continue reading →

The Ninth Beatitude

Posted on by
Reply

In response, Jesus told Thomas, Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. Thomas came to believe because he saw the risen Lord, but Jesus did not praise Thomas’ pathway to faith; rather, he pronounced a blessing upon those who have not seen the risen Jesus yet have believed in him nevertheless. These are those who hear or read the witness to Jesus borne by the disciples and confirmed by the Spirit (15:26–27). This is the second pronunciation of blessing by Jesus in the form of a beatitude in the Fourth Gospel (cf. 13:17: “If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it.”) Continue reading →