This coming Sunday is the 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time in Lectionary Cycle A during which the Gospel of Matthew is the primary source of Sunday gospel readings. Having made that point, our gospel for today is taken from the Gospel of John. It is a well chosen gospel that follows our celebration of the Epiphany of the Lord in which the epiphenia or revelation of Jesus was the primary theme – one shared with our Sunday gospel. Continue reading
This coming Sunday is the 2nd Sunday of Advent in Lectionary Cycle A. Yesterday we considered Matthew’s idea of “repentance.” Today we delve into what is an appropriate response to the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven. Continue reading
This coming Sunday is the 2nd Sunday of Advent in Lectionary Cycle A. Yesterday we considered the use of this text during the Season of Advent. Today, we delve into Matthew’s idea of “repentance.” Continue reading
This coming Sunday is the 2nd Sunday of Advent in Lectionary Cycle A. In yesterday’s post we took a brief excursion to explore John’s understanding of himself. In this post we consider this Matthean text’s use in the Season of Advent. Continue reading
This coming Sunday is the 2nd Sunday of Advent in Lectionary Cycle A. Earlier today in the post, we considered the nature of the baptism that John offered. In this follow-on post we take a brief excursion to explore John’s understanding of himself. Continue reading
This coming Sunday is the 2nd Sunday of Advent in Lectionary Cycle A. In yesterday’s post we addressed the question “Who is this wilderness preacher?” as well as exploring the relationship between Jesus and his cousin, John. In today’s post, we consider the nature of the baptism that John offered. Continue reading
This coming Sunday is the 2nd Sunday of Advent in Lectionary Cycle A. In a post from yesterday today we explored the uniqueness of the manner in which Matthew connects the relationship between Jesus and his cousin John the Baptist. In this post we address the question: Who is this wilderness preacher? Continue reading
This coming Sunday is the 2nd Sunday of Advent in Lectionary Cycle A. As is the tradition of the Church, this Sunday and next prominently feature John the Baptist. The gospel reading is the scene in which John first appears in Matthew’s gospel with his singular message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Mt 3:2). It is the gospel in which Matthew says of John, “A voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.’” (v.3) The former passage sounds as though more Lenten in tone with the latter passage quite suited to Advent. Continue reading
Press Release Responding to John the Baptist’s Denunciation of Herod Antipas
A spokesman for Herod, tetrarch of Galillee, has denounced as “further authoritarian righteousness” a condemnation of his marriage by the preacher John. Herod recently married Herodias, the former wife of his brother Philip, tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis.
John, known locally as “the baptist” because of his practice of anointing sinners with water, has been attracting large crowds along the edge of the Judean desert where he is said to live. He has consistently condemned Herod for alleged abuses of power. Continue reading
In today’s gospel we heard the well known account of the beheading of John the Baptist. I have to admit, I wonder if John should have played the long game. He didn’t need to call out King Herod. It is not as though Herod was popular with Jewish people. He was thought to be Jewish in name only as he was of Idumaean ancestry, a conquered people forced to convert to Judaism in order to keep their status and wealth. While Herod publicly identified himself as a Jew, this religious identification was undermined by his decadent lifestyle which earned him the antipathy of observant Jews. Continue reading
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