Announcing the arrival of a V.I.P. is its own event. I once watched a 14 car motorcade announce a U.S. President’s arrival to a theater. V.I.P. status is confirmed by temples of fame and fortune with their outside trappings of red carpets and media. It is confirmed by expensive gifts and plush surroundings. All of … Continue reading “Lives That Matter”
Author: Editor
Interrogation
Rulers are interrogating John the Baptist. Why would members of the ruling class “from Jerusalem send priests and Levites to” interrogate a somewhat obscure man? Perhaps they are disturbed by his nonconformity. Nonconformity, no matter how seemingly small, could be reason enough for the rulers to interrogate him. John’s nonconformity is personal and social. He … Continue reading “Interrogation”
Might
What is the mightiness John the Baptist proclaims in this Sunday’s Gospel when he says: “One mightier than I is coming after me.” John himself is mighty. He’s able to withstand imprisonment and torture by the ruling class. They inflict these because of his criticism of them. What makes Jesus mightier? Jesus is as mighty, … Continue reading “Might”
Ferguson: Violence or Peace
Every Advent brings a switch in the particular Gospel to be read for the coming year; Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. This is a problem when the slated Gospel is Mark because Mark has no infancy narrative to raise our awareness of Jesus’ coming birth. Thus, Sunday’s Gospel is instead raising our awareness of Jesus’ … Continue reading “Ferguson: Violence or Peace”
Distinctions
Jesus makes use of distinctions in some of his parables. He makes a distinction between sheep and goats in the parable he tells this Sunday. The distinction highlights the difference between humble loving actions that need to be practiced and proud harmful ones that require conversion. This distinction and others are so obvious they confirm … Continue reading “Distinctions”
Gift Economy
There is some evidence the U.S. Empire is like, or perhaps worse than, the man in Sunday’s Gospel. The man, out of fear, puts the gifts he has been given to no good use; he “went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried” the gifts. So too, the U.S. receiving the gifts … Continue reading “Gift Economy”
Sacred and Profane
Jesus cleanses the Temple in today’s Gospel reading. The Temple represents a division instituted by religion, specifically the division between Divinity and the natural world. Gods were once believed synonymous with the forces of nature. Those forces could be deadly and were feared. So too the gods assigned to the forces were deadly and feared, … Continue reading “Sacred and Profane”
Eternal Life
Does eternal life refer only to the hereafter or can it also refer to the herebefore and to all that is in between? Has life always been and will it always be? How can we conceive of the mystery of life? It is a miracle, revealing all that is delicate and yet so very enduring. … Continue reading “Eternal Life”
The Risk of Love
Love is a great risk. Love renders us vulnerable. Yet, the risk of love gives our lives meaning. So we risk love; with family again and again. We risk love again and again with friends and with neighbors we meet here and there in the course of our day. Sometimes, we take the risk to … Continue reading “The Risk of Love”
Conscientious Authority
This Sunday’s Gospel shows Jesus’ local opponents colluding with Roman sympathizers. The Pharisees and the Herodians are colluding in a plan to trap Jesus. They use a tax question to set the trap. “Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar?” Jesus’ response is commonly misinterpreted by self-titled Christians. Martin Luther famously misinterpreted … Continue reading “Conscientious Authority”