There is a curious element of faith relevant to this Sunday’s Gospel. People in need of food had sought out Jesus to fill that need. Jesus did fill it when he blessed, broke, and shared five loaves and two fishes to feed over 5,000 people. Some of the people want more though. They follow…
Jesus becomes aware thousands of people have followed him up a hillside. He becomes concerned about their physical well-being. A little boy who has food is also concerned and willingly shares the little food he has, first by bringing it to Jesus. Jesus then shares the few loaves and fishes with everyone else. A…
Jesus is, like most of his contemporaries, marginalized – politically, financially, and theologically. He is not, however ,powerless. One aspect of Jesus’ power is demonstrated by his empowering others. He encourages people to create with their brothers and sisters a new politics (care), a new economy (share), and a new theology (dare). After sending…
Jesus sends out disciples in this Sunday’s Gospel. He does not want them to perform individual tasks but to accomplish a social mission – establishing the “Community of God.” The Community of God is people living in very practical ways on the personal and social level. Therefore, life in the Community of God requires…
When Jesus returns to his native place, as this Sunday’s Gospel relates, he is a different man than the boy who left. He is especially noteworthy as a healer. He is different from the tribe that helped shape him, that thinks it knows him and has beliefs about who he should be. For the…
Resignation to death could have been a common malaise during Jesus’ era. Jesus lived in a time and place when the majority of people died young, their lives cut short. One such youth whom Jesus encounters is a child of twelve deeply loved by her father Jairus. She is stricken and death lurks. But…
Centuries ago, in a Gospel story being played out today, disciples were caught up in a violent, life threatening storm. The storm was actual and metaphorical as they were trying to change course in a boat and in their lives and needed a guide to do so. An actual violent, life threatening storm of…
Jesus tells a parable about a mustard seed grown into a plant in this Sunday’s Gospel. It begins, “The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed.” It later describes birds coming and nesting in the plant. The parable is often interpreted in reference to growth. For example, as a person’s faith growing larger…
Jesus is sharing a final meal with friends in this Sunday’s Gospel. During the meal, “he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, gave it to them, and said, ‘Take it; this is my body.’” The celebration of the Real Presence of God within the gifts of the earth is the seed of a…
Belief in God as Trinity is an old tradition in institutional christianity. For some it express their threefold experience of and relationship with Divinity as Creator, Incarnate, and Spirit – meaning a God Created us into being, shares our human condition in Christ’s Incarnation, and abides with us as a Holy Spirit. The Trinity…