Communion, also called Eucharist, is a deeply meaningful experience for disciples. It is an experience of the Real Presence of Christ. The belief may be received by others as at least peculiar if not shocking. This Sunday’s Gospel according to John shows an early example of the shock when Jesus says to listeners, “I…
Jesus knows his suffering and death are approaching and he is saying good bye to disciples. He promises to return as an Advocating Spirit, “I will not leave you orphans, I will come to you.” The practice of reaching out to child orphans was one of the starkest counter-cultural practices of Jesus’ first followers.…
Jesus, whose energy helped people feel alive, is dead. He has been murdered, under horrible circumstances, crucifixion. With that violence, the haters from both Rome and Jerusalem think they have destroyed any future challenges from Jesus’ disciples. Two such disciples are so dispirited they are leaving the gathering of community members behind. They are…
We have played among the wild flowers and laughed in delight. We have touched their softness and smiled at their allure. We feel the beauty of their pure being. “Which of you by worrying can add a moment to your lifespan?” “Consider the lilies of the field: They do not labor nor do they…
In this Sunday’s Gospel, Matthew, writing to a Jewish audience, has Jesus say, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” (Mt 5:17) The line is misinterpreted and isolated to contradict Jesus’ revolutionary life witness. In particular, the line…
To have an epiphany is to experience, suddenly, a lovely expression of the Fullness of Mystery in the world. Epiphany describes the experience of the Magi. The Magi are three wise travelers who seek the Fullness of Mystery and experience, suddenly, its lovely expression. Their experience is realized in the face of a child.…
The Fourth Sunday of Easter is designated as Good Shepherd Sunday. Its Gospel reading is drawn from Jesus’ teaching on the subject. Most commentaries on the subject assert good shepherds lead from the front. Others consider the possibly they lead from behind. Perhaps we might also consider that a good shepherd leads from among.…
This Sunday’s readings concern a lack of awareness or lessened consciousness which then shifts. In Genesis, some people are initially described as overtaken by dark clouds until a fire is lit and they can then see more clearly. In Philippians, some people are described as dulled by earthly concerns until they discern the glory…
Jesus ventures into deep waters in this Sunday’s Gospel and wants us to come along. He begins on the shoreline teaching a variety of people who have come to listen to him. They keep pressing in so that he eventually gets into Peter’s boat off shore and teaches from slightly greater depth. He ventures…
Jesus contrasts scribes with widows in this Sunday’s Gospel. It is a contrast between legal scholars who are socially honored and legal slaves who are socially dishonored. Jesus is not necessarily praising the widow’s almsgiving but he is certainly lamenting the payment scribes coerce out of her. The widow’s mite or penny is a…