“Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down at the well. It was about noon. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus began talking with her.” “His disciples returned, and were shocked that he was talking with a woman.” Dehumanizing women was a routine ancient practice. It remains a routine current practice. One…
“Some Sadducees came” to Jesus and made a harmful patriarchal assumption about women, also children, “If someone’s brother dies leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the wife and raise up descendants for his brother.” The harmful patriarchal assumption is that women are controlled by men as property. Under patriarchy, women…
Gospel author Luke chronicles hardships rulers constantly direct at Jesus, disciples, and others. Not wanting to lose heart amidst the hardships, disciples ask Jesus, “Increase our faith.” Jesus replies, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this tree, ‘Be uprooted and transplanted in the sea,’ and it…
Jesus’ listeners choose to dehumanize Samaritans. Jesus knows this when he is teaching, “Love God… and love your neighbor as yourself.” Thus, when a listener asks, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus asserts, It is “a Samaritan.” Choosing to dehumanize human life is an element of the ancient and still prevalent religion of Militarism. The…
John of Patmos uses the symbol of a lamb in his Revelation writings. He describes a gathering of peaceful people, “a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue (who) stood before… the lamb… who will shepherd them” John is borrowing the lamb symbol from Jesus who uses…
“Jesus said to the crowds: ‘This is how it is with the Community of God; it is as if a farmer were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and through it all the seed would sprout and grow, but the farmer knows not how. Of its…
“You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my community, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.” You are Mary, and upon this beloved I will build my community. You are Perpetua and Felicity, and upon this endurance and happiness I will build my community. You are Hans…
On this fourth Sunday in Advent we share in the lives of two women, Mary and her cousin Elizabeth, both soon to give birth to sons. In communion with them, we too feel an “infant in (our) womb leap for joy” and we too are “filled with the Spirit.” Together, we wonder “how does…
The Third Sunday in Advent has a Gospel reading that once again focuses not on Mary but on John the Baptist. John is sought out for his wisdom. Included as the seekers are men paid to be violent, soldiers. They ask John, “And what is it we should do?” He tells them, “Do not…