The story of Balaam should serve us all as a warning this Earth Day. Balaam, it seems, had some level of prophetic ability, but he used it for his own benefit, and not for the glory of God. He was selfish to the core and cared not who he hurt so long as he benefited from it. He did not consider the value of his beast of burden, his ass, but abused it when it angered him Thus, we read,... Read more
At the transfiguration, Jesus was not changed, but rather, Peter, James, and John were changed, allowing them to see Jesus in a new way. Jesus showed them that underneath the form which they normally saw him, he had other, greater forms of existence, forms which better represent the glory which he, as the Word of God, possesses. In becoming human, the Word of God, the Logos, approached humanity – and the rest of creation – in a form which was... Read more
St. Paul, because he understood how Christ treated him with mercy and grace, forgiving him for what he had done, tells us to treat others and their sins with gentleness, bearing their burden with us instead of judging them and condemning them: “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Look to yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law... Read more
According to tradition, but not mentioned in Scripture, the first person to witness the resurrected Christ was his mother, Mary. This, at first, seems odd; why would it not be mentioned in Scripture if it happened? Yet, we know that all that Jesus said and did was not presented in Scripture. Indeed, as the writer of John indicated, it would be nearly impossible to do so (cf. Jn. 21:25). The early Christians knew things which were written down. Indeed, their... Read more
Capital punishment, the state-sanctioned execution of a criminal after they have been convicted of a crime, runs contrary to the dignity of life. If we can and should recognize then, Pope Francis tells us that we should also reject the lethal use of force by law enforcement agents (police), when such actions are unjustifiable (such as when a suspect has already been apprehended, or when the suspect offers no viable threat to the arresting officer): It can be established, however,... Read more
Jesus, talking to St. Photina, was clear: God had a special relationship, not only with all the people of Israel, but with the Jews in specific. They were chosen by God to bring salvation to the world. To fulfill that task, they were guided by God, giving them knowledge which others did not possess: “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews” (Jn. 4:22 RSV). We should never forget what... Read more
Language is constantly evolving. Words change their meaning over time. This is why it is easy to misinterpret what an old text. We will tend to interpret it anachronistically, thinking the words used in it mean the same thing as they do today. Certainly, we do not do this with all ancient texts, nor with all the words which have changed their meaning, but we do it enough to cause us hermeneutical problems. While this can be, and is, often... Read more
Jesus’ disciples were shocked by his death. Their faith was shaken. All that they had seen and experienced seemed to be put to an end with his crucifixion. All that he seemed to be seemed to be contradicted by his death, for they did not even consider that he would soon rise from the dead. After his resurrection, they were able, to see how it was foreshadowed, and this reflection can be seen in the way the various Gospels were... Read more
COVID19 continues to be a threat. The pandemic is not over. Why, then, are we as a society constantly finding excuses to ignore the dangers which continue to be before us? Why do we try to act like everything is normal? Every time we have some good news, people seem to treat it as indicating the coronavirus threat has been eliminated. It hasn’t. A little advance, such as a decline in the number of newly infected people, or a rise... Read more
“The same abbba [Xanthias] said, ‘A dog is better than I am, for he has love and does not judge.’”[1] Abba Xanthias believed that the way dogs treated people should be the way we treat each other: our love should be so great that we are able to give it to everyone, no matter who they are and what they have done. Dogs are not so concerned about the things which we are concerned about. They do not care about... Read more
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