The "Big Event" and the Still Small Voice: The 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Does God reveal himself in nature?  Many public intellectuals are intent on denying this, even as increasing evidence pours in from disciplines like astrophysics and biochemistry that point to a creative mastermind behind the complex beauty we observe all around us.

The relationship between divine self-revelation and the power of nature is a motif that runs through the readings for this weekend’s Lord’s Day.

As a reminder, in this period of Ordinary Time we are doing lectio continua of Romans in the Second Reading and Matthew in the Gospel Reading.  The First Readings are being chosen week by week from OT texts that are both pivotal to salvation history and also thematically relevant to the Gospel and/or the Second Reading.

The Bread of the Berith: The Readings of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Holy Mother Church serves up a rich fare for us in the Liturgy of the Word this week.

We begin with one of the most striking prophecies of the Book of Isaiah:

Is 55:1-3

Thus says the LORD:

All you who are thirsty,

come to the water!

You who have no money,

come, receive grain and eat;

Come, without paying and without cost,

drink wine and milk!

Why spend your money for what is not bread;

your wages for what fails to satisfy?

Heed me, and you shall eat well,

you shall delight in rich fare.

Come to me heedfully,

listen, that you may have life.

I will renew with you the everlasting covenant,

the benefits assured to David.

Lapide's Principles for Interpreting the Gospels

I'm sorry it's taken a while for me to finish off my series on 17th century Biblical interpretation in the Low Countries.  In this last post, I would like to present a summary of the "canons" or principles of interpretation for the Gospels espoused by Cornelius à Lapide.  Personally, I find them interesting for the light they shed on how certain textual, literary, and historical cruces were negotiated before the rise of the critical tradition.  So, without further ado:

The Thirty-Nine Canons of Lapide on Interpreting the Gospels

Canon 1: The Evangelists are selective in narration; the principle of selection: to show Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of God.

Get Wise! The Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

When I was a kid, the phrase “Get wise!” was a provocative taunt—essentially, a way to start a fight.  It meant something like: “I invite you to act like a smart aleck, so I will have an excuse to assault you physically.”  My elementary school career was a bit rough.

But what does it really mean to “Get wise” or “Gain wisdom”?  The Readings for this Sunday’s Mass teach us about this issue.

During this part of Ordinary Time in Year A, the Church is pursuing a lectio continua (continuous reading, i.e. reading in order) of both Romans and Matthew.  (This excellent website by Fr. Just provides an overview of the pattern of the Lectionary. ) The First Readings are taken from key passages of the Old Testament, chosen (more or less) to complement the Gospel reading.

The Origin of Life: No Naturalistic Explanation

There's an interesting article posted at Scientific American--it's been up for months and I've wanted to blog about it, but only now had a chance.

Entitled "Pssst! Don't tell the creationists, but scientists don't have a clue how life began,"the essay basically lives up to it's title.  John Horgan, a researcher in origin of life studies (OOL), admits that the field is at an impasse and has been at an impasse for twenty years.  However, he resists the implication that the inexplicable origin of life points to intelligent agency, especially divine agency.  Divine explanations are flawed, he says: "What created the divine Creator? ... At least scientists are making an honest effort to solve life's mystery instead of blaming it all on God."

There are a couple of ironies in the piece, which is worth reading.  First of all, almost all "creationists" already know that OOL research has reached a dead end.  It's been a staple of creationist arguments for fifty years if not more.  The folks who don't realize how bankrupt OOL research is tend to be poorly-informed Darwinists who have been persuaded by Richard Dawkins or someone similar that naturalistic evolution provides an answer to all life's questions.

Secondly, Horgan's concluding sneer about God just shows a lack of philosophical education.  God is by definition a self-existent or "necessary" being.  The universe is obviously not self-existent: it requires a cause and an explanation.  One of the arguments for the existence of God is: since everything that we observe is contingent (caused by something else), must there not logically be something (which we call God) which exists of itself, which gave rise to everything observable?  Otherwise we would have an infinite regression of causality, which is illogical and impossible.

To say, "What created God?"--which is a line from Carl Sagan, by the way, although he may have borrowed it from someone else--is to fail to understand the concept of God.  There are arguments against the existence of God, but this is not one of them.

Cornelius à Lapide: Flemish Catholic Exegete II

            In what follows we will focus Lapide’s most influential volumes, his four Gospel commentaries, as an example of his hermeneutical method.[1]

           The study of Lapide's exegesis is particularly interesting because it provides a window into the world of Catholic biblical studies during the so-called "Counter Reformation" period.  There are many stereotypes and caricatures of what Catholics were doing with Scripture at this point in history, but a careful examination of Lapide's work often exposes these caricatures for what they are.

Excavations in Gath Covered by USAToday

USAToday has an interesting piece about excavations at Gath.  Click the post title.

The Seed of the Word: Reflections on the Readings Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Ordinary Time focuses on the growth of the Church.  I would prefer we called it “Extraordinary Time,” because there is nothing ordinary about the Second Person of the Divinity becoming enfleshed in our presence through the Sacrament.

Be that as it may, the Readings for this Lord’s Day are clearly united by the motif of sowing the seed of God’s Word.

The World Ends Next Week

Well, not really, but we will be meeting at the end of the world (or at least the end of dry land), namely, southern Louisiana, and talking about the End Times next Saturday, July 16.  Brant and I will be there.  Michael had to decline (meetings with Vatican officials take up so much time!) but Dr. Chris Baglow and Prof. Corey Hayes round out the batting order for an extravaganza you don't want to miss!  Click here to register.  I'll be speaking about "The Whore of Babylon:  Is it Really the Catholic Church?"  I'll bet you can guess my answer, but my supporting arguments are worth hearing.  Brant's tackling "The Rapture, the Anti-Christ, and the End Time."

Cornelius à Lapide: Flemish Catholic Exegete

We turn now from the once-radical-now-mainstream thought of Descartes and Spinoza to the quieter waters of Cornelius à Lapide, a model of Roman Catholic piety and erudition, to assess the meaning of his work, if any, in the history of biblical scholarship.

            Cornelius à Lapide was born in 1567 in Bocholt, now in Belgium, but at that time part of the Spanish (Hapsburg) Low Countries.[1]  His childhood and youth were marked by the turmoil of the so-called “Eighty Years War,” the Protestant-Catholic struggle for control over the Low Countries that ended with Calvinist dominance over the northern provinces, the modern Netherlands, and the Catholic sway over the southern, now Belgium.  Many years later, during his professorship at Louvain, Lapide would return during holidays to preach and administer the sacraments to pilgrims at the shrine at Scherpenheuvel in Belgian Brabant, a location the local Catholic populace associated with answered prayers for protection from Calvinist mob violence during the “Beeldenstorm” uprising in 1566.[2]

The Dutch in the History of Biblical Scholarship, cont.

Descartes’ methodology of doubt has as a corollary his break from all tradition, particularly the Aristotelian tradition that had dominated European Christian thought for centuries.  For Descartes, philosophy is the project of an individual mind (namely his own), not a conversation of minds through history.  Of course, Descartes is almost naïve in his failure to realize his own indebtedness to the Western tradition, since the language and concepts in which he communicates are themselves the patrimony of a long intellectual history.  Nonetheless, Descartes is dismissive and contemptuous of the accomplishments of those who have come before him, and he does not regard them in any sense as a source of truth or illumination.

The Dutch in the History of Biblical Scholarship

An odd set of circumstances had me doing some work in an area wherein I usually don't research or publish, namely, the history of biblical scholarship. 

One of several surprises I came across in the process of researching for a little essay, was the significance of my ancestral homeland, the Netherlands, to the development of modern thought, and particularly modern biblical scholarship.

During the wars of religion that characterized the post-Reformation period and dominated the seventeenth century (1600's), the Netherlands established their independence from Spain and reached the brief zenith of their economic and military power on the global stage.  The relative political tolerance in the Netherlands in this time period, particularly in and around the capital Amsterdam, attracted all manner of radical intellectuals whose writings anticipated and provoked the "Enlightenment," which did not "arrive" in most of the rest of Europe until the eighteenth century (1700's).

Eating the Flesh of the Messiah: The Feast of Corpus Christi

 This weekend is another great liturgical feast, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, otherwise known as Corpus Christi.

Corpus Christi is one of a handful of feasts that celebrates the very gift of the Eucharist itself.  It is one of my favorite feasts, because the doctrine of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist was instrumental in my becoming Catholic.

Back in the Fall of 1999 I was reading through the Apostolic Fathers and came to this passage in Ignatius of Antioch’s Letter to the Smyrneans (c. AD 106):

Trinity Sunday

This weekend we observe the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, a liturgical feast which celebrates the central mystery of the Christian faith.

Belief in the Trinity distinguishes Christians from adherents of all other world religions.  Hinduism is pantheistic, Buddhism agnostic.  Islam and Judaism hold to monopersonal monotheism.  Jews consider the Trinity erroneous, Muslims find it offensive.

Although the truth of the Trinity cannot be demonstrated, and must be accepted by faith in God’s revelation of Himself, nonetheless, philosophical meditation on the nature of love lends credibility to this act of faith.

Let the Fire Fall! Reflections on the Readings for Pentecost

The Lectionary provides a wealth of Scriptural inspiration for this weekend’s celebration of the gift of the Spirit at Pentecost.

As usual, there is too much beauty and richness for us to deal with it all in depth.  I was minded only to deal with the Sunday Mass Readings, but the Vigil’s selections are just too rich to pass without a brief comment on each:

A Thought for the Approach of Pentecost

Here's a thought I came across while reading in preparation for the Feast of Pentecost this Sunday:

"And so, there cannot be faith in the Holy Spirit if there is not faith in Christ, in his sacraments, in his Church. A man cannot act in accordance with his christian faith, cannot truly believe in the Holy Spirit, unless he loves the Church and trusts it. He cannot be a coherent Christian if he limits himself to pointing out the deficiencies and limitations of some who represent the Church, judging her from the outside, as though he were not her son."

--St. Josemaria Escriva, fom the homily "The Great Unknown," in Christ is Passing By.

Commentaries

"Of recent commentators the number is almost infinite.  Their superabundance makes it difficult for the reader to know which to choose … Among commentaries which are so divergent in their interpretations, you do not know which one to prefer and follow. Many, moreover, are so wordy that not only students but even learned scholars who devote themselves entirely to Sacred Scripture do not have the time and leisure to read them (not to mention the intellectual strength and endurance)."

—Fr. Cornelius a’ Lapide, S.J., from his Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, published c. 1630.

God Mounts His Throne with Shouts of Joy: The Readings for Ascension Day

In the Diocese of Steubenville, as well as in most of the USA, Ascension Day is observed this Sunday.  I wish the traditional observance on Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter was retained, but reality is what it is.

Therefore, this weekend we will look at the powerful readings for Ascension Day. 

This is an unusual Lord’s Day, in which the “action” of the Feast Day actually takes place in the First Reading.  We typically think of all the narratives of Jesus’ life as recorded in the Gospels, overlooking that Acts records at least two important narratives about the activity of the Resurrected Lord (Acts 1:1-11; also 9:1-8).

In the first book, Theophilus,
I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught
until the day he was taken up,

Virtual Pilgrimage for the Feast of the Visitation

It's the Feast of the Visitation!  You want to make a pilgrimage to Hill Country of Judea, but can't afford the plan fare to Israel.

Ah, you are having Feast of Visitation day blues.  But fear not!  The miracle of modern technology makes it possible to take a virtual pilgrimage to the very spot of Mary and Elizabeth's embrace.

Seriously, in honor of the Feast Day, I thought I'd post some video of our trip to Ein Karem, the site of the Church of the Visitation, from Day 4 of our May pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

Luke is vague about the location of the Visitation, only describing it as "the hill country of Judea."  Ein Karem (lit. "the spring of the vineyard") is the hilly area associated with the Visitation since ancient times.

The first video shows the walk up the mountainside from the modern town to the Church of the Visitation, which is mildly tiring.   The surrounding countryside is beautiful.












cont. -->

Structure and Spirit are Not Opposed: The Sixth Sunday of Easter

The Readings for this Sunday’s Mass are here.

Throughout this Easter Season, we follow the growth of the early Church through the Acts of the Apostles.

The key points of development of the life the early Church remain paradigmatic and instructive for the Church today, because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb 13:8).

So we see in this Sunday’s First Reading pivotal point in the Book of Acts and in the growth of the Church, as Philip, one of the first deacons, goes down to Samaria to preach the Gospel to them.

What is the Mount of Beatitudes Like?

Where did Jesus actually deliver the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5-7)?

On the third day of our pilgrimage, we visited the traditional Mount of the Beatitudes, a high hill on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee between Magdala (to the south) and Caphernaum (to the north).  Although 100% certainty is not possible, this mount is a likely candidate for the location of Jesus' sermon, and has been venerated as such since at least the fourth century.  Even if it is not the exact location, it has to be close.

Many outdoor sanctuaries are available at the site for Mass, as the peaceful and beautiful location is very conducive to prayer.  The Sea of Galilee is clearly visible to the west.  The area is well-watered and verdant, and swarming with birds, especially different varieties of swallows and sparrows.  On the accompanying video, the bird calls are clearly audible.  Being there certainly added a certain tangible impact to the following words from the Sermon:

The Priesthood of the New Covenant: Fifth Sunday of Easter

By a happy coincidence, we in the Diocese of Steubenville were blessed with a pair of ordinations (one to the diaconate and one to the priesthood) on this weekend in which the readings for Mass are filled with motifs of priesthood and temple.

The First Reading (Acts 6:1-7) records the appointing of seven men to assist the Apostles.  These men have always been understood by the Church as the first deacons.  One of the things that strikes me about this passage is the clear top-down authority structure of the Church.  Although the congregation is consulted in the selection of these men, they are ultimately “appointed” by the Apostles when they lay hands on them and pray for them, a rite later called “ordination.”  As a Protestant I was always wondering what the biblical form of Church government was.  In hindsight, it’s not hard to see.

Touring Galilee: Taghba, Caesarea Philippi, Caphernaum

We got back safely from Israel on Wednesday morning. 

I had been "off the grid" for several days because, shortly after my last post, we moved to a hotel in Jerusalem where the WIFI rates were exhorbitant.  I'm going to pick up where I left off and just post about some of the places we visited on each day of the pilgrimage.

On Day 3 of the pilgrimage:

Today was a whirlwind tour of sites in Galilee: Tabgha, the location of the Feeding of the 5,000; Peter’s Primacy, the site associated with the events of John 21; Mass at the Mount of Beatitudes, a two-hour round trip to Caesarea Philippi  (site of Peter’s confession of faith, Matt 16:13-20), followed by a visit to Caphernaum.

Our group along the shores of the Sea of Galilee

Close up of the famous mosaic in the Church of the Multiplication

The time at Caphernaum was one of the day’s highlights.  Although the synagogue where Jesus preached the Bread of Life Discourse is no longer standing, its foundations are still clearly visible.  A more recent, largely-intact 4-5^th century synagogue is built over it.

Perhaps fifty feet away one finds the remains of Peter’s house in Caphernaum, the base for so much of Jesus’ Galilean ministry.

The Sea of Galilee itself is only a stone’s throw away.

The famous synagogue of Caphernaum

On the bus ride back to Nazareth, we re-read the Bread of Life discourse, in light of just having been at the location where it was first preached. 

The Basilica of the Annunciation

Today, among other things, we visited the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth.

It is built over a cave in Nazareth which, from the fourth century on, was a pilgrimage site associated with the Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38).  The picture at right is a close up of grotto itself.  Our tour guide is a parishioner of the Basilica, and was able to get our little group of Domers and Steubies permission to celebrate mass just outside the grotto.  The experience was stunning, to say the least.

Not far away is the Church of St. Joseph, built 

Safe Arrival in Tel-Aviv, Now in Nazareth

We had a smooth flight from Atlanta to Tel-Aviv, got through security, and then took a 1.5 hour bus ride to Nazareth.  The accompanying photo is the Golden Crown Hotel viewed from my balcony window.

Amer, our guide, comes from a Roman Catholic family in Nazareth that has been Roman Catholic back at least to the era of the crusades (!).  Most of the Christians here are Greek Orthodox, or Melkite Catholics.  The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem has the pastoral care of 56,000 Roman Catholics in Israel, Jordan, and Cyprus.  It is a small minority.

We were fortunate to be able to procure the Church of the Grotto of the Annunciation for our Mass tomorrow.  I will be remembering the intentions of TSP readers and, of course, co-bloggers Michael and Brant and their families.

Leaving for Israel!

I leave for Israel tomorrow (Monday) afternoon.  If I have internet access in Israel, I'll post some updates from the pilgrimage.  God bless, one and all!  I'll pray for readers of The Sacred Page at the holy sites.

Baptism in the New Testament: Another Good One

I'd like to highlight another contribution from our Lutheran friends.  Judging by the high-church theology, I suspect our brothers are Missouri Synod Lutherans.  The Missouri Synod bishop in northern Indiana once told my much beloved Bishop D'Arcy of Fort Wayne-South Bend that his (the Missouri Synod) was the "real Catholic Church."  This incident occurred during an ecumenical prayer service.  I can't remember the exact circumstances, but it must have been unusual, because the MSL's often don't participate in ecumenical events. 

Be that as it may, the points made in this video pertain directly to biblical interpretation, and Catholics can directly appropriate the underlying apologetic.

Christianity, the Made-Up Fake Religion (Video)

This clip really made me laugh--even though it was produced by Lutherans ; )   It made me think: perhaps the force of some arguments are best expressed through humor. Enjoy!

Fullness is Fantastic

We're here in Arlington, Texas, lecturing through Matthew with 500+ of the best folks in the Lone Star State.  It's a great time, but I don't think Michael or I are going to have a chance to post on the Readings for this Sunday's Mass this week.  Unless Michael does it at 3AM this morning, which he just might.

I am always grateful to participate in these kind of conferences, because of the fruitful cross-fertilization that results from discussing familiar texts with several different scholars.  Michael was sharing today about Temple imagery in the Sermon on the Mount--a new perspective to me, but convincingly argued.  Dr. Hahn was pointing out the parallels of the blessings of Matt 5 and the woes of Matt 23.  Too many to be coincidental!

Fullness of Truth: Arlington, Texas

Michael and I are speaking with Dr. Hahn at the Fullness of Truth conference this Saturday and Sunday in Arlington, Texas.

We will be tag-team lecturing through Matthew. 

For the first time, Fullness of Truth has arranged a live webcast of the event.  You can participate, 8AM-6PM daily, via live webcast for about $15 by registering at this link. If you want to attend, you can find more information here.

The Hallel Psalms and the Last Supper

The Psalm reading for tonight's Liturgy of the Lord's Supper is one of my favorites, Psalm 116, which is a Todah psalm and part of the "Hallel" (Praise) Psalms (Psalms 113-118) that were and are traditionally sung during the Passover meal.

I've reading slightly different opinions among scholars about how exactly the Hallel psalms were incorporated into the ancient Seder celebration.  According to one view, Psalms 113-114 were sung early in the rite, and Psalms 115-118 after the drinking of the third cup, the "Cup of Blessing."

Was There a Passover Lamb at the Last Supper?

Today, Catholics everywhere will celebrate Holy Thursday by attending the Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper. At this Mass, we will read the institution of the Passover (Exod 12, OT reading), sing one of the most famous of the Hallel Psalms (Psalm 118, Responsorial Psalm), and then read the institution of the Eucharist (1 Cor 11, Epistle) and  Jesus' act of washing the disciples' feet at the Last Supper (John 13, Gospel).  This particular Eucharist is a momentous liturgical moment, where we both recall the institution of the very first Eucharist and enter into the beginning of the calendrical Holy of Holies--the sacred Triduum, climaxing in the feast of Easter (in Latin, Pascha).

Was the Last Supper a Passover Meal?

But how did Jesus and his disciples celebrate the first Holy Thursday? Specifically, was the Last Supper a Jewish Passover meal?

As anyone who has read Pope Benedict's new book, Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week will know, the Pope devotes a substantial portion of his chapter on the Last Supper to the question of the date of the meal--specifically, whether or not the Last Supper coincided with the ordinary Jewish Passover meal (see pp. 106-115). And as anyone familiar with this extremely complex and age-old question knows, there is simply no way I can address it here adequately.

Why Must the Messiah Die?

Why must the Messiah die?

Despite a few mysterious prophetic texts that seemed to intimate this possibility (e.g. Daniel 9:26), the idea that the Messiah could arrive and subsequently be killed was radically counter-intuitive to most first-century Jews. 

Yet the conviction of the early Christians, based on Jesus of Nazareth’s own teachings about himself, was that the radically counter-intuitive impossibility was actually prophesied, if one had the eyes to see and the ears to hear it in Israel’s Scriptures.

A Virgin No Longer: The NABRE continued

I'm trying to follow up, as promised, on the newly released NABRE.

Of course, the change that has garnered the most attention has been the alteration of the translation of Isaiah 7:14, to which my post title alludes.  I want to cover that issue in depth, probably in my next post on this subject.

For now, though, I would like to concentrate on what I see as good features and improvements of this edition.

After ripping open the packaging and checking the translation of Genesis 1:1-2, the next passage I checked was Psalm 8.

You Gotta Love Rising from the Dead

Michael beat me to commenting on the Sunday readings this week, but I had written up some thoughts already, so I thought I’d post them anyway.

Unlike the other Gospels, John recounts only a limited number of miracles of Jesus, which he designates as “signs.”  Although John tells us of only a few miracles, he describes them in much greater depth than the other gospels.  This is quite evident in this weekend’s Gospel reading, in which we get a very lengthy description of all the events surrounding the resurrection of Lazarus.

The the Raising of Lazarus is the sixth of the seven “signs” of the Gospel of John.  The signs seem to escalate as the Gospel progresses.  The healing of the man born blind was pretty impressive, but raising Lazarus tops it.  The Gospel is building toward the seventh and final sign.

The First Reading is an excellent choice: Ezekiel 37.  This is the famous vision of the dry bones, in which an entire army of skeletons is resurrected before Ezekiel’s eyes.  I only wish the Lectionary included the entire story.  However, it does preserve the most important verse:

Anointed with Light: Jesus Re-creates a Man

The drama increases as we progress toward Easter.  This Sunday’s readings are united by the themes of anointing and light.

The First Reading (1 Sam 16:1-13) recounts Samuel’s anointing of David as King over Israel.  Samuel journeys to Jesse of Bethlehem, and scrutinizes each of his sons in search of God’s chosen king, but to no avail.  Finally, the youngest of the eight, David, is called in from shepherding the sheep.  This at last is the future king.

(Visit Bethlehem with me in May!  Click here.)

Two points are essential for connecting this reading with the rest of the lectionary.

First is the LORD’s statement to Samuel: “Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the LORD looks into the heart.”  The irony of today’s Gospel Reading will likewise hinge on the fact that appearances are deceiving: from God’s perspective, the sighted are blind, but the blind can see.

Early Christian Books Found in Jordan

I just did an interview on the Drew Mariani Show (Chicago Metro drive-time radio) about this report on early Christian books found in Jordan.

Margaret Barker and Philip Davies have (apparently) already seen the books, or detailed images of them.  The story is breaking in the British press first and only slowly making it into the U.S. media.  Davies is not a man eager to believe things, but he seems genuinely intrigued by this find.  The small, lead books are bound with metal rings, and appear to be composed by Jewish Christians from the first century.  All this needs to be verified, of course.

Good News! Earth No Longer a Barren Wasteland

I got my copy of the NABRE in the mail yesterday, and quickly perused it, even though I was dead tired, just getting home from seven hours of lecturing and several meetings all the way up to 9:30pm.  I am happy to report that several readings have been changed, very much for the better!  Over the next couple days I will be blogging on some of the significant improvements--and a few changes that are perhaps less than optimal.  I still will be using the RSVCE2 for my personal reading and class teaching, but I do recommend that all Catholics involved in teaching ministry of any kind get themselves a copy of the NABRE, because it will be widely used in the Church.  Moreover, some parts are very good--like the Gospel of John, which was already good in the previous NAB.  The edition of the NABRE I purchased was this one, and I like it very much.  It has the words of Christ in red!  I personally love that, but I am shocked that such a pietistic feature got past the editorial board!  I'll have more to say on that issue in the future.

One of the first major improvements I noticed is that tohu wabohu in Genesis 1:2 is no longer egregiously rendered "barren wasteland," but rather "without form or shape," which is still a little odd but definitely a better representation of the Hebrew.  More on that tomorrow, Lord willing.

The Bridegroom Messiah Shows Up in Samaria: Reflections for the Third Sunday of Lent

The Lectionary Readings for this weekend are so powerful, we can scarcely do them justice in a single blog post.

Beginning with this Sunday, the Lectionary turns to the Gospel of John for the remainder of Lent.  We are treated to the amazing trifecta of John 4, John 9, and John 11: three of the most powerful chapters in the most powerful book in the Bible, the Spiritual Gospel, the Soaring Eagle .... JOHN!

The Church turns to these texts from John at this point in the liturgical calendar, because John is, in so many ways, a mystagogical document, a gospel intended to takes us deeper into the mysteries, that is, the sacraments.

If one is not initiated into the sacraments, John remains in many respects a closed book.  I can attest to this from personal experience.

The Beginning of the New Exodus: Reflections on the Readings for the Second Sunday of Lent

This Sunday we are only eleven days into Lent, still very early along on our Lenten pilgrimage.  The readings today share the theme of beginning the journey of faith, even while giving us a glimpse of our final destination.

In all three years of the Lectionary cycle (A, B, C), the readings for the Second Sunday of Lent always pair a key pericope from the Abraham narrative (Gen 12-22) with an account of the Transfiguration from one of the Synoptic Gospels.

The First Reading is the famous opening of the Abraham narrative from Genesis, recounting God’s initial call to Abram while he was still in Ur:

Hey There Delilah ...

First-person participatory dynamic-equivalent contemporizing exegesis of the Samson narratives:

Jesus the New Adam: Reflections on the First Sunday of Lent

The readings for today’s Mass are exceptionally rich and could be the subject of several weeks' worth of lectures, so we will have to limit ourselves today to a few central themes.

(Disclaimer to my students: many of you have heard this before.  In fact, all of this is in the tradition.  I claim no originality.)

The First Reading is the account of the Fall, in which Eve, followed by Adam, gives in to temptation by eating the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

The classic scriptural formulation of the nature of temptation is found in 1 John 2:15-16:

 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If any one loves the world, love for the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world.

The New Covenant Document is Completed

Covenant themes are shot through today’s readings, as Jesus finishes the Sermon on the Mount in a way reminiscent of covenant documents of antiquity.

Moses told the people,
“Take these words of mine into your heart and soul.
Bind them at your wrist as a sign,
and let them be a pendant on your forehead.

“I set before you here, this day, a blessing and a curse:
a blessing for obeying the commandments of the LORD, your God,
which I enjoin on you today;
a curse if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD, your God,
but turn aside from the way I ordain for you today,
to follow other gods, whom you have not known.” (from Deut 11:18-32)

Our first reading is from Deuteronomy, which is The Law of Moses par excellence, since Moses takes personal responsibility for the giving of the laws in Deuteronomy in a way unlike anything previously seen in Exodus through Numbers.  We see this in today’s reading: “Moses told the people, ‘Take these words of mine into your heart and soul ...”  Moses’ responsibility for some of the laws of Deuteronomy is highlighted in Jesus’ teaching: “Moses allowed you to divorce your wives ...” (Matt 19:8).  This is significant, because some of the laws of Deuteronomy are not God’s highest and best, but accomodations authorized by Moses.

This Man Puts Things in Perspective

We owe it to this newest of Catholic martyrs, to take two minutes and watch what has become his last testimony to his faith and his struggle for peace and justice in the Middle East:

What Qualifies a Person as an Authority on Scripture or Theology?

I just received, as I am sure a lot of others did as well, several catalogs from the major theological publishers this week.  Browsing through this year's offerings, I found books by experts on every conceivable branch of theology promising to tell me what the "church" really ought to do, and what this or that portion of the bible "really" means.  I began to wonder to myself, what really makes a person an authority in these matters? 

Getting good grades and fellowships in grad school?

Landing a big contract with Brazos, Fortress, etc.?

An ivy league degree?

Being very rhetorically persuasive?

Getting a lot of speaking engagements?

Landing a "cherry" position at a major university or seminary?

What qualifies a person to understand and mediate the divine mysteries?  Is our "system" really designed to do that?

Yes, I know the sword cuts in all directions, because I've been part of the "system" myself!

Feel free to comment below.