This Sunday’s gospel story of Mary and Martha has long been one of the passages of scripture I have identified with the most. Martha complains to Jesus that her younger sister, Mary, has chosen to sit at his feet listening to him instead of assisting in the chores of serving their guest. “Tell her to…
Our readings today are concerned with interpretation. The phrase “it is not in heaven” from Deuteronomy (30:12) served as a kind of watch-word for the ancient rabbis. There is a famous story in the Talmud of a discussion concerning proper ritualistic behavior. Rabbi Eleazar called forth a series of miracles and finally a heavenly voice…
Vol. 50, No. 4 A bi-monthly newsletter on international justice and peace issues.
“The Lord appointed a further seventy-two and sent them in pairs before him…. Say to them, ‘The reign of God is at hand.’” The seventy-two, sent in pairs by Jesus, are to say: “The reign of God is at hand.” What can that phrase, “the reign of God,” possibly mean? Perhaps, it is a way…
This is Why We Struggle “This is why we struggle…because we have placed our hope in the Living God…” ~1 Timothy 4:10 I have been working in “intentional” mission for much of my life. I say “intentional” because every baptized Christian is in mission by virtue of their acceptance of Jesus Christ. Intentional, to me,…
Today we celebrate the feast of the Body of Christ and remember the offering Christ gave to us when he said, ‘Take this and eat for this is my body,’ and later he took the cup of wine and said, ‘Take this and drink for this is my blood.’ Growing up in the north of…
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that…
Like most cradle Catholics of my generation, I was confirmed as a sophomore in high school. The event was most memorable for the length of the mass, meeting the bishop in person (in his mitre, of course), and the party at our house afterward. It felt like graduation from Catechism. The first Pentecost set followers…
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent…
Join us in Washington, DC as we participate in the Relay of Hope: a global public action taking place May 24-28 in a call to end the debt crisis. We will gather in the United Methodist Building for breakfast, the lighting of our candle and reflection on turning debt into hope, before proceeding to the US…
In today’s Gospel, as Jesus bids farewell to His disciples, he reassures them: “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love them….” These words were said many centuries ago. Do they still speak to us today? And how can we keep His word? In the Gospel for the Fifth Sunday of…
As someone who is just starting mission overseas, I have contemplated where my focus should be in relation to the promised Kingdom of Heaven. I try to be a conscious advocate for social justice today, which is why I am wary of a mentality that disregards the suffering of the present, setting sight on the…
As the memory of Pope Francis lingers in our hearts, the words of today’s Gospel from St. John “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me,” capture well the meaning of Francis’ life and Papacy. The crowds lining up to pay their respects to Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Basilica gave…
Vol. 50, No. 3 A bi-monthly newsletter on international justice and peace issues.
How often do we respond to Jesus’ question to Peter, “do you love me?”, as Peter did, “you know that I love you”? If we stopped and thought about it, we too might be like Peter and grieve that Jesus has to ask. I think we would prefer to assume that Jesus already knows without…
Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe. The Apostle Thomas could not believe what he did not know. He had been at the last banquet with Jesus. His execution on a cross…
People’s organizations have a way of witnessing the hope that things can get better with collaborative efforts. It was 38 years ago in Baguio City, Philippines, where I am writing this reflection, that an indigenous women’s organization was founded. Initially, the Women’s Desk for Indigenous Women’s Education and Organization was part of a social action…
The setting: Jesus riding in to Jerusalem on a donkey and the crowds loudly shouting their hosannas.It is a time of rejoicing but at the same time, those of us who know the story realize that Jesus is on the way to his eventual execution. The Pharisees, scandalized by the scene that Jesus’ disciples are…
