Author name: Essjay Peatoo

Yesterday we left Moses lying low in Midian, a fugitive from the law. While seated by a well, seven daughters of a priest of Midian came to draw water for their sheep’s drinking troughs. When the girls were driven away by some other shepherds, Moses came to their defense, drove off the offending shepherds, and […]

The past few weeks, our first readings, from the Book of Genesis, have been taking us through the beginnings of our faith journey, from the creation of the universe through the death of Joseph.  Yesterday we started the next leg of our journey with the Book of Exodus. Quite often in life, when we look

Jesus would never make it as a sales manager in the modern world. Today’s readings are an excellent example.  The art of waxing eloquent was certainly not his forte.  Any good sales manager would have at least painted the mission of sending his subordinates on the road as being exciting, an adventure-filled trip to lure

Today’s Gospel text (Luke 10:25-37) is the story of the Good Samaritan.   Jesus tells the parable as part of an exchange between himself and a lawyer in the crowd.  The lawyer in this story is not a partner in Smolich and Smolich.  This lawyer is an expert in the Law of Moses as recorded

Today’s scriptures are an interesting mix.  They are about some interesting relationships: Parents, children, siblings, God, disciples, and Christ.  You really must pay attention to what is being said.   The first reading (Genesis 49:29-32; 50-15-26) continues the sordid story of Israel, Joseph, and the wicked brothers.  The psalmist speaks of the sons of Israel

After their emotional reunion with the brother, whom they believed to be long dead, Joseph’s brothers return to their father, Jacob, laden with gifts and with an invitation for the whole extended family to come live in the region of Goshen, on the east of the Nile, in Egypt (Genesis 46:1-7, 28-30). In today’s reading

To appreciate our first reading (Genesis 44:18-21, 23-29; 45:1-5), we need to review a brief resume of the life of Joseph. Remember, he was one of Jacob’s (Israel’s) sons and was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. While exiled and imprisoned in Egypt he was called upon to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams. Recall that the

In the familiar story from Genesis in today’s first reading (Genesis 41:55-57; 42:5-7a,17-24), Joseph finds himself in a position to wield amazing authority over an entire nation’s economy—authority delegated to him by Pharaoh based on what we today would probably call his God-given intelligence and intuitions. From everything we are told, he exercises that power

Today, we jump ahead a few chapters to Genesis 32:23-33 and come to an experience even more strange, if that is possible, than the vision of the staircase going up to heaven.   Jacob is preparing to meet with his estranged brother Esau and he is not sure what to expect.  After all, Jacob had

Today (Genesis 28:10-22) and tomorrow (Genesis 32:23-33) we pick up Jacob’s story after he fraudulently became Isaac’s heir.  Today we read two strange experiences that help shape the kind of man he was to become.    On the way from Beersheba to Haran, Jacob stops to rest for the night at a shrine. Haran, we