Reflections

Today we have a very different creation story than the one told the past two days.  Today we are focused exclusively on the creation of humans (Genesis 2:4-9, 15-27). Biblical scholars think that this section was written much earlier than the narrative presented over the past two days (Genesis 1:1 – 2:4).  Taken together, the […]

In these early weeks of Ordinary Time, the Church begins a semi-continuous reading of the Book of Genesis in the lectionary.  When I heard the readings yesterday, a song played in my head, like background music. American singer Louis Armstrong describes skies of blue or dark sacred skies, then sings, “What a wonderful world.” The

Today we begin reading the Book of Genesis and the story of Creation. Although Genesis is at the beginning of the Bible, that does not mean that it was the first book to be written, still less that it represents an “eyewitness account”. In fact, experts distinguish a combination of accounts written at different times.

Today, we are asked to consider three interlocking elements of our Christian living: faith, experience and apostleship. Our faith has two elements. The first is expressed by Paul in the Second Reading (1 Corinthians 15:1-11) where he gives the briefest summary of what the Christian message is about. To ‘have faith’ is to accept that

In this week’s Gospel passages (Mark 6:6-34), Jesus entrusts the proclamation of the Good News to the Apostles by sending them out to preach. Until this time, the disciples were following him, learning from him, asking him questions, and seeking clarifications. Now it was time for them to put what they had learned into practice.

Today the gospel reading (Mark 6:14-29) focuses our attention on John the Baptist and specifically on his death.  Reflecting on the reading, I asked myself, what does John the Baptist say to me?  More than once, reading about John, I have been struck by the fact that his must have been a lousy life.  He

We serve a living and awesome God, powerful but merciful, made approachable, who cares about our every need, but still deserves of all awe and respect. The readings today bring all of these different images together. It seems a worthwhile aim for today to ponder these different realities. We might, like Mary, ponder these things

The struggle against sin is familiar to us all. Sin has pervasive effects, and we confront them daily. Sometimes this involves systemic manifestations of sin that require our efforts to bring justice and peace. Terrorism, crime, and ignorance all have the capacity to oppress and encumber the human soul.  Many struggle directly against these consequences

More words of encouragement today (Hebrews 12:1-4) for the Hebrew Christians to whom this letter is addressed, urging them to remain faithful to their Christian calling and not to be tempted to fall back to the old ways. First, Paul reminds them of “so great a cloud of witnesses” to the faith. He is referring

Today we are presented with a wonderful passage about faith and what our Old Testament predecessors were prepared to undergo in order to preserve the integrity of their faith and trust in God (Hebrews 11:32-40). Many of the sufferings described are similar to those experienced by Christian martyrs in later centuries. Paul begins by mentioning