July 14, Compassion: a Sunday Scriptures blog

Familiar to everyone who is connected with social justice is the story of villagers by a river, which goes something like this: One day a body floats down the river, and the villagers rescue it. The next day, more bodies begin to appear. The villagers continue to act responsibly and…

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July 7, Just Us: a Sunday Scriptures blog

Unique to Luke is today’s reading from his Gospel. The Lord appointed 72 others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs. It seems that the early Christian community enjoyed a wide array of lay leaders, men and women who were not apostles, who spread the good news. “Behold, I…

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June 30, Freedom: a Sunday Scriptures blog

By a happy accident, this coming Sunday’s Epistle from Galatians makes a good meditation for the week of our 4th of July holiday. “For freedom Christ set us free,” St. Paul says, “but do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather serve one another through love…

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May 26, Temples: a Sunday Scriptures blog

Not long ago we watched in horror as the great cathedral of Notre Dame burned, shaking the very identity of the French people. The destruction of the temple in Jerusalem by Rome in 70 C.E. was a huge shock for Jews and also for the Jewish converts to Christ. Our…

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Recipe for Discernment

Last night, my foster son and I baked a cake. He read each step in the recipe, one by one, as we went along. From pre-heating the oven, to spraying the pan, and then adding ingredients, the steps were easy and we expected a fluffy, delicious cake as long as…

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May 19, Glorified: a Sunday Scriptures blog

Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him (Jn 13:31). Jesus speaks these words right after Judas leaves to arrange his arrest. He is telling his disciples that his coming crucifixion and death is a beginning, not an end. Shakespeare’s line “The evil that men…

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