Troubled by Angels
The angel appears to Mary and begins with a beautiful greeting: “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” Why then does the next line tell us that Mary was greatly disturbed?
Fr. George Smiga
Breaking the Silence
Silence destroys relationships. Psalms push through our barrier of silence with God. When a psalm is prayed sincerely it breaks through emptiness and takes the risk of opening communication with the Almighty.
A Catholic Approach to the Passion Narratives
Catholic teaching insists that the Jewish people are not cursed or responsible for Jesus’ death. Yet Matthew 27:15-26 presents the Jewish crowd “as a whole” calling for crucifixion and saying that Jesus’ blood might fall upon them!
Three Gifts, Three Kings
The scriptures do not tell us how many wise men came to honor the Christ Child. But the Christian imagination concluded that if there were three gifts, there were three magi. This insight has deep spiritual meaning.
The Goats Speak Back
Giving is is eternally important. Yet it is impossible to give unless someone is willing to receive.
When God Keeps Calling
The story of Samuel asks us not to be prepared in case God calls us but to recognize signs in our life that God has already called us.
A Dove at Jesus’ Baptism
It is said that as Jesus comes out of the water, the Spirit of God descends on him like a dove. But scholars cannot figure out what the dove is meant to signify.
Of Whales and War
The Book of Jonah is a fable written by a Jew to tell us that we should never believe that God hates our enemies as we do.
Burning Up
What if Peter’s mother-in-law was “burning up” not with a fever but emotionally? If she was really upset about something, it would change the nature of Jesus’ miracle.
Top 10 Dangers in Preaching
The Christian preaching tradition has been molded upon a paradigm which promotes Jesus at the expense of Judaism. As a result, often by default, Judaism is routinely denigrated when Jesus is preached.
What Time Is It?
There are different kinds of time. Greek uses two words to distinguish them: “chronos” and “kairos.” Advent is “kairos time.”
Beware of the Mousetrap!
Sometimes we imagine that we can separate ourselves from others without any consequence to ourselves. But the gospel understands that when we choose to build walls, they are just as likely to hurt us as to protect us.