Jesus encountered constant opposition and criticism for breaking sabbath rules and the taboos of society. In the healing of the woman in Luke 10:10-17, the synagogue leader could not tolerate Jesus healing on the sabbath. He was following the biblical rules that clearly prohibited work on the sabbath. Jesus responded that healing was not …
Behind the Curtain
The Guardian newspaper published an article today about the super-rich of Greenwich, Connecticut, and how they benefit from a tax code loophole called "carried interest". As a result of this loophole, they pay taxes at a much lower rate than most Americans. People are beginning to wake up, and today's article in the Guardian was …
The Language of Blessing
Water is a prime symbol in all religions. No surprise, since water covers over 70% of the earth’s surface. In Genesis, the earth is all water at the beginning. Then we have the Flood, the crossing of the Red Sea, the Jordan, etc. In the New Testament, water is again prime symbol. John baptizes …
Some Biblical Thoughts on the Transfiguration
“Welcome one another, therefore, as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” A beautiful welcome today from St. Paul's letter to the Romans. A welcome on this feastday of the Transfiguration - a day that reveals the glory of God to us. Jesus said: "The queen of the South will rise at …
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“… and also much cattle”
In the Liturgy of Holy Saturday, the Orthodox Church includes 15 readings from the Old Testament - mostly readings that directly or symbolically refer to the Passover, to Resurrection, or to Baptism. These readings are remnants of the original all-night Paschal Vigil which developed in the church during the centuries of its prominence in the Roman …
The Difference a Sigma Makes
I got a bit of a shock tonight during the Liturgy of December 24th. The Gospel reading was the nativity narrative from Luke 2:1-20. The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese has been using the Revised Standard Version of the Bible for several decades now, and so do several other Orthodox jurisdictions in the United States. Usually that's not a problem, and …
The Rules of the Game
As almost always when reading the Gospels, context is everything! It is easy to take today's Gospel reading, the Parable of the Great Banquet, as a moralistic lesson about getting into heaven; or as a rejection of the Jewish people, in that racist and anti-Semitic interpretation that has been popular through most of Christian history and continues to endure in …
Trinitarian Community
We are living in treacherous and confusing times. In a recent book, I read the following: “the growth in Muslim populations across Europe since the mid-twentieth century runs parallel to secularization or, perhaps more aptly, de-Christianization. As Muslim populations grow and assert their religious identities in the public sphere, Christianity’s public role and influence fade. …
Artists of Faith
Today is the feast day of St. Luke, the Evangelist, "the beloved physician," as St. Paul calls him in our reading today from the Letter to the Colossians. Luke wrote one of the three 'Synoptic Gospels" and one can easily see it is the most artfully and best written of the three! It is a …
The Parable of Parables
The parable of the sower and the seed: We read it today from Luke's version (Luke 8:4-15). This is the parable of parables. It is the parable that provides the key to all Jesus parables! Because we hear from his mouth what is the purpose of parables and what is the pedagogy that Jesus employs. …
Ancient Answers 