At the heart of our Liturgy is Mercy. We say it so often that there's a Greek saying that makes fun of it. But make no mistake, Mercy is at the heart of our faith. And mercy is precisely what is missing in the world today. Everything comes from mercy. And the parable Jesus teaches …
Reflections on the Sistine Madonna
I came upon a story called The Sistine Madonna, by Vasily Grossman, a writer and survivor of Soviet and Nazi antisemitism. A black and white picture of the painting Sistine Madonna was included in the story, so my curiosity was piqued. I found a good quality color reproduction of this painting and I wish to …
Parables of Surprise
The Sunday Lectionary after feast of Cross in September offers various combinations of Epistle and Gospel readings that break the normal pairings - at least in the Greek tradition. Today's readings, Ephesians 2:4-10 and Luke 16:19-31, offer an interesting juxtaposition: faith or works? Paul says: "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and …
When righteous people of God are killed
In the aftermath of the killings at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, it's appropriate to reflect on how Jesus spoke of righteousness. Jesus said: "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness - δικαιοσύνην αυτού - and all these other things will be added to you." He also said: “Beware of practicing …
Let’s not talk of demons
Most people today don’t believe in demons and demonic possession. Yet, I claim that today’s Gospel reading is even more relevant today than it was 2,000 years ago. That’s because we don’t live in the age of demons; we live in the age of demonization! Yes, we demonize people; we demonize individuals we don’t agree with; …
The Contemporary Voice of Jesus
Why do the Gospels rely on seed parables to explain what the kingdom is? There’s today’s parable; there’s the mustard seed parable; and the parable of the seed that grows at night. Both can be read in Mark 4:26-33. He also said, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, …
Thorn in the Flesh
Today we are again in Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. In our passage today he is in self-reflexive mode, but here he boasts that he has been granted visions and revelations, even vision of Paradise. And not even a vision, but an actual transfer to Paradise - whether in the body or out of …
