The year is 587 BC. The armies of Babylon have captured and destroyed the city of Jerusalem – including the Temple built by Solomon. The people are taken into the diaspora that will be known as the Babylonian Captivity. “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat...
“No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light.” (Luke 8:16) Jesus uses a simple image—a lamp—to teach a profound truth about discipleship. Think about the...
In today’s first reading, St. Paul gives us one of the most quoted lines in all of Scripture today: “The love of money is the root of all evils.” It’s important to notice that he does not say money itself is evil. Money is a tool, something necessary for daily life;...
Sometimes I think the Gospel is a collection of Jesus’ shocking attitudes, actions, and comments. Today we find Jesus in a really shocking scene. He is invited to dine in the home of a pharisee. That home and that supper would have been completely proper and formal in...
In today’s Gospel, Jesus compares His generation to children in the marketplace. No matter what song is played, they refuse to respond. So Jesus offers them a new song: a lament. John the Baptist came in austerity fasting, wearing rough clothing, calling for...
