“But we hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us.” 2 Cor 4:7 St. Paul speaks with remarkable honesty about the fragile condition of human life and discipleship. We are, he says, like jars of clay, earthen...
Today is the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene and the reading is from the Gospel of John. The scene in the garden after the Resurrection is not Mary’s first appearance in Scripture. Did you know that Mary Magdalene is mentioned 12 times in the gospels, more than most of...
According to Merriam Webster, obstinate: “stubbornly adhering to an opinion, purpose, or course in spite of reason, arguments, or persuasion.” Pharaoh is pretty stubborn. He dug his heels in even when faced with the amazing displays of divine power from the God of...
“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me…” (Mt 10:37) I think there is a tendency among believers that when we hear those words, we respond with, what I call, “the holy nod.” It is our reflexive response: Jesus said it, it must be true,...
Yesterday, the first reading was the story of Jacob wrestling with the divine. In yesterday’s reflection, in part, we considered that some modern scholars interpret the episode as an inner struggle—a symbolic rendering of Jacob’s crisis of identity before again...
