“Come to the church on Saturday,” I said to my students, “Come and see Mr. Grayson die.” That is what I said when I invited my students to my wedding. This past week I was privileged to attend both a…
For a Wedding is a Funeral
Forgiveness and The Law
Very recently, the wife of a famous murder victim very publicly forgave the man who killed her husband. The reaction to this has be wide and varied. Some expressed admiration. Others were incredulous. And still others were humbled. But the…
The Lesson From Simon’s Mother-In-Law
This past weekend I was down with an illness. Nothing life-threatening, but it had me up two nights in a row. To tell you the truth, I feel like I’ve been through the wringer. But as the sickness cleared up,…
The Deacon as Christ the Servant
By God’s grace, I have been accepted into the Candidacy program for Diaconate Formation. This means that, God-willing, I will be ordained a deacon in three years. At our Candidacy Mass, our bishop called us into formation and told us…
God Will Be Mocked (And So Will You)
Recently there was a production of Jesus Christ Superstar that caused a great deal of controversy. Those who saw it as an attack on the faith were incensed. I saw many posts writing about this saying, “God will not be…
The Call of Gideon – An Old Testament Archetype
The Book of Judges describes the actions of men and women called to save the people of Israel between the time of Joshua and the monarchy. In particular, Judges 6:11-24a describes the call of Gideon to be a judge. What…
Elements of the Gospel of Mark
When studying the Bible, there is a vast wealth of scholarship and commentaries over the centuries. Because of this, it can be daunting to know where to begin. The Gospel of Mark is the shortest of the four Gospels. Many…
St. Paul the Revolutionary
Yesterday was the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul. These two men were the pillars of the ancient Church who were martyred by the Roman Emperor Nero. And yet even though they were killed by Rome, they conquered Rome in…
Why Only the Four Gospels?
There are literally dozens of Gospels that were floating around the ancient world. We are all familiar with Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, But there are also many other Gospels like the Gospel of Peter, the Gospel of Thomas, the…
To Live is Christ and Death is Gain: Paul in Philippians
Paul’s letter to the Philippians is considered one of the undisputed letters of the apostle. He writes this letter from prison and is potentially facing execution for the Gospel. And yet even though he appears to be in a lose-lose…