of the human person from conception until natural death
During the fifth week, the first reading involves incidents: the accusation against Susanna, a healing image lifted up in the desert, the three faithful witnesses who survive the fiery furnace, the account of God’s covenant with Abram, Jeremiah’s fearful trust in the midst of the plot against him, and Ezekiel’s…
Seemingly mundane, the conversations Jesus often has with various people, such as the Woman Caught in Adultery and the Samaritan Woman at the Well, frequently involve Jesus asking questions that reveal a deeper truth. Since conversations are more concrete and direct, unlike parables, they show Jesus engaged with real, historical individuals.
The Fourth Sunday of Lent, also known as Laetare Sunday, marks the beginning of what some liturgical scholars consider to be the second part of Lent. Each day’s Gospel, from the Monday after Laetare Sunday until Passion or Palm Sunday, will all be taken from six chapters in the Gospel of John.
Charles Dickens famously described the parable of the Prodigal Son as “the finest short story ever written.” Arguably, this parable is the most well-known of all the parables that Jesus recounted; so much so, that elements of the incident have even entered the public consciousness. However, because that has occurred…
The biblical account of the Transfiguration is recorded in all three Synoptic Gospels: Mark 9:2–13; Matthew 17:1–13; Luke 9:28–36 [37-43]. Among those three, only Saint Luke provides the content of the conversation between Jesus, Moses, and Elijah.
Both Moses and Elijah held crucial positions salvation history: Moses as the amasser…
The lectionary is a collection of Biblical readings used for worship and study. During Lent, it is organized to reflect the season’s penitential character. Usually, the first reading is chosen according to what’s called the principle of harmony. The Old Testament reading is selected because of the harmony or the…
In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Lord’s Temptation in the Desert is summarized in the following way, “The Gospels speak of a time of solitude for Jesus in the desert immediately after his baptism by John. Driven by the Spirit into the desert, Jesus remains there for forty…
On Ash Wednesday, the ship of Lent sets forth and we climb on board. The holy season of Lent is framed by two gestures: the imposition of ashes on our foreheads and the kissing of the Cross, of Christ’s wounds, on Good Friday. The whole drama of human life is…
Nature and dignity 