Mark 4:26-29 26 He said, “This is how it is with the kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land 27 and would sleep and rise night and day and the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. 28 Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then…
Month: January 2021
Ah, “the main point” of Hebrews!
Chapter 8 1 The main point of what has been said is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2 a minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle that the Lord, not man, set up. 3 Now every high priest is…
Additional take on Sunday’s Gospel
Immediately below, a quick insight on Sunday’s Gospel. Below that, this week’s posting of the “Not the pastor’s note” from my Sunday email to friends and family. As he passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen. Jesus said to…
Staying…staying…stayed?
From Sunday’s Gospel: John 1:38-41 38 Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed…
A Quirk and the Mysterious Melchizedek
Looking at Hebrews 7:1-3 seems timely. I would like to tell you this was careful planning, but it appears to be a quirk of circumstances–the first reading for the Mass this day begins with the exact verses we are looking at this morning. Perhaps it is one of those little “coincidences” for which the Holy…
Great gifts come with challenges…
Step back a few moments and consider the big picture: Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, “What are you looking for?” John 1:38a from Sunday’s Gospel What are you looking for? Do you know, not merely ‘think’ or grab a cliché to respond with? DO you know what…
Factoid for your Friday fast…
Hebrews 6:19-20a reads: 19 This we have as an anchor of the soul, sure and firm, which reaches into the interior behind the veil, 20 where Jesus has entered on our behalf as forerunner… What is “the interior behind the veil”? For Jews, this is the inner-most room of the Temple, the one space where God in heaven maintained…
God Swears by Himself Hebrews 6:13-20
After warning his hearers/readers of the dangers of falling away from their commitment to Christ and his way of life, our Preacher gives us reassurance in very strong terms. Well, strong terms in his day! Omit verses 19 and 20, but imagine someone today saying the same things as in verses 13-18, and ask yourself,…
Bruised reeds, smoldering wicks
I was a greenhorn director of religious education, just getting familiar with volunteer parish catechists, when a conversation with the pastor brought this passage of Scripture alive for me. I was asking him about the non-Catholic husband of one catechist, when he quoted to me the lines about the bruised reed and the smoldering wick….
Don’t just settle for milk
Hebrews 5:12-14 and 6:11-12 In the first verses of chapter 5, the author of Hebrews identifies Jesus as the fulfillment of what the Old Testament priesthood was supposed to be. Then, before he begins to explain this teaching, he stops to exhort his listeners or readers with words like these: 5 12 Although you should be…