Deep Calls to Deep 27th Sunday Ordinary Time – Punchline
Everyone and Everything we reject becomes our cornerstone. It is the Lord’s handiwork. It is marvelous in our eyes! Jesus is The Intruder. Here, he pokes his finger into the chests of the chief priests, the scribes, elders, and Pharisees when he cites Psalm 118. God takes what has been rejected, despised, disdained, and makes […]
27th Sunday Ordinary Time – “Not in Our House!”
The game and corporate industry of football gives us an insight into what Jesus is doing in this gospel. The home team protects its field, their turf, from intrusion by a foreign power. It’s fans dress up to honor their heroes. They wears their colors. One mind. One heart. One intent: Victory. You don’t come […]
26th Sunday Ordinary Time – Audio Reflections
One final, brief word study to offer a lovely image. Matthew makes this amazing connection with this passage and another key part of the gospel through the choice of the verb, proago, “to go into, to go before.” Matthew 21:31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, […]
26th Sunday Ordinary Time – “I Will Not Go… I Will Go…” Part Deux
Here is the most revealing mis-translation I have yet to find… ever. The NRSV translates it thus: Matthew 21:29f 29 He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went. 30 The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; […]
26th Sunday Ordinary Time – “I will not go… I will go…” Part One
The two sons (literally, ‘children’) say what they mean, but not as translated. The first says, “I refuse / desire not.” The second says something even more amazing. The Greek, thelo, “to want, desire, wish,” creates a network of meanings in Matthew. What might “going into the vineyard” have involved in terms of discipleship? For this is […]
26th Sunday Ordinary Time – Context, Context, Context…
Jesus’ parable about the responsiveness of the two children whom the father sent to the vineyard is not simply about being a good Catholic boy our girl. Let’s see what happens in chapter twenty-one… Jesus enters Jerusalem like a wrecking crew! He doesn’t just step on the feet of the chief priests and scribes, rather, he […]
Word on the Street – “I Want to See” available next week…
Greetings, family & friends. My second book, “I Want to See,” will be available early next week at 23rd Publications website. Here’s how they describe it. Pretty darn good… How can we find joy, hope, and peace in ourselves and in the world? It’s a question we all ask, and in seeking the answer, theologian […]
25th Sunday Ordinary Time – Context!
I’m paying more and more attention to the context within which the Sunday gospel appears to see how it either answers something that went before or sets up what’s coming or both. Let’s look at chapter 19… 19:13-15 Jesus blessed the little children whom the disciples spoke harshly to: “Let the […]
25th Sunday Ordinary Time – Envy today; Context tomorrow…
Well, actually, this line [Are you envious because I am generous?] represents a pretty good attempt at translating. Really. The Greek actually says, however, “Or is your eye evil because I am good?” What’s this about the evil eye? Let’s see how Matthew uses ophthalmos, “eye” together with porneros, “evil.” Let’s begin with the ending of the Lord’s Prayer […]
25th Sunday Ordinary Time – “grumble, grumble, grumble…”
OK, we’ve established that the owner of the vineyard was unfair. What’s the most basic response to that? Grumble, carp, gripe, groan, fuss, whine, complain, quibble, and [fill in the blank]. I could add gossip & resent. Yeah, I’ll do that. Now, let’s take a step back to look at that word in Greek, “to […]
Deep Calls to Deep 