The Sacred Page

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Tuesday, February 19, 2008

He Gives Living Waters

The story of Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well is found within an account of a whole town coming to believe in Jesus through the testimony of a woman. The whole narrative can be read together with John 1:35-51 as the continuing story of how people come to know and believe in... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Matthew 17:1-9 The Transfiguration of Jesus

The account of the Transfiguration is closely associated with the Confession of Peter and Jesus' response to Peter's protest against his suffering and death. The synoptics provide us with common elements in the story: Jesus brings Peter, James and John to a mountain while on the mountain, Jesus is... Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, February 1, 2008

Victorious in Temptation

Right after Jesus' baptism and before he begins his ministry in Galilee as the light that shines on those who sit in darkness, Jesus is tempted by the Devil. Matthew (4:1-11) follows Mark's outline here and like Luke expands the narrative to include the dialogue between the Tempter and Jesus. The... Sign in to see full entry.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Light of the World

How does one reconcile a passage like Jesus saying "I am the light of the world" (Jn. 8:12) and "Ye are the light of the world" (Mt. 5:14)?. Augustine in his De doctrina christiana III, mentions a rule of interpretation from Tyconius wherein it is stated that there are passages that refer to someone... Sign in to see full entry.

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Eternal Life: An Exercise in Free Association

Someone who read my article on the Lectio Divina ( Parallel Texts, Textual Resonances and the Liturgy ) asked me for another example of how free association works in meditating on a text of Scriptures. The example I gave was based on Luke 18:18-30. The narrative begins with a question posed by a... Sign in to see full entry.

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Matthew 5:1-12 Blessed Are You

Matthew 5:1-7:29 is the famous Sermon on the Mount. It is the first major discourse of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew and is the first time that Jesus is formally presented as the New Moses. In Matthew 2:13-23, Matthew had presented Jesus as the New Moses through well-placed fulfillment passages... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Matthew 4:12-23 The Light Begins To Shine

After a brief description of Jesus' temptation in the Desert (Mk. 1:12-13), Mark immediately proceeds to narrate the beginnings of Jesus' ministry (Mk. 1:14-15) and the call of the first disciples (Mk. 1:16-20). Matthew for his part, while retaining the Marcan outline builds up the narrative with... Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, January 11, 2008

Luke 2:41-52 "My Father's Business"

Luke's narrative of Jesus' childhood ends with the account of Jesus' finding in the Temple in Luke 2:41-52. It is a sort of snapshop of the twelve-year old Jesus who now begins to go about his "Father's business" by staying in Nazareth under the guidance of Mary and Joseph. The narrative is somewhat... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, January 7, 2008

To Fulfill All Righteousness

Matthew's account of Jesus' baptism is a rewriting of traditional materials so as to explain why Jesus "the One Mightier" had to be baptized by John. Below is a table showing the accounts of Matthew, Mark and Luke in the NAB translation (click on the image for a larger, printable view) Mark's... Sign in to see full entry.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Guided By A Star

Matthew 2:1-12 continues the story of Jesus' birth which began with Matthew 1:18. At the same time, it is the first part of a sub-plot that will show how Divine Providence protects "its investment" through Joseph (cf. Matthew 2: 13-23 ). Here however, Matthew's intention is to recount the meeting of... Sign in to see full entry.

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