The Sacred Page

The appearance of Jesus in Luke 24:36-49 constitutes the commissioning of the disciples within the context of a victory meal that the Risen Lord celebrates with them. Within this meal also, one finds the Lord opening the minds of the disciples for the understanding of Scriptures. "Peace be with... Sign in to see full entry.

The main plot of the account of the two disciples going to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35) can be stated simply. Two disciples, one named Cleophas and another unnamed, walk away from Jerusalem, the place of salvation. Along the way, Jesus walks with them and converses with them. At one point, he even... Sign in to see full entry.

Mary Magdalene's meeting with Jesus is the first of the Resurrection appearances in the Gospel of John. In the Synoptic accounts, the women are the ones who first receive the news about the Resurrection and see Jesus and tell about it to the disbelieving disciples. Here, John puts to the fore... Sign in to see full entry.

In this selection from John, there are three main parts the last of which (vv. 30-31) is the conclusion to the Gospel. The first two parts (vv. 19-23;24-29) bring together two themes: the commissioning of the witnesses of the Risen Lord and what the Lord thinks about the faith of the those who have... Sign in to see full entry.

John's Gospel begins the resurrection accounts (John 20:1-10) with the discovery of the empty tomb in the wee hours of "the first day of the week" by Mary Magdalene. She discovers that the tomb has been opened and so goes back to Simon and the "other disciple" and reports it. In turn, both Simon... Sign in to see full entry.

The third of the Servant Songs (Isaiah 50:4-9) is the Servant's description of the gifts he has for his work (4-5a), the resistance to what he is doing (5b-6) and his confidence in Yahweh and his guiltlessness in the face of those who have become his oppressors (7-9). The gifts received from Yahweh,... Sign in to see full entry.

The Lenten liturgy for Holy Week proposes for meditation the figure of the Servant of Yahweh, an OT character that appears in Isaiah's Book of Consolation (Isaiah 40-55). The relevant passages as defined by B. Duhm 1 are: Isaiah 42:1-4 Isaiah 49:1-6 Isaiah 50:4-9 Isaiah 52:13-53:12 These passages... Sign in to see full entry.

The seventh of the penitential psalms (Psalm 143 (142) is a prayer of a man in danger. He acknowledges the punishment he merits and prays that God would not come in judgment(v.2). There is no word for sin here, but the petitioner knows he is not guiltless before God. Please do not come to judge your... Sign in to see full entry.

Jeremiah 31:31-34 (LXX: Jer. 38:31-34) is a prose oracle about the new covenant. It is inserted between two poetic oracles about the return of the Northern tribes from exile which event Jeremiah was sure would happen (cf. vv.35-37). Perhaps the renewal of the covenant during King Josiah's time as... Sign in to see full entry.

The most famous of the penitential psalms is traditionally called the "Miserere" and is linked to David's realization of his sin with Bathsheba. The subtitle of psalm 51 is "When Nathan came to David because he went into Bathsheba" and is therefore understood against the background of a prophetic... Sign in to see full entry.