The Sacred Page

I just restored my old Lectio Divina site. Currently it holds about 50 articles on individual passages of Scriptures that I wrote about two years ago. Some of these have been reposted here. There are others however which I just recovered from an old site. I have also put up a Bible Study wiki (very... Sign in to see full entry.

In two weeks, we will be celebrating the First Sunday of Advent one of my favorite seasons of the year. With Advent comes a new set of bible readings that are proffered in the liturgy to help us, Catholics, form in ourselves the attitudes proper to those who "wait for the Lord." The Old Testament... Sign in to see full entry.

This portion of the letter to the Philippians shows Paul, chained and grown old, addressing those who were once recipients of his gospel but who in time have proven themselves to be his staunchest supporters and collaborators. The letter is filled with joy and oozes with paternal affection. It is... Sign in to see full entry.

Ephesians 2:19-21 concludes Paul's argument from 2:1 wherein he sets forth and gives emphasis on the new status of the Ephesians before God and in relation to the new people of Israel. If they were formerly under the power of the spirit of this world and children of wrath (vv. 2-3) they have been... Sign in to see full entry.

If you think that the Reading Guides to the Gospels of Mark and John are useful, then this is for you. I have compiled the webpages into a WebExe file for easy browsing. You may now download the whole thing in a zipfile. The WebExe file itself will allow you to print the webpages or make searches.... Sign in to see full entry.

Some years back I wrote reading guides for the gospels of Mark and John. I used these every time I was asked to give prolonged retreats (three to seven days) to religious nuns. I thought I have lost these reading guides, and for a long time, they were buried in oblivion. Fortunately, I found one of... Sign in to see full entry.

Someone asked me a question some time ago about a particular event involving the Ark of the Covenant and Uzza. The episode is found in 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles 2 Sam 6:6-7 6 ¶ And when they came to Nachon’s threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the... Sign in to see full entry.

During the trip from the airport to Laguna yesterday, one of the friars started a conversation about today's gospel reading. I guess he wanted a conversation going because of the slow traffic. So I took out my copy of the New American Bible and turned to Luke 17:1-4 1 He said to his disciples,... Sign in to see full entry.

The parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus in Luke was paired in today's liturgy with a reading from Amos about "the complacent ones in Zion." The connection between Israel's rich and uncaring folks on the one hand and the rich man in Luke's narrative is so clear that understanding both readings and... Sign in to see full entry.

Also Amaziah said unto Amos, " O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there: But prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it is the king’s chapel, and it is the king’s court. " Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, " I was no prophet, neither... Sign in to see full entry.