The Sacred Page

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Monday, November 27, 2006

Stand Erect, Your Heads Held High

The selection from Luke is a parallel passage of the reading from the 33rd Sunday of OT Year B, the eschatological discourse of Mark 13. In the present selection, the saying about the fig tree is skipped by the liturgy. Verses 25-28 and 34-36 which contain sayings that are properly Lucan in... Sign in to see full entry.

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Those Who Are In The Truth Listen To My Voice

John 18:33-37 is one of the high points in the series of encounters that Jesus has with particular characters as he makes His way to the cross. After the great High Priestly prayer of John 17 which ends the Last Supper Discourses, Jesus goes to meet the "sons of darkness" who come to arrest him at... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, November 13, 2006

Be Watchful and Alert

The Gospel reading for the 33rd Sunday of OT (Year B) is taken from the eschatological discourse of Mark chapter 13. Jesus had entered Jerusalem as foretold by the prophet Malachi, he has cleansed it, and now announces its end. The Temple has become a symbol of Judah's religious status quo, of the... Sign in to see full entry.

Wednesday, November 8, 2006

The Temple, Two Coins and Pious Hypocrisy

The Widow and the Scribes The selection in Mark 12:38-44 contrasts the piety of the scribes on the one hand, and a widow whom Jesus observes among those giving their contributions to the Temple, on the other. Verses 38-40 is Jesus' description of the scribes. He accuses them of devouring the houses... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

More Than Sacrifice and Holocaust

The question about the two greatest commandments is raised while Jesus is already in Jerusalem. Jesus enters Jerusalem triumphantly in Mark 11:11; he cleans up the temple area and begins his Jeremiah-like discourse against the chief priests and the scribes ( Mark 11:15-19 ), his authority has been... Sign in to see full entry.

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

That I May Have Eyes To See

The last episode in Mark's gospel of Jesus' journey to Jerusalem just before he and his disciples enter the city is the story of the healing of a blind man. Compared to the one in Mark 8:22-26, this story is not about a healing, however, but about discipleship. It does not follow the normal... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

A Politics of Service and Self-giving

Right after Jesus gives the third and last prediction about the fate he was going to undergo in Jerusalem, Mark tells us that John and James, probably anticipating a Messianic coup d'etat in Judaism's capital, wanted to be assured of special places beside Jesus "in his glory" (cf. Mark 10:37 ).... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Wealth and Discipleship

Perhaps there is no other story of (failed) discipleship in the gospels that illustrate the Christ-centeredness of the sequela than that of the rich young man ( Mark 10:17-30; Matthew 19:16-30; Luke 18:18-30 ). The story appears in all Synoptic gospels with a few differences, mostly in detail. The... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, October 3, 2006

What God Has Joined Together...

Mark 10:1-12 presents Jesus being tested by the Pharisees on a question about divorce. Students of the Bible know that during the time of Jesus the Pharisees were divided on the question of divorce. The story as presented in Gospel instructs the Christian community what position to take: marriage is... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Reading Proverbs

Proverbs, one of the Wisdom Books, is a collection of sayings culled from experience and applicable for the formation of attitudes and a lifestyle in accordance with the Torah. It is also one of the poetic books and therefore is to be understood as poetry with an educational intent. What follows is... Sign in to see full entry.

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