The Sacred Page

I wouldn't have known that there is a controversy surrounding P64 which contain three fragments of the Gospel of Matthew. What is the controversy about? The manuscript is usually dated to the 2nd century AD, but a scholar named Thiede claims that using techniques in paleography, it can be dated to... Sign in to see full entry.

"Reconciliation" in the Scriptures, means "to change a relationship of enmity into friendship", and this task is given to the Church as is clear from today's gospel reading. In Matthew 18:18, the task of binding and loosing -- a task already given to Peter (Matthew 16: 19) -- is given to the whole... Sign in to see full entry.

Those who have been baptized are called "alter Christus", an "other Christ". This aspect of the Christian life is underscored in Mt. 16:21-27. The gospel selection can be divided in the following way: vv. 21-23 Get Behind Me, Satan: The Reproach To Peter vv. 24-27 The Disciples' Way of the Cross The... Sign in to see full entry.

The story of the persistent Canaanite woman in Matthew 15:21-28 is taken by the Catechism as an example of prayer borne out of deep faith (CCC, 2610). In fact, the figure of the Canaanite woman and her persistence in asking for the Lord's help reminds one of Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52), the Parables... Sign in to see full entry.

Matthew 14:22-33 is a rewriting of Mark 6:45-52, a narrative that closely follows the feeding of the five thousand (6:34-44) and is connected to it (see Mk. 6:52). But while in Mark the disciples were not able to understand the connection between the multiplication of the loaves and Jesus on the... Sign in to see full entry.

But hey, how about Titus 2:13? "...while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ..." Unless one would do some hocus pocus on textual criticism, this new testament passage stands. In this verse, "God and Savior" is identified as "Jesus Christ."... Sign in to see full entry.

Luke 10:38-42 has been interpreted in the past in terms of the active and contemplative religious life. According to this understanding of the text, Martha represents the religious who is engaged in various forms of apostolate while Mary would stand for those who spend their time in prayer and... Sign in to see full entry.

1 Kgs. 3:5.7-12 is this Sunday's Old Testament reading. The selection emphasizes Solomon's request for Wisdom and how the request pleased God. As appearing in the liturgy, we find a one-to-one correspondence between the request that Solomon makes and the response of God to that request. The text... Sign in to see full entry.

"How can one pray when it is difficult to pray?" Rom. 8:26-27 gives us an indication to the answer: the Holy Spirit which has been poured into our hearts enables us to pray even when we feel we cannot: The word "Spirit" appears in the Letter to the Romans 20 times and 14 of these instances are found... Sign in to see full entry.

Parables of the Kingdom Matthew 13:24-43 continues the theme of Jesus teaching in parables. The first part of the passage is a series of parables about the "kingdom of heaven." Parable, here, should be understood as a simile, since Jesus prefaces a parable with the explanation "X can be likened to... Sign in to see full entry.