The Sacred Page

Massah and Meribah (Exodus 15:22-26)is the place of testing and contention. Israel has just been saved from the Egyptians by passage through the Red Sea. In the desert, they experience the absence of water that they did not lack in the land of Pharaoh. They murmur, they begin to question: "Is the... Sign in to see full entry.

Luke 23:31 sounds enigmatic. Jesus speaks those words as the "daughters of Jerusalem" meet him on the way to Golgotha. The immediate context of those words begin at v. 28 28 But Jesus turning to them, said: Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not over me; but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29... Sign in to see full entry.

The parable of Dives and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31 has been used especially as an illustration for social sin. Indeed, it is a passage that should make Christians reflect on the consequences of a life that is uncaring and inattentive to the plight of the poor. Recently, John Gummer of The Tablet made... Sign in to see full entry.

Brothers and sisters: You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth. Christ is the light that shines on every man that is born. Yet by virtue of baptism, all Christians too have become... Sign in to see full entry.

The Transfiguration of the Lord is something like a preview of his Resurrection and Glorification. Or one can even think of it Tolkien-like as the changing of the aspect of the Lord right before he makes his quest towards Jerusalem and the Cross. By his transfiguration he shows who he is before God.... Sign in to see full entry.

"He walked as the Lord commanded" -- this is the characteristic of Abram, the son of Terah and the father of our faith. When he was called, we are told nothing about the background of Abram, except that he was at the time staying in Haran where his father Terah has brought him and their family to... Sign in to see full entry.

There is a place for fasting in contemporary Catholic spirituality, but the practice must be based in love—love of God and love of all God’s creatures. Following the catechesis in Matthew 6, it must be linked to prayer, by which we express love of God, and to almsgiving, by which we express love of... Sign in to see full entry.

After his baptism and before he proceeds to his ministry, Jesus fasts for forty days and forty nights in the desert. Mark writes that during that time, he was tempted by the Devil. Matthew and Luke presents the temptation as a dialogue between Jesus and the Devil. Three times, Satan tempts Jesus;... Sign in to see full entry.

Our bible study at the Mother of Good Counsel parish advanced to the books of the New Testament today. I began with a discussion on the thematic arrangement of the books that we find in our bibles today. I pointed out that this arrangement does not say much about the chronology of literature of the... Sign in to see full entry.

1 Cor. 1:26-31 constitutes a sub-section within Paul's admonition to a divided Corinthian church. The Corinthians have become divided o­n the issue of who is the better apostle. Some proclaimed themselves "fans" of this and that apostle and were proud of it. Paul's tirade against the "boast" of... Sign in to see full entry.