They shall beat their swords into plowsharesand their spears into pruning hooks;one nation shall not raise the sword against another,nor shall they train for war again. Is 2:4 What was Isaiah thinking? This makes no sense – he knew perfectly well that that didn’t describe the world he experienced in Judah at that time. It […]
First Sunday of Advent Read More »
No one votes for a king. That’s kind of the point. If anyone gets to choose a king it’s God. Medieval European monarchs created a whole theology of their “divine right” to rule. The emperors of China similarly claimed the “mandate of heaven”. In the Jewish (and Christian) tradition David was chosen by God to
The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe Read More »
Last week we were challenged to consider what it means to be alive. We probably don’t think about it much on a day to day basis, but what it is to be alive is not as obvious as we might expect. My mother spent the last years of her life unable to communicate and without
Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time Read More »
Jesus had many debates with the religious authorities of his time, typically referred to as the Scribes and Pharisees. Usually they were complaining about something he had done, or trying to trip him up in some legalistic argument. Typically he diverts their comments in an unexpected direction as he tries to get them (or us)
Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time Read More »