Reflections for Ordinary Time

Jonah must be one of the best known characters in the Bible, up there with Noah and his ark, recognized by pretty much everyone regardless of their religious background or lack of it. I think we have to admit that Jonah’s fame is more due to the whale than anything he himself brought to the […]

We start the journey with Jesus which leads from his baptism in the wilds of the Jordan Valley to Jerusalem and his death and everything that follows from that. We hear how he started by gathering a small group of followers. Our attention is pointed towards the call to listen to God, not just in

So this week we have the parable of the talents, familiar territory, and one of those cringeworthy passages about the perfect wife, dripping in patriarchal condescension. So maybe best to just move on quickly and hope for better pickings next week? You probably won’t be surprised to hear me say – well maybe, but maybe

The early church expected that Jesus would return pretty soon, if not next week then next month or certainly next year. The sense of excitement and urgency in the period immediately following Jesus’ death and resurrection is hardly surprising, but we see even during Paul’s lifetime a major shift in these expectations. At the time

This week the Pharisees continue their attempts to trip up Jesus. We’ve skipped his debate with the Sadducees about life after death, and now we hear a different line of attack from the political trap over paying taxes to the Romans. Or perhaps it really isn’t an attack – in Mark’s version of this story

This week we have references in two of our readings to major historical figures outside of the bible. The first is Cyrus the Great, King of Persia, and ruler of the largest empire in the world up to that time (600-530 BC). The other is Caesar – specifically Tiberius Caesar Augustus, the second Roman emperor. Such

For the last few weeks we have had a clear link between our First Reading (from the prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel) and Jesus’s teaching – with a focus on the difference between our view of justice and God’s. This week there is also a link since both concerns feasts – representing God’s favor to His

Sour grapes, or sweet fruit? Today’s readings make it clear that God has expectations of His people – and throughout history those have not always been met. Sometimes they have been missed by a mile. That’s true of the People of Israel up to and including Jesus’ time, and of his Church through to modern

Enough with this justice thing! Seems like we just can’t get away from it. There is a certain truth in that. God doesn’t let us get away with things, and the track record of humankind in this regard is not exactly great. You might also think you recognize the reading from Ezekiel from when we

Let’s be clear upfront – in today’s reading Jesus isn’t recommending HR policy, or advising on labor relations! The Lectionary actually adds a preamble telling us this is a parable. That first sentence isn’t in the text of Matthew’s Gospel. Why? – well Mathew’s original readers wouldn’t have any difficulty recognizing it as a parable.