In the 2nd century BCE, a prophet borrowing the name of Baruch speaks a message of hope and joy to Jerusalem’s scattered children in the Diaspora. God will liberate them from their infidelities. In the gospel the disciples, and Jesus with them, rejoice that people have been liberated from the power of evil in the […]
The reading from Baruch is not from the hand of Baruch, who was the secretary of Jeremiah. It dates from the time of the Maccabees and is like a penitential celebration deploring the sins that had led to the present calamities and oppression. Modern means of communications have brought the world more closely together and
We speak much today of poverty and or returning to the true values of the gospel. What St. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226) undertook in the 13th century might very well inspire our times. Today’s society threatens to destroy itself in many parts of the world by its own philosophy and prosperity; even in developing countries, artificial
In the first reading, we see how the Feast of Tabernacles, originally a harvest feast for wheat and vintage, was spiritualized into a feast remembering the exodus and the renewal of the covenant. The Word of God was read to the people. The word came as a source of great joy and stirred their hearts.
In the Old Testament, too, we find enthusiastic, dedicated leaders, giving the best of themselves to God and country. Nehemiah has a good, secure function at the court of Artaxerxes, as butler – often a confidential job. Hearing alarming reports about the disorganized Jews in Palestine after the exile, he does not want to keep his administrative
Theresa Martin entered the Carmel at the age of fifteen. Nine years later, she died of tuberculosis. In these few years, she lived the “little way of spiritual childhood.” It is not an infantile way, but one that demands great strength and much grace. She had to fight her stubbornness and struggle with aridity and
If God lives in the community of his faithful, this community is by itself missionary, for it reveals the face of God; by its witnessing, it attracts others. The prophet Elijah did not find God in the storm wind or the earthquake or the fire, but in the gentle breeze. The “sons of thunder,” James
The scholar St. Jerome translated most of the Bible from the original languages into Latin and revised some parts already translated to make them more understandable. His immense work opened the scriptures to the parts of Europe that spoke Latin. He fought al his life against his difficult character. He can still inspire us today
As people constantly struggling to grow up to attain Christ’s maturity, we are before God like children, relying on his help more than on ours; for we have experienced that our own forces are not always trustworthy. We know that God protects us, sends us angels to guide us, especially in the person of Jesus
Paul urges Christians, through Timothy, to be mediators by our supplications, prayers and intercessions for all humankind. The basis is that Christ is the one mediator between God and humanity and God wants all to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. How universal is God’s plan and will to save! Today,
