As Christians we credit God with gracing humanity with freedom—freedom, even to reject his love and the salvation he offers so freely. Jonah’s experience, however, seems to challenge this notion of inviolable human freedom. For, he is literally coerced into delivering God’s warning to the people of Nineveh. Similarly, at Vigils this morning, we heard […]

As fitting and urgent as the church’s so-called “preferential option of the poor” is, it is equally important to remember that this does not mean a simultaneous “preferential option against the rich.” Today’s account of Jesus’ call of a wealthy tax collector, Matthew, is not an isolated incident. And so, for example, he purposely sought […]

Like so much else in our spiritual lives, the season of Lent can become just another annual routine which we go through the motions of observing but lacking real commitment or heartfelt zeal. For some this reflects a spiritual mediocrity they have come to find comfortable even if not ultimately satisfying, while for others it […]

Psychological and spiritual maturity are among the prized attributes of adulthood. Immaturity, childishness, and even childlikeness, on the other hand, are usually disdained and considered a sign of a failure to develop and flourish. However, for most—if not all—of us our progress towards full maturity and wholeness is anything but smooth, uniform, or orderly. Instead, […]

Jesus’ enigmatic statement according to which some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the Kingdom of God has come in power, has been variously interpreted—usually in ways that don’t seem to directly involve us. However, recall that when the Pharisees asked when the kingdom would come, Jesus replied that the […]