Tag Archives: Lent

Although today’s gospel is very familiar to us, like much of Saint John/s gospel, its meaning can be quite complex. First, to make sense of it all, we need to be clear about the situation in which we find ourselves. The temple in Jerusalem – Herod’s temple – had been under construction for over a generation: 46 years to be exact. It would take another twenty years to complete it. It was built along the general lines of a Canaanite temple: a series of courtyards, each one inside another. The first and largest courtyard was the Court of the Gentiles, Continue Reading →

In the Lenten Series on this past Wednesday evening, I talked a little bit about the Satan – the prosecuting attorney in Hebrew. Like Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, this being is an attribute of God who has been given an individuality and a personality. All of these beings are charged with bringing to life these divine attributes in our physical world. Our scriptures tell us that no one can “see” God and live. That “seeing” is not with our bodily eyes, but with our minds. We cannot understand God in the fullness of his being. At most, we can experience Continue Reading →

“The reign of God is at hand. Repent and believe the gospel.” That’s the meaning of this Lenten season. It’s simple. Or is it? The meaning of the Scriptures is never really “simple.” That’s why I expend so much time and energy in these homilies digging deeply into the meaning of the words. Over the centuries, people have tried to explain the Scriptures using contemporary ideas. In most cases, the result has been the distortion of the original message. When the meaning of the Scriptures is distorted, we become confused and frustrated, and, before long, we’re tempted to give up Continue Reading →