“You are witnesses of these things.” It almost sounds like an episode of CSI: Jerusalem. But the case unfolding in this Sunday’s Gospel is part of a larger story that gives the overwhelming events of Holy Week and Easter a surprisingly relatable, realistic dimension. Luke gives us a risen Jesus who not only appears,…
Theologians sometimes try to express the meaning of Jesus’ resurrection in one sentence: In the resurrection, God vindicated Jesus, his life, his message, and his fidelity. What does that mean? Jesus entered our world preaching faith, love, and forgiveness, but the world didn’t accept that. Instead, it crucified him and by that seemingly shamed…
Fear is a powerful human emotion that shapes our actions and words. A young man named Karol Wojtyla personally experienced the gripping fear that his country of Poland endured during the Nazi terrors of World War II. Karol belonged to a small theatre group who was forced to go underground as the Nazis occupied their…
We speak of that section in the Gospels which narrates Jesus’ life from the Last Supper until his death and burial, as chronicling his ‘Passion’. On Good Friday, the lector begins the Gospel with the words: “The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ According to John”. Why do we call Jesus’ suffering just before…
‘Did you hear…?’ In our modern information-saturated age, those three little words say a lot. They sum up so much of how we live. Face it: We are bombarded incessantly by news. Our phones buzz, cable news squawks, social media chirps and pings. There’s a lot going on out there. What are we missing? Almost…
I recently finished reading John Mark Comer’s new book Practicing the Way – Be with Jesus; Become like him; Do as he did. By way of a recommendation, I offer a series of sound bytes from the book which I hope will give you a nice taste of both the language and substance of…
Jem Sullivan The sacred events of Holy Week beg the question: Why did Jesus, the Son of God, have to suffer a cruel, unjust death on a cross? Was Jesus’ suffering the only means by which humanity could be reconciled to friendship with God? Jesus was obedient to the point of death, even death on…
Sometimes there’s nothing as helpful as a good metaphor. In his book, The God Instinct, Tom Stella shares this story: A number of men who made their living as porters were hired one day to carry a huge load of supplies for a group on safari. Their loads were unusually heavy and the trek through…
Whatever else we may be thinking about in these last days of Lent, the readings for this fifth Sunday make it clear: Something’s coming. You can’t help but feel that the winds are shifting. The reading from Jeremiah promises, “The days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with…
What is a monastery? How do monasteries work? St Benedict (480-547AD) who is considered the founder of Western monasticism, offered this counsel as an essential rule for his monks: Stay in your cell and it will teach all you need to know. Properly understood, this is a rich metaphor, not a literal counsel. When…
Fr Ronald Rolheiser