Readings:
Hosea 6:3-6
Romans 4:18-25
Matthew 9:9-13

Paul constantly has to defend himself against conservative Christians who vehemently object to his ministry to Gentiles. They don't mind his preaching Jesus to non-Jews as long as he converts them to Judaism before he baptizes them into Christianity. These "Judaizers" insist that only after Gentiles agree to keep the 613 Mosaic laws can they even be taught about the risen Jesus present in their lives.

Readings:
Deuteronomy 11:18, 26-28, 32
Romans 3:2-25, 28
Matthew 7:21-27

Readings:
Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14-16
I Corinthians 10:16-17
John 6:51-58

The first step in correctly understanding any Scripture passage is to hear it within the context in which the sacred author originally placed it. Just as the individual actions of our lives make sense only against the background of our entire lives, so we can't take just a verse of two of Scripture out of the writer's work and think we're getting from those lines what the author originally put in them.

Readings:
Exodus 34:4-6, 8-9
II Corinthians 13:11-13
John 3:16-18

In their popular college text Christian Foundations, husband and wife team Kathleen Fischer and Thomas Hart set aside lots of space for the Trinity.

They begin by going back to Karl Rahner's difficulty with the English word "person." The late theologian was convinced it originally didn't describe "an independent center of consciousness and freedom." "Rahner suggested 'a way of being' as a better translation . . . . The one God has three ways of being."

Readings:
Acts 2:1-11
I Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13
John 20:19-23

Those who believe the true church never changes know nothing about first century Christianity.

The late Karl Rahner often reminded us that there have been only four basic changes in our Christian faith, and that two of them happened within fifty years of Jesus' death and resurrection.

Readings:
Acts 1:1-11
Ephesians 1:17-23
Matthew 28:16-20

One of the most fascinating aspects of today's celebration of Jesus' ascension is that the gospel we employ for our liturgical reading mentions nothing about Jesus' ascension. Though most of us presume the next thing Jesus does after he assures his disciples, "I am with you always, until the end of the age," is to start rising into heaven, Matthew never says that. His gospel ends at this point.

JANUARY 27, 2008: THIRD SUNDAY OF THE YEAR

Readings:
Isaiah 8:23-9:3
I Corinthians 1:1-13, 17
Matthew 4:12-23

Before I began to study Scripture, I presumed today's gospel pericope narrated Jesus calling his first four priests. That's how most of my seminary spiritual directors interpreted the event and I often heard bishops homilize on this passage during ordination ceremonies.

JANUARY 20, 2008: SECOND SUNDAY OF THE YEAR

Readings:
Isaiah 49:3-6
I Corinthians 1:1-3
John 1:29-34

No way can verse 4 be left out of today's Deutero-Isaiah reading. It's the reason the prophet composed this Second Song of the Suffering Servant of Yahweh. In the first three songs (42:1-4, 49:1-6, 40:4-9), Deutero-Isaiah reflects on experiencing Yahweh in his life and ministry. In the fourth and last song (52:13-53:12), the prophet's disciples reflect on their experience of him in their lives and ministry.

JANUARY 13, 2008: BAPTISM OF JESUS

Readings:
Isaiah 42: 1-4, 6-7
Acts 10:34-38
Matthew 3:13-17

JANUARY 6, 2008: EPIPHANY

Readings:
Isaiah 60:1-6
Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6
Matthew 2:1-12

The renowned 20th century scholar of the Christian Scriptures, Rudolf Bultmann, always reminded his students that every Scripture passage originally had a "sitz im leben" in the community for which it was written. In our language, something was going on in that community which prompted the sacred author to compose this particular pericope. No biblical writer worked in a vacuum.

Just glance at today's second and third readings. The sitz im leben jumps from the page.