Jesus calls his disciples, giving us authority to heal and sending us out. He doesn't show us how to reliably...make a blind man see, dry every tear, or even drive out all kinds of demons. But he shows us how to enter into a way of life in which the broken and sick...
If one is honest about what Jesus says about loving others (including one's enemies) and about sharing one's possessions with others, one has to admit that Jesus wasn't very practical at all. Indeed, he was over-the-top radical. He was far more radical than I like or...
The disciples have now experienced Christ in word (interpreting the Scriptures) and sacrament (the breaking of bread). There is no doubt that Luke is writing not only the story of Jesus but also that of the church which knows him in these ways. The importance of...
We don’t really know what happened at the moment of the Ascension, just as we don’t know exactly what happened when Jesus left the tomb in which he had been buried. We do know that he was never recognized by sight, but only by voice, or in the breaking of bread, or...
Offering whatever you have and whatever you are is enough. Too many people don’t believe that, so they don’t get involved. Because we can’t do what we think would really make a big difference, we don’t offer our own gift—whatever that is. …Jesus taught his disciples...
Being numbered among the “least of these” is a condition, not just in childhood, but at any stage in life when we are out of control, weak, needy, and dependent. In taking a child in his arms, in placing the child at the forefront of his disciples, Jesus made an...
Singing is a spiritual activity best experienced in community. The documented benefits are as significant as those in yoga, a healthy diet, and prayer. Our culture, however, has commodified singing and turned it into a perfected idol that is performed by the few and...
Another misconception frequently touted is that worship should be user-friendly. I am certainly not advocating worship that alienates or is totally inaccessible, but Scripture helps us see that being confronted by God is not always comfortable or comforting. God is...
To keep Lent is to discover and remember who in heaven’s name we are, as person and community. We pray against all confusers and confusions for our true identity and vocation. We know that means standing before the cross and making some choices. The grace of this...
This crowd of thousands was not the hard core of tested disciples but the first wave of inquirers coming to see if this kingdom which the twelve had been announcing was for real. As the devil had said it would, the distribution of bread moved the crowd to acclaim...