This Sunday’s gospel was Luke 17: 5 – 10, and the homily around it was pathetic. Somehow, the Deacon tried to tie in global warming into the story’s meaning. Fabrication pure and simple. This repeated problem of misinterpretation of scripture or bending it to suit your needs is one of the main reasons that the …
Category: Essay
Why You Need Hate to Find Jesus. Luke 14: 25-33
It’s hard to believe that the mistakes made in the interpretation of the Bible go unchecked generation after generation. But they do. Take the Gospel Luke 14: 25-33. It continues this trend of misinterpretations by doing a kabuki dance during homilies around the word “hate.” I listened to the explanation of what is one of …
LAZY MARY WILL YOU GET UP: What Really Happens in Luke 10:38-42
LUKE: 10:38-42 is an interesting, troubling passage for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is it is a story of hospitality, and the apparent breaking of the laws of hospitality – something not done in those days without serious consequences. In fact, that epic The Odyssey is all about good and bad …
Independence Day
July 4 is a day called Independence Day. Some municipalities are calling it a “summer celebration” because they don’t want to use the word Independence. That is a puzzle to me. The day is marked to commemorate the Declaration of Independence of the United States on July 4, 1776. It was a great day, and …
Benedict Emeritus or Benedict Arnold?
I didn’t even know Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI wrote a letter. I thought he retired. I called my friend to wish him a Happy Easter and he wanted to talk about two things: the letter of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, and the Mueller Report. I told him, “What letter?” and he sent me this link. …
DIALOGUE WITH THE POPE
In the Encyclical Letter “LAUDATO SI’” on “Care for our Common Home,” Holy Father Francis invites us to enter into a dialogue early on in this 40,597-word document — “In this Encyclical, I would like to enter into dialogue with all people about our common home.” (p. 3[1]). In fact, “dialogue” is an important concept …
THE UNJUST STEWARD WAS A CROOK, JUST LIKE HIS BOSS
So I have always had a problem with the Luke 16 1:13 about the UNJUST steward. First, those debts were the debts to his boss – not his. I understand the concept of “steward,” but he also had his master’s business as his core responsibility; he was doing that forgiving of debt to make sure …
Disobedience, Repentance and Forgiveness. An Interpretation of the Book of Jonah
The Book of Jonah is remarkable in many ways, one of which how short it is (just over 1300 words). Some may in fact argue that there are missing chapters. It is essentially a story of disobedience, repentance, and forgiveness. Jonah disobeys God and becomes the root cause for a subsequent storm at sea. God …
THE NARROW DOOR IS REALLY A STRAIT GATE
LUKE 13:22-30 is an interesting passage, with many interpretations. For example, some people struggle because they think Jesus is saying there is going to be a limit on people going into heaven. But after reading this passage, I’m immediately reminded of Robert Frost’s poem, The Road Not Taken: “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I …