Monthly Archives: January 2021

Let’s start with a good musing: 86. I sometimes wonder why, in light of this, it took so long for the Church unequivocally to condemn slavery and various forms of violence. Some will fuss about things like the development of … Continue reading →

85. For Christians, the words of Jesus have an even deeper meaning. They compel us to recognize Christ himself in each of our abandoned or excluded brothers and sisters (cf. Mt 25:40.45). The first of three important aspects of the … Continue reading →

Clearly, Jesus and modern people have two vastly different notions of the stranger. This paragraph and the two that follow discuss “The plea of the stranger.” 84. Finally, I would note that in another passage of the Gospel Jesus says: … Continue reading →

Saint Luke was not the only evangelist to confront prejudice and urge his followers to Jesus’ call for a deeper holiness. Pope Francis reminds us that the Lord’s discussion with a woman of Samaria would have been upsetting to some … Continue reading →

This would be the troubling point of Jesus’ parable. the testimony of Ben Sira was not that old (a century or so) to the Jews of the first century. 82. The parable, though, is troubling, for Jesus says that that … Continue reading →

In calling us to ever higher standards of ethics and virtue, Jesus drops as much as a cultural no-no on his sister and brother Jews of his time: be a neighbor and go above and beyond to a person of … Continue reading →

Paragraphs 80 through 83 fall under the title of “Neighbors without borders.” We know Jesus was in conversation about the greatest commandment. When urged to love neighbor as self, the Lord is questioned. The answer might bother us today, but … Continue reading →

79. The Samaritan who stopped along the way departed without expecting any recognition or gratitude. His effort to assist another person gave him great satisfaction in life and before his God, and thus became a duty. All of us have … Continue reading →