Tag Archives: reconciliation

The massive 119th Psalm, a poetic treatise on the Law–perhaps even a love song to it–offers up verse one as an antiphon: Happy are they who follow the law of the Lord. … and six select verses from the Beth section arranged … Continue reading →

“What must we do?” Think about the possible verb substitutions for must: could, should, would. When the Lord addressed his disciples he didn’t use auxiliary verbs. He related a future–not quite a parable. Call it science fiction, or whatever, but recognize … Continue reading →

In the previous post on this passage, we looked at verses 20 through 24. Ezekiel laid the groundwork for the more well-known portion of this passage, emphasizing what a believer does in her or his final reckoning of life. That … Continue reading →

As children, how often have we cried, “That’s not fair!” when we perceived a sibling or peer was getting better treatment that we were? Liturgy geeks may see something familiar from last Fall; verses 25-28 are used in Fall Ordinary … Continue reading →

One option for proclamation and preaching the Rite of Penance is the Ten Commandments. Defended by many, and known in detail, perhaps, by far fewer. This is the version in the last book of the Pentateuch, and it begins (seems to … Continue reading →

Saint Augustine did not number the 73rd among his seven penitential psalms.* But if he had, it wouldn’t have been a poor choice. If you were using this psalm in a reconciliation liturgy, he given antiphon for this psalm is … Continue reading →

The longer version of this reading, verses 1 through 12, is given at number 117 in the Rite of Penance, a long middle section of the ritual book with many, many options for readings. You might recognize the passage as … Continue reading →

The ninth chapter of Deuteronomy presents us with a turning-point moment in the history of Israel, and in the whole history of Judeo-Christian faith. Would God have replaced Abraham as the father of a nation, and put Moses in his … Continue reading →

The prophet Nathan is a valuable advisor to his king. He offers a devastating parable to David, and we all know the story, right? The LORD sent Nathan to David, and when he came to him, he said: “Tell me how … Continue reading →

Through the prophet, God offers a memory of love and tenderness. If we think about that groom and bridge imagery, those forty years in the desert were, literally, a hell of a honeymoon. I heard it preached once that maybe … Continue reading →

Were it not for the grace of reconciliation, Peter would have shared some of the tragedy of Judas in Christian tradition. So soon after he acclaims, “You are the Christ,” he states, “I do not know him.” He insists, “I … Continue reading →

We associate the prophet Isaiah with Advent, and with just cause. The fifty-eighth chapter of the book is rather a blast of reality-check in the middle of an otherwise-comforting section (chapters 40 through 66). The prophet begins not with a confession, but … Continue reading →

Our associate pastor suggested an Old Testament reading outside of the Reconciliation Lectionary for the parish’s Lenten Communal Penance this year. I thought I’d include it in our series and invite your comments. I confess thinking of Donny Osmond at … Continue reading →

We pick up on the long passage in #110 of the Rite of Penance. In yesterday’s post, we looked at the role of memory in reconciliation. We also viewed an introduction of ritual and liturgy into the Israelites’ of return … Continue reading →