Self-Emptying Love
I feel such tenderness for the exchange in today’s gospel reading (Mark 10:17-31) between Jesus and a man who has a deep desire to do the right thing. I feel Jesus’ heart go out to him. The man comes to this “good” teacher no doubt having heard about the goodness Jesus has been projecting across […]
Religion, and Us, Gone Astray
Here we go again. The Pharisees and scribes are confronting the young rebel Jesus because his disciples are not following all the traditional rituals of their religion (Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23). The implication is then that they are going against God. Never mind the overwhelming observation that everything Jesus is about and is shepherding his […]
Is It Life-Giving?
In the gospel reading for today (Mark 2:23-3:6) Jesus is being challenged by the religious authorities, ostensibly for not keeping to their interpretation of Sabbath regulations, more likely, for turning their world upside down. Jesus’ way of extravagant and unconditional inclusion and mercy is a threat to their way of life. If Jesus cannot be […]
Love One Another
John 15: 9-17 This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you. Love. Need more be said? Is this not the heart of the Gospel? And yet…it is so hard. Ah, the human experience. We are really good at talking about love, singing about love, writing about love, and wanting love. But […]