March 30, Lent 4c (Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32)
There is no resolution to the prodigal son story, only the resonance of the father’s words.
Come to the table (Isaiah 55:1-9)
Isaiah comes to the rescue with a word of the Lord.
March 23, Lent 3C (Luke 13:1-9)
Who can resist the gardener’s advice to dig around deeply and replenish the soil?
Astrolabes, sundials, candles, and clocks
Gillian Adler and Paul Strohm explore the medieval preoccupation with time.
Seeing Dante with Botticelli’s eyes
Joseph Luzzi tells the rich, entertaining story of the Renaissance artist’s renderings of a quintessentially medieval text.
An oracle of the word of the Lord?
In the late 70s, two friends of mine housesat for the poet James Merrill—and got out his Ouija board.
A story without a hero
The Gospels show Jesus as prophet, teacher, and miracle worker. But most intriguingly, they depict him as a storyteller--one who could not only draw a crowd but keep it riveted.
The art of losing, the joy of finding
I have no idea what it would mean to be a shepherd, let alone someone who would abandon 99 sheep to go looking for a single stray.
September 18, 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Amos 8:4-7; Psalm 113; 1 Timothy 2:1-7; Luke 16:1-13
What is Jesus thinking when he tells the parable of the dishonest steward?
September 11, 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Exodus 32:7-14; 1 Timothy 1:12-17; Luke 15:1-10
James calls Abraham a “friend of God.” In this week’s reading from Exodus, Moses presumes upon a similar divine friendship to offer God advice.
A taste for Dante
A. N. Wilson's literary biography aims to bridge the gap between the Commedia and nonspecialists who, allegedly abandoned by the professionals, are like sheep without a shepherd.
God the troublemaker: Isaiah 6:1-8; Psalm 29
Going into the temple of the Lord would never be taken lightly. Still, Isaiah could not have imagined what was about to happen.
A song for the Sabbath: Psalm 92
Most worshipers take the psalms for granted, treating them like background music that establishes a mood but has little grip on the imagination....
West coast witness: Matthew 16:13-20
As some friends and I ate a picnic lunch, we fell into a rambling conversation about politics, real estate values in an earthquake zone and the virtues of sauvignon blanc over chardonnay. Then I mentioned offhandedly that perhaps I viewed something or other the way I did because I was a Christian. This revelation did not strike me as a big deal. After all, they had been talking about Buddhist meditation, Sufi parables and personal spiritual rituals.
Dogging Jesus: Matthew 15:21-28
A kneeling woman does not have far to fall, and by all rights Jesus' insult should have floored her on the spot.
The bigger picture
My guess is that most middle-aged people when prodded to consider “aging” think immediately about what the flesh is heir to....