10th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B, RCL)

When Jesus names the need for deep social change, people think he's possessed.

Stephen Greenblatt weaves an impressive—but incomplete—tapestry of interpretations of the story of the Fall.

As she was about to open the gate, the sister glanced at the ground. Then she quickly removed her sandal, bent over, and began beating it on the ground.

Did Moses influence the founding of the United States? This historical question has generated controversy in Texas, where politicians, historians, and educators have recently debated whether Moses should be listed as an American founder in new social studies textbooks. 

It all began in 2010, when the Texas State Board of Education said that students needed to "identify the individuals whose principles of laws and government institutions informed the American founding documents, including those of Moses.”

It's the "unforgivable" part that gets me. How can there be an unforgivable sin? 

In Jesus’ day—as in ours--redefining the family is a provocative act with far-reaching social, political, moral and spiritual implications. If we were to isolate Jesus in Mark 3 from the moments in the other gospels in which Jesus interacts with his family, we might conclude this story with George Aichele’s sharply worded assertion, “Mark’s Jesus is no supporter of family values!”

We might be tempted to adopt a vague notion of “faith” as the only criterion for inclusion in this family, but Jesus’ teaching will not allow us to separate faith from faithfulness or discipleship from submission.

If anything remains sacred in our culture, it’s the family. Yet Jesus challenged the family’s ultimacy.

The psalmists of the Bible often sound as if they’re drowning.