Fr. Scott Lewis, S.J
He is a past president of the Canadian Catholic Biblical Association.
Selfless love takes us on God’s path
Resurrection of the Lord (Year A) April 20 (Acts 10:34a, 37-43; Psalm 118; Colossians 3:1-4; John 20:1-18)
Christians do not often sound joyful and excited when describing the wonderful deeds of Jesus. Perhaps more disturbing is the fact that many would be hard pressed to describe the activity of Jesus in today’s world or in their own lives.
Jesus died in agony trusting absolutely in the Father
Passion Sunday (Year A) April 13 (Isaiah 50:4-7; Psalm 22; Philippians 2:6-11; Matthew 26:14-27:66)
There is a great difference between passivity and non-violence. People often confuse the two, but the first is something to overcome while the latter is a powerful spiritual principle.
The divine Spirit strengthens
Death comes in many guises. Degradation, humiliation and oppression are considered by many as far worse than the literal cessation of biological life.
True blindness is one who refuses to see
In the blink of an eye, human beings make sweeping judgments about people and situations. We can judge a person’s social class, education, cultural awareness, personality traits and whether we like them or not. First impressions are often useful — who could really operate without them? But the story from Samuel shows us that these outward appearances can be superficial, deceiving and just plain wrong.
Faith in Christ will open us to the Spirit
Third Sunday of Lent (Year A) March 23 (Exodus 17:3-7; Psalm 95; Romans 5:1-2, 5-8; John 4:5-42)
When the going gets tough, faith is often the first victim. Negativity, doubt and fear corrode faith and courage like the strongest acid.
Great things come to those with faith
Second Sunday of Lent (Year A) March 9 (Genesis 12:1-4; Psalm 33; 2 Timothy 1:8b-10; Matthew 17:1-9)
All great things begin with an act of faith and trust. The Western religious traditions — Judaism, Christianity and Islam — trace their beginnings to the command of God to Abraham and his response.
By walking in God’s way, everything will work out
Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) March 2 (Isaiah 49:14-15; Psalm 62; 1 Corinthians 4:1-5; Matthew 6:24-34)
Many at one time or another have felt abandoned or forgotten by God. Faced with the many painful and disconcerting situations that life can deal us, they wonder if God cares or even remembers them.
Called to be different, for God’s sake
Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) Feb. 23 (Leviticus 19:1-2, 17-18; Psalm 103; 1 Corinthians 3:16-23; Matthew 5:38-48)
What does it mean to be holy? We use the word often and usually have in mind someone who is kind, generous and eager to do the will of God. The concept had a somewhat different connotation in the ancient world, especially in Israel. The Hebrew word kadosh described something that was set apart from the ordinary and dedicated to God. This would be true of objects, such as the utensils used for sacrifice and worship, as well as the temple itself with its various zones of ascending holiness. It also described the land of Israel, with holiness increasing as one moved closer to Jerusalem the holy city and its temple.
We are not passive victims of fate
Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) Feb. 16, 2014 (Sirach 15:15-20; Psalm 119; 1 Corinthians 2:6-10; Matthew 5:17-37)
Accepting responsibility for one’s actions is a rather uncommon human trait. People love to blame everyone and everything — it’s the fault of my parents, my religion, my environment, my genes or even God. The role of victim is more comfortable than that of perpetrator.
God’s power, love is what will save us all
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) Feb. 9 (Isaiah 58:6-10; Psalm 112; 1 Corinthians 2:1-5; Matthew 5:13-16)
Religion can be a risky business. The prophets of Israel and Jesus of Nazareth recognized the care and spiritual awareness required in the exercise of faith and worship. Without this care, religion — any religion — can become many things, none of them divine: opiate of the masses, maintainer of the status quo, superstition and even a tool of oppression.