Each Gospel is unique. Each evangelist not only structures his work in a special way, he also treats his main characters differently than the other three, giving them traits or personality dimensions on which his original readers were expected to reflect. Luke’s treatment of Mary of Nazareth is classic.
The late scripture scholar Sulpician Fr. Raymond Brown frequently raised eyebrows when he said, “There are no predictions of Jesus, as we know him, anywhere in the Hebrew Scriptures.”
Viewpoint: The attempt to popularize the 1962 Mass has serious ramifications. Will we be an inward-looking church or a Vatican II church?
If you have ever watched a Hollywood awards program, you are probably familiar with the fascination many have for the fashions worn by the stars. As each takes a turn in the spotlight on the red carpet, the question inevitably arises: “Who are you wearing?”
Commentary: Decorating for Christmas brings light into the dark world of uncertainty, so why not start early this holiday season?
Soul Seeing: God can be found everywhere and in any medium, even on a shallow, time-sucking social media site like Facebook.
With the season of Advent, a new liturgical year begins, and the praying assembly is called to look back with gratitude on all that has been and forward with hope to what will be. In looking back, we are to ponder what J.B. Phillips has called “the towering miracle of God’s visit to this planet” (“The Christian Year,” Good News: Thoughts on God and Man, Macmillan, 1963).
Frontline Faith, a Catholic nonprofit, gives MP3 players loaded with the Mass, stories and prayers to active-duty members of the military.
First Person: High school and college students convened in Washington, D.C., to discuss social justice at the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice.
Today’s feast would have created huge problems for Jesus’ earliest followers.
Scripture scholars and church historians often point out the conflicts the historical Jesus and his first disciples experienced when their Jewish reform movement came into contact with the Roman Empire.
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