The Nazareth Page - A gospel meditation for your home

April 18, 2021 – Third Sunday of Easter - Luke 24:35-48

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
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We continue to hear accounts in the gospel of the life of Jesus after his resurrection. They are often called “appearances” but there’s a danger in such a description. That’s because we might interpret them as akin to ghost stories, something even Luke, the gospel’s author, was aware of. Jesus is not portrayed as a kind of mystery figure who comes and goes. (Like now you see him. Now you don’t.) If you read today’s gospel carefully, you will notice that Jesus meets these disciples as actively present, as a teacher, as someone who is very much involved in their lives, even after his resurrection.

In the church of my youth, there was a large stained glass window depicting God in heaven. From catechism class I learned that there were three persons in God. This window showed me how they were in heaven. Two God persons were seated side by side overlooking the congregation from their heavenly vantage point. God the Father had a beard and looked like a kindly grandfather. The Son sat next to him, clearly looking like Jesus as he was commonly portrayed in the art of that time. The Holy Spirit was shown as a dove emanating golden rays. It was all very impressive to my eight-year-old imagination. But it was dangerously misleading because it gave the impression that God was then just sitting on a heavenly throne, watching the game of life that the rest of us were involved in.

The Nazareth Page - A gospel meditation for your home

April 11, 2021 – Second Sunday of Easter - John 20:19-31

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
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Some of you may have favorite parts from the gospels. I certainly do and today’s gospel is one of them. And it’s not just because I share the name of one of its main persons, the so-called “doubting Thomas.”

In fact, I believe that this characterization of Thomas is a bit of a put-down because I think of him as simply being very human and honest. He was less a doubter than a thinker, a person who wants more than just the word of others. He wanted to know on his own terms. He wanted to fully experience the joy of discovery, the satisfaction that comes from asking questions, seeking evidence and information, and then making up his own mind. I can appreciate that kind of person. Especially because there’s some of Thomas the apostle in me.

The Nazareth Page - A gospel meditation for your home

April 4, 2021 – Easter Sunday - John 20:1-9

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
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Many conversations today begin with the question: How are you doing these days? Implied in this inquiry is the fact that we continue to live in the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic. Times are different these days. Daily options are limited. Routines have changed. We wonder what’s ahead. How will we be a few months from now?

For Lenten reading this year, I read Victor Frankl’s account of his experiences while living in Nazi concentrations camps during World War II. His thoughts are available in one of the most important books of the last century, Man’s Search for Meaning. An accomplished psychiatrist, Frankl lived in four camps (including Auschwitz) and was a keen observer of how people dealt with daily living under the worst of circumstances. Surely much worse than we are now experiencing. Yet we still can learn much from his observations. And they are clearly related to todays’ celebration of Easter.

The Nazareth Page - A gospel meditation for your home

March 28, 2021 – Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord - Mark 14:1-15:47

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
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Very rarely do we find similar accounts of any event in all four gospels. The birth of Jesus is found in only two gospels. The parable of the Good Samaritan in only one. But all four gospels record the passion and death of Jesus. Biblical scholars suggest that this aspect of the life of Christ was the first to be remembered by the first Christians. Its importance could not be forgotten.

While we have a commonly agreed upon narrative, there is little discussion of why Jesus suffered and died the way he did. Why did God’s son, the beloved one, the man who went everywhere doing good, end up being condemned, tortured and crucified, a terrible kind of death by all accounts?

So, we are left to figure out for ourselves why Jesus died the way he did. Various theories have been suggested over the years. As scholars and theologians learn more about the historical conditions that prevailed around the time of Jesus, clearer explanations have come forth. Here are a few.

The Nazareth Page - A gospel meditation for your home

March 21, 2021 – Fifth Sunday of Lent - John 11:1-45

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
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We have no record of what Lazarus was thinking when he walked out of the tomb where his body was stored for four days. All we have are the complaints of his sisters, Martha and Mary, which they voiced to Jesus. Their general point was why didn’t Jesus come earlier and cure their brother before he died.

Theirs was a concern for timing and reflects our human desire to control the events of the day, a need that all of us have at one time or another. We have no difficulty siding with the two sisters. If we have a desire for one thing or another to happen, we commonly want it done sooner rather than later. And at a time when we want it to happen.

The Nazareth Page - A gospel meditation for your home

March 14, 2021 – Fourth Sunday of Lent - John 3:14-21

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This Sunday’s gospel, while brief, is one of the most important passages in the Bible. And it is known and valued by most Christians. You might even see it referred to on bumper stickers or on large signs at major sporting events (when fans were once allowed). It begins with the words: God so loved the world …” We instinctively know the rest. And with the Catholic Church having us reread this passage each Lent, we are reminded of its importance.

One way to understand the depth of this passage is to describe some of what the passage rejects. Allow me to suggest a few of them. What first comes to minds is the idea that God is indifferent to what happens in our world. That God does not care about us or our daily lives.

The Nazareth Page - A gospel meditation for your home

March 7, 2021 – Third Sunday of Lent - John 2:13-25

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Some scenes in the gospels create vivid images in us. Partly because they are quite dramatic. Sometimes, because they are so unique. This Sunday’s gospel about Jesus visiting the temple does both.

I remember my reaction to this gospel when I was a child. Children often remember times when their parents were angry and seemed to act out of character. That’s what we see in Jesus when he went to the holy temple in Jerusalem, likely to pray. But that’s not what happened. In a sense, we might say that he lost it. Others conclude just the opposite. He did what he rightfully had to do.

We all know that organized religion can be a source of great good. But we also are aware that it can be misused and cause harm, even great personal harm. Those with religiously sanctioned power over others can use that power to dominate and take advantage of the vulnerable.

The Nazareth Page - A gospel meditation for your home

February 28, 2021 – Second Sunday of Lent - Mark 9:2-10

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Today’s gospel reminds us of two things. First of all, in the end, all will be well. Not only will Jesus be “transfigured” as he once was, but so will we. To know and experience the details of that we will have to wait until after we die and go to that next wonderful place.

Second, before we can fully enjoy life after death, we must accept the challenges of living life here on earth. Although we may desire full happiness and bliss with God right now, we first have to live here on earth with all its joys and sufferings. Minute by minute, day by day.

The disciples who witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus were quite amazed. I like the word, “dazzled.” Like those ‘better than average” moments of our life right now, we want the feelings of excitement and full satisfaction to last. We want permanent residence atop that mountain of bliss.

The Nazareth Page - A gospel meditation for your home

February 14, 2021 – Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mark 1:40-45

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
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One of the more dramatic miracles done by Jesus was his curing of lepers. One thing worth knowing is that references to “leprosy” in the gospels likely referred to a variety of skin diseases that were common in the time of Jesus. They were feared because first, they were usually visible and were also thought to be contagious. Healing did happen and there was a Jewish religious ritual to indicate that the person could safely rejoin the community. Additionally, some thought these skin diseases had not only natural causes, but were also a symptom of moral failure.

The Nazareth Page - A gospel meditation for your home

February 7, 2021 – Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mark 1:29-39

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
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Many years ago, I was enrolled in doctoral courses dealing with Holy Scripture. In a course on the Gospel of Mark, we were discussing its first chapter and the learned professor was commenting on today’s gospel. He loved to add thoughts about aspects of the text many failed to notice. So, he did. That’s what scripture scholars do.

His insight had to do with Peter’s mother-in-law. Some scholars like to point out that this indicated that Peter (the first pope) was married. That’s the only way to acquire in-laws.