The Nazareth Page - A gospel meditation for your home

May 25, 2025 – Sixth Sunday of Easter, John 14:23-29

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
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A few years back, an imaginative English cartoonist created a figure known to many as “Waldo.” (He was also known as “Wally” in some renditions.)  Waldo was first introduced in illustrated children’s books in the 1980s and later made it into a television program and finally into one of today’s most enjoyed pastimes, video games. Waldo wore a red striped shirt which should have made him stand out when he was made part of a scene. But that’s not how he was depicted. His creator would fill the scene with countless complex elements that may have looked like Waldo, or were interesting in their own right, but weren’t Waldo. That’s because Waldo was carefully hidden in a complex array of foregrounds and backgrounds. But the question was always put to the observer: Where’s Waldo?

The appeal to those on the hunt for Waldo was the creativity involved in hiding him. One might assume that given his funny face and outlandish outfit that he would be immediately found. But that didn’t happen. Once found, however, searchers would berate themselves for taking so long to find Waldo.

One of the leading scientific research projects of today is the search for what’s called dark matter and dark energy.  Most scientists have good reasons for believing that most of creation itself is made of up these two entities. But for now, they remain elusive and “unseen.”

The Nazareth Page - A gospel meditation for your home

May 18, 2025 – Fifth Sunday of Easter, John 13:31-35

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
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John’s gospel begins with the profound statement: “The word became flesh.” That means that in the person of Jesus the reality of God is present in human form. To see and know Jesus is to see and know God. Jesus reveals what God is like to those he lived with and those who came to know him later.

It was this idea that gave birth to the gospels. These inspired accounts of the life of Jesus are not created to provide later generations simply with historical information about a person who lived long ago. Rather, they are written to provide an example (a very important example) of how to best live on earth as God intends.

The Nazareth Page- A gospel meditation for your home

May 11, 2025 – Fourth Sunday of Easter, John 10:27-30 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
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Today is called “Good Shepherd Sunday.” The gospel today is quite brief, but its meaning is huge. Jesus likens himself to a good shepherd who enjoys a close and caring relationship to his sheep. That includes us!

Sheep can feel the care and protection of their shepherd simply by his presence near them. Close relationships create feelings of safety and security. Such is also the way we are invited to think of God, the One who created us, sustains us, and is with us always.

As I write about today’s gospel, like so many around the world I have in mind the recent death of Pope Francis. In the many interviews that accompanied his passing, we hear repeatedly how he touched so many with authentic gestures of love and concern. He wanted to be close to his flock. He too was a good shepherd, and we have been blessed by his presence and leadership of the church.

The Nazareth Page- A gospel meditation for your home

May 4, 2025 – Third Sunday of Easter, John 21:1-12

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
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It was time for the disciples of Jesus to begin what they were called by God to do. Some had been fishermen, so after they witnessed his death and resurrection, they returned to what they had previously done for a living, fishing.  After having no luck one day, they headed for shore. The risen Jesus appeared to them there and prepared breakfast for them. From the gospel report, at first, they did not recognize him. Maybe that was partly because they were not expecting him. He then told them to leave their nets and embark on a new task, “fishing” for humans.

This incident leads me to think about my own life. After high school I was planning to become a chemist. I applied to a leading university but was not accepted. Soon after that, I decided to enter the seminary. Maybe this was what God wanted of me. If you are thinking that this is like what happened to Jorge Bergoglio, you are correct. He went on to become a Jesuit priest and eventually pope. We are now celebrating his life.

The Nazareth Page -A gospel meditation for your home

April 27, 2025 – Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy), John 20:19-31

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
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The gospels do not begin with the phrase “once upon a time.” Literature that begins with these words warns the reader that what follows is simply a story or a fable that has no solid historical basis. We sometimes call these accounts fiction or “make believe.”

While there may be some parts of the Bible based on narratives that may lack historical rootedness, I believe that todays’ gospel describing the meeting between the Risen Jesus and “Doubting Thomas” is included in the post-Easter gospels to say that this really happened! And it also implies that the risen Christ is also the Jesus who was recently crucified.

The Nazareth Page - A gospel meditation for your home

April 20, 2025 – Easter Sunday, John 20:1-9

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
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I used to think of Christmas as the most important day of the year. Then I learned that the Catholic Church said that Easter was more important. This made no sense to me. On Christmas I received lots of presents. On Easter I merely got a basket of candy and colored eggs.  

Now it is decades later. I have spent years and years trying to achieve a greater understanding of the Christian faith and I can now announce that for me Easter has moved ahead of Christmas on my list as the most important holiday and holy day. And somewhat ironically my reversal of number ones still has to do with gifts. Not gifts like Christmas presents and Easter baskets, but something much more precious and certainly more lasting. I am referring to the gift of life that is given to each of us by God.

The Nazareth Page -A gospel meditation for your home

April 13, 2025 - Palm Sunday, Luke 19:28-40

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We are entering the most important week of our liturgical year: the holiest of weeks! It is helpful to reflect on the week as a whole. I like to think of it as a drama in three acts. Act one: the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem; act two: the Last Supper; and act three: the death and resurrection of Jesus. To know why this all fits together, we need to reflect on, "what is the primary message of each act?"

The Nazareth Page - A gospel meditation for your home

April 6, 2025 – Fifth Sunday of Lent, John 11:1-45

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
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Do we fully know the mind of God? Does anyone? And do we make judgments about the behavior of others as if we did? Apparently certain religious officials (scribes and pharisees) thought they did. Afterall, they thought of themselves as experts in making judgments about what others did. And apparently, they felt that they could use their assumed knowledge and judgments to trick Jesus.  

They likely knew enough about Jesus to know him as being kind and generous. But they also felt that they had God on their side. They knew the law. They knew what was considered lawful and what was surely unlawful.

The Nazareth Page - A gospel meditation for your home

March 30, 2025 – Fourth Sunday of Lent, Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
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Of all the parables told by Jesus, the one we hear today is perhaps the most baffling. It is a family story that defies common sense and logic, and while it has a happy ending, it’s not one that is expected. In fact, we might even object to it. Still, it contains a truth that is at the very heart of the teachings of Jesus. Two aspects of it deserve our consideration. First, God does not always act in a way that we might expect, and second, we are challenged to act in a similar way.

Most of us who value the teachings of Jesus are familiar with this story usually referred to as the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Some of us see in this parable our own lives. For instance, as a time when our love for someone moves us to forgiveness rather than judgment.

The Nazareth Page - A gospel meditation for your home

March 23, 2025 – Third Sunday of Lent, Luke 13:1-9

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
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One of the more familiar gospel passages goes something like this: Repent, God’s reign is at hand. I grew up in a church where the notion of sin and repentance were often mentioned. Every month in the Catholic school I attended, we were all marched over to the parish church “to go to confession.” I did not complain. I felt that this was a good excuse to get outside, away from the daily routine. Plus there was always something that I had done wrong and I was grateful to be rid of that through the sacrament of repentance.

Now, as an adult I have rethought the meaning of repentance as more than simply an act of confessing one’s sins. It has a more positive meaning involving doing good in the world, helping the needy, feeding the hungry, caring for others. And if you are a caring person, you will be aware of the many opportunities to repent each day by moving in a positive way. I recall an adage from my youth: Eliminate the negative and accentuate the positive. Still a good expression.