Have you ever caught yourself – or someone else – doing something wrong and blaming your parents – or their parents or their upbringing for it?  We all do it, often without thinking about it.  It’s easier to blame someone else than to take responsibility ourselves.  For example, in ancient Israel, it was believed that when a person was afflicted with a disease or suffered some personal tragedy, it was the result of a sin he/she had committed.  And, if he/she had not committed a sin, it was the result […]

Election day is fast approaching and we’re all getting bombarded by messages from political candidates making all kinds of promises: lower taxes, health care for everyone, more or less government involvement, etc., etc.  Suppose a political party made this promise:  to introduce a new, revolutionary wage policy.  Instead of an hourly pay rate or a salary based on your position, every worker will receive the same daily pay.  And, whether you work one hour a day or 16 long hours, you will receive the same wage, sufficient to provide for […]

We’ve all heard the phrase: “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”  It’s straight from the Bible; in fact, you’ll find it in three books of the Old Testament:  Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy.   It follows right after the Ten Commandments and is offered as a practical application of the 5^th Commandment: Thou shalt not kill.  After decreeing that “whoever strikes someone a mortal blow must be put to death,” the text goes on to decree the appropriate punishment for lesser injury.  It ends with, “if injury ensues, […]

In writing to the Christians in Rome, we hear St. Paul say in today’s second reading that the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. He is reiterating the teaching that Jesus often offered, indeed, his greatest commandment. The commandment to love – God, oneself, and one another – is emphasized over and over again in all four of the Gospels.

 God’s love for us is also very clearly presented in the Old Testament, although it is easy to miss this in the midst of all of the messages […]