Category Archives: Sunday Bible readings

Background and “color commentary” on the Sunday Lectionary readings

An Annunciation-Good Friday anomaly

Johann Schröder‘s interpretation of the Annunciation, which this year falls on Good Friday…

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Here’s an anomaly, having to do with this year’s Good Friday. (An anomaly is “odd, peculiar, or strange condition, situation, quality, etc.” Either that or an “incongruity.”)

This year, Good Friday falls on March 25. But by tradition, March 25 is also the day when we celebrate the Annunciation. So this year – on the same day we remember Jesus being hung on a cross – we would normally also celebrate “the announcement by the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus.” However:

The Annunciation would normally fall on Friday, March 25, 2016. That day, however, is Good Friday, and Annunciation is never celebrated during Holy Week. It is transferred, therefore, to Monday, April 4, 2016, the first open day after Easter Sunday.

See catholicism.about.com, as to the question, When Is Annunciation 2016?

And speaking of the Annunciation, last year I posted The Annunciation “gets the ball rolling.” I noted the metaphor of how the original early Church Fathers got that March 25 date by “figuring it backwards:”

It all started with the birth of Jesus. The early Church Fathers decided first that the celebration would be on December 25. (For reasons explained further below.) Then they figured backwards, nine months. Since they said Jesus was born on December 25, He had to have been “conceived” on the previous March 25. That’s where the Annunciation comes in.

I also noted how December 25 got picked as Jesus’ birthday. It had to do with the winter solstice, “the shortest day and the longest night of the year.” Back in the olden days, our primitive ancestors started worrying; “there was never any certainty that the sinking Sun would ever return… So about mid-December those old-time people kept worrying that the days would keep getting shorter and shorter, until there was nothing but eternal night.”

Which makes that the perfect complement to Good Friday, on which the liturgical color is black.

That is, beginning at the end of the evening Maundy Thursday service – in the Western church – the altar is stripped. Also, “the clergy no longer wear the purple or red that is customary throughout Great Lent, but instead don black vestments.”

But as we know, there is a happy ending.

For more on particular-church practices on Good Friday, see Wikipedia. But the general theme is revisiting “the events of the day through public reading of specific Psalms and the Gospels, and singing hymns about Christ’s death.” Other practices include fasting and acts of reparation.

Also, “the Stations of the Cross are often prayed either in the church or outside, and a prayer service may be held from midday to 3.00 pm, known as the Three Hours’ Agony.”

But during all those Good Friday hours of fasting, penance and remembering, don’t forget the real “reason for the season.”

That would be exemplified by the El Greco painting at right.

That painting “shows Jesus – the Risen Messiah – ‘in a blaze of glory … holding the white banner of victory over death.’” (See also On Easter Season – AND BEYOND.)

Note also that the Annunciation is celebrated about the time of the vernal equinox. (Vernal is from the Latin word for “spring.”)

Which brings up the matter of the Incarnation. See Wikipedia:

The Incarnation … is the belief that [Jesus], “became flesh” by being conceived in the womb of Mary… [The idea is that the Son of God] took on a human body and nature and becameboth man and God. In the Bible its clearest teaching is in John 1:14: “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us…” The Incarnation is commemorated and celebrated each year at Christmas, and also reference can be made to the Feast of the Annunciation; “different aspects of the mystery of the Incarnation” are celebrated at Christmas and the Annunciation.

(See also Liturgical year – Wikipedia.) In other words, before Jesus could perform His greatest miracle, he had to pay the price of going through Good Friday.

And that could be another way of saying that both the Good Friday Experience and the Joyful Easter Experience that followed were all part of the rich tapestry of life. On the part of Jesus, that is. (And through Him, something we can experience as well…)

Which in turn is another way of saying “When one door closes, another one opens.”

That’s a famous saying, and it’s variously attributed to Alexander Graham Bell, or to Helen Keller, or to “the 21st chapter of Spanish novelist Miguel de Cervantes’s classic, “Don Quixote.” (And incidentally, here’s the rest of the quote: “…but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.”)

So here’s the real reason for the season: To remember the door that Jesus “opened for us.”

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Mihály Munkácsy‘s depiction of “behold the man” with Jesus and Pontius Pilate…

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The upper image is courtesy of Annunciation – Wikipedia. The caption: “The Annunciation – Johann Christian Schröder.” As to Good Friday on the same date at the Annunciation:

Because the sacrifice of Jesus through his crucifixion is commemorated on this day, the Divine Liturgy (the sacrifice of bread and wine) is never celebrated on Great Friday, except when this day coincides with the Great Feast of the Annunciation, which falls on the fixed date of 25 March (for those churches which follow the traditional Julian Calendar…

Re: “rich tapestry.” See also quotes and quotations on the tapestry of life, and/or America A Rich Tapestry Of Life « NaegeleBlog.

The lower image is courtesy of the Ecce Homo link in Annunciation – Wikipedia.

Moses, the Burning Bush, “et alia”

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Moses and the Burning Bush – subject of next Sunday’s Old Testament Bible-reading…

The last time I reviewed the next-Sunday Bible readings was November 30, 2015. (On Advent – 2015.) But this next Sunday, February 28, 2016, I’ll be up front, serving as lay reader and chalicist. (A chalice is shown at left.)

Accordingly, it would behoove me to get familiar with those readings.

You can see the full readings at Third Sunday in Lent.

Those readings include: 1) Exodus 3:1-15 (on Moses and the Burning bush); Psalm 63:1-9 (the psalm I call “Patton’s psalm … both humble and defiant”); and 1st Corinthians 10:1-13 (Paul’s “warning against idolatry.”) They’re the ones I’ll be reading up front.

The Gospel – Luke 13:1-9 – will be read by “Father Paul.”

And a BTW: The theme of that Gospel is “repent or perish.” On the other hand, you could also say the Gospel is on a metaphoric “fig tree that bears no fruit.” (And in turn you could say that ties in with the last post, on Conservative Christians content to stay “career buck privates.”)

Also incidentally, et alia is Latin for “and others.” (As in, readings on Moses “and others.”)

You can see the full Old Testament reading at Exodus 3:1-15. For one interpretation, see Burning bush – Wikipedia, which said “the burning bush is the location at which Moses was appointed by Adonai (God) to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and into Canaan.”

The article noted other interpretations, including that Moses “may have been under the influence of a hallucinogenic substance when he witnessed the burning bush.”

(Note also Mount Horeb – where Moses saw the Burning bush – is where he later “struck the rock” and got water, shown at right.)

And finally, the Burning bush article directed the reader to “see also” the article on Theophany.

For another take, see The great religious leaders, a 1958 book by Charles F. Potter (1885-1962). Potter was a “Unitarian minister, theologian and author.” In 1923-1924, he became “nationally known through a series of debates with Dr. John Roach Straton, a fundamentalist Christian.”

And for starters, Potter noted the “pre-Mosaic religion of the Hebrews was a mixture of animism and fetishism.” (43) But that all started to change when Moses had his theophany, his experience with the burning bush. (37) The upshot? Moses got commissioned by God in Exodus 3:10: “I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.”

Or as Potter put it, he got the divine call to every prophet: A “great wrong to be righted, a task to be done, and then a sudden blinding realization that the task is one’s own.” (43)

Potter noted several important factors about this theophany of Moses. One was that in all such experiences, “the hearing of the prophet seems much more acute than his vision.” (38) See also Exodus 3:6, “Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.”

But perhaps more important: A “new religion does well to build on the old.” (38) And so, during his lengthy stay with his family – in exile, in Midian – Moses may have recalled some of the things he learned during the first part of his life, when he was a literal Prince of Egypt.

That is, he may have combined the “traditions of the fathers” with some things he learned as a “Prince of Egypt.” In doing so he went on to forge a sense of collective self in the Children of Israel. They became strong enough to go back and re-conquer their ancient Promised Land.

That is, Potter indicated that as such a Prince of Egypt, Moses was likely familiar with Akhenaten. (Seen at left.) He was the “heretic king” who had ruled Egypt a mere century before Moses. (36)

Briefly, Akhenaten introduced the idea of one God to Egypt – monotheism – but Egyptians just weren’t ready for that. (They liked “traditional Egyptian polytheism.” See Wikipedia.)

And so after his death the Egyptians abandoned Akhenaten‘s “new-fangled religion” and went back to their old ways. But in the mind of Moses, Akhenaten‘s One God may have taken new form.

Recalling his suffering fellow Hebrews in Egypt, Moses may have thought this way:

The great gods of Egypt could not be expected, of course, to help the Hebrews… If only they had one great god to help them now! Then Moses remembered the heretic [Akhenaten]… [Perhaps] there was one great god, greater even than Aten. Perhaps this unknown god had caused all things, even the sun, and really cared for suffering human beings, and would deliver the Hebrews from bondage and help them escape to some better land!

(36-37, emphasis in original.) That was of course a nice thing to think about God. (That “He” might redeem a nation of illiterate slaves.) But then Moses realized this “new God” wanted him to do the “legwork.” And so – not surprisingly – Moses protested his new assignment. “Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?'”

Among other concerns, Moses knew the great God of the Burning bush was not the “God of their fathers” to the Hebrews back in Egypt. (Remember their “animism and fetishism…”)

Moses also knew that this stubborn people – his fellow Hebrews who had not been “princes of Egypt” – would not “accept a totally new God.” (Or a new religion.) So he had to build on the past, as shown in Exodus 6:3. There God told Moses, “I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as El Shaddai – ‘God Almighty’ – but I did not reveal my name, Yahweh, to them.”

In other words, before Moses appeared, “God” had apparently only appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. (And then only as El Shaddai.) It was not until the time after Moses that God appeared to the Children of Israel as Yahweh. And so, after his “Burning bush experience,” Moses went on to forge a new nation from a group of exiled, illiterate slaves:

Moses made the Hebrew tribes into a nation by giving them a God … but that God was not made de novo. With [his] wisdom in dealing with men … Moses conveyed to his people the idea of one great personal God by using concepts already at hand… His was the task of leading a people from animism to monotheism … and he did a piece of work which deserves admiration… [T]o Moses belongs the glory of the pioneer.

(42-43) And it all started with that “burning bush” experience. Which is one big reason Potter said of Moses, “His burning bush still lights our world.” (61)

So as a result of all this, I have been able to both review next Sunday’s Bible readings, and continue work on My Lenten meditation. (See also two birds with one stone.)

Turning to Psalm 63:1-9, I reviewed it in “Patton,” Sunday School teacher:

He cursed like a sailor and believed in reincarnation, but Patton was a devout Episcopalian, as shown in the film [Patton, a poster for which is seen at right] starring George C. Scott. For example, Patton was at a low point in his career during World War II [and] was almost sent home in disgrace, but he found comfort in Psalm 63.

Turning to 1st Corinthians 10:1-13 (ESV), it includes a passage on Moses’ Children of Israel being “under the cloud,” passing through the sea, and “baptized into Moses.” It also includes this passage, that “No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and … with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.”

And finally, Luke 13:1-9 includes the Parable of the barren fig tree. Not to be confused with the parable of the cursing the fig tree in Matthew 21:18-22. Though both parables have “very similar wording,” the Luke 13:6-9 parable is about a “fig tree which does not produce fruit.”

Which arguably brings us back to Conservative Christian – “Career buck private?”

The upper image is courtesy of Moses and the Burning Bush painting Bourdon Sebastien. See also Moses and the Burning Bush – Hermitage Museum, which said of the 1642-45 painting:

Bourdon’s work bears evident traces of his religious belief and the constant inner opposition of his Protestantism, which he was obliged to conceal, to the Catholic surroundings… The shepherd Moses, who tended his flock on Mount Horeb, saw an angel in the burning bush. When he drew closer to have a better look and understand how the bush was aflame but not consumed, God called to him from the very centre of the flames and revealed His name to Moses, making him His chosen one. The Lord instructed Moses to go to the Pharaoh and lead the oppressed sons of Israel out of Egypt. Moses covered his face with his hands, since he was afraid to look upon God.

Re: “chalicist.” See also Chalice – Wikipedia, which includes the image in the text.

The “Moses striking the rock” image is courtesy of Mount Horeb – Wikipedia. The caption: “Moses Striking the Rock at Horeb, engraving by Gustave Doré from ‘La Sainte Bible,’ 1865.”

References to Potter’s The great religious leaders are from the 493-page Simon and Schuster edition (NY 1958). The book is sub-titled “A revision and updating of ‘The Story of Religion‘ in light of recent discovery and research including the Qumran Scrolls.” Story of Religion was published in 1929.

Pages 36-43. Part of Chapter II, on Moses, “who discovered the personality of God.” The subtitled portions included in the quoted material include: the Meditations of Moses; the Theophany; the significance of the burning bush; sacred localities; sacred trees and shrubs; sacred lights; not consumed; Moses protests; “Changing Gods;” and “Early Hebrew Animism.”

On a related note, in writing about Zoroaster – at page 69 – Potter said:

It is impossible for any mystic to describe his own trance temperately and accurately. There seem to be … two common elements in these calls which come to prophets. They all speak of a great light or flame and they are all commissioned to preach. Paul on the Damascus road or Moses by the burning bush or Zoroaster by the bank of the Daiti – brothers all.

(That “clunk” you heard may have been a Southern Baptist going into apoplexy.)

The lower image is courtesy of Parable of the barren fig tree – Wikipedia. The caption: “Jan Luyken etching of the parable, Bowyer Bible.”

On Jesus as a teenager – REDUX

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Before getting into Jesus as a teenager, note that the upcoming February 15 is Transfiguration Sunday.

On that note, see On Exodus (Part II) and Transfiguration, a post I did last year at this time. That post noted that the Last Sunday of the Epiphany season is also – by tradition – known as Transfiguration Sunday. That’s based on the account of the Transfiguration of Jesus – in its earliest form, in Mark 9:2–8. (I erroneously wrote that it was in “Mark 9:29.”)

Among other things, that post talked about the movie Exodus: Gods and Kings. Specifically, it talked of how the movie painted a picture of Moses that was the “opposite of what we’ve been led to expect for other reasons. For one thing he hears voices, strange and unknown, just like Jesus.” (Like Jesus):

“I fasted for three months. I even whipped myself before I went to sleep. At first it worked. Then the pain came back. And the voices. They call me by the name: Jesus.”

I noted that this was not unlike the idea that “‘Jesus may not have known the minute He was born who He was.” That is, that Jesus may have “found out some time later in His life” just who He was, just like Moses had to have experienced.

That post also noted that Moses wasn’t allowed to enter the Promised Land, even after leading the Children of Israel through 40 years of Wandering in the Wilderness. However- with the Transfiguration of Jesus – Moses finally was allowed to enter that Promised Land. And that, even though it was a thousand years or more after he expected to. (Which just goes to show that God’s timetable may not be anything like the timetables we expect in our lives.)

But getting back to Jesus as a teenager: That post asked the musical question:

“What did Jesus know, and when did He know it?”

In other words, did Jesus know that He was the First-born Son of God when He was a teenager.

Which raises a host of other questions. For example, if Jesus did know that He was in fact the First-born Son of God – as a teenager – He could see into the future. And He would know – absolutely – everything that ever was or ever had been.

So maybe – as a teenager – Jesus did know everything there ever was to know, and everything possible that ever could be known. Yet there He was, stuck in that backwater, hayseed town of Nazareth, far away from any possible excitement, like what He might find in Jerusalem.

And, probably the worst thing of all for Him was that He had to take orders from older people, people who He knew didn’t know a fraction of what He knew about “real life.” Of course:

Since every teenager in the world has felt exactly the same way – since the beginning of time – how could the people in Nazareth know this teenager was any different?

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The upper image is courtesy of James Dean – Wikipedia. The caption: “Dean in Rebel Without a Cause.” The article noted, “Dean’s premature death … cemented his legendary status.”

As to the word “redux” in the title, see the notes to On “Job the not patient” – REDUX:

It’s an allusion to the 1971 book by John Updike, Rabbit Redux … about an aging high-school basketball star – Harry “Rabbit” Angstrom – as he went through five decades of life… See Wikipedia [which] added that the word redux means “brought back” or “restored…” Wikipedia also noted, “Rabbit Redux led to a redux in popularity of the word redux…”

Re: Last year’s post on Exodus … and Transfiguration. In that post I erroneously wrote that the “account of the Transfiguration of Jesus” was described in “Mark 9:29.”)

On St. Nick and “Doubting Thomas”

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“Saint Nicholas” – the bearded guy in the middle – “saves three innocents from death…”

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The next major feast day – not counting the Hanukkah “festival of lights” – is December 21, for St. Thomas, Apostle. (The link is to the day’s Bible readings.) He’s known as the original Doubting Thomas, because he initially refused to believe that Jesus had risen from the dead.

But there is one big problem. December 21st falls right in the middle of the Season of Advent.

(Not to mention it’s the shortest day of the year, as shown at right.)

So to avoid conflict, his day got changed to July 3. (Though us traditionalists still celebrate his day on December 21.) And of his four readings, John 20:24-29 gave the nutshell:

Thomas … was not with the other disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails … I will not believe…” A week later [Thomas was there when Jesus came and said], “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!“

Jesus then noted that while Thomas believed because he had actually seen Him, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

Which of course means us.

(And BTW, I covered Hanukkah in “Ordinary?” Maccabees? That festival of light “commemorates the victory of the ancient Israelites over the Syrian Greek army.” Those Israelites were the Maccabee family and followers, “Jewish Freedom Fighters, a century or two before Jesus was born.”)

So anyway, for more on Thomas, see Doubting Thomas’ “passage to India.” That post noted that “even to this day many people still don’t believe,” in Jesus or the Faith. (To such people, “the tale of the resurrection must be put down to legend.”) But if the story had ended without the Resurrection, the Christian Faith wouldn’t have grown as it did:

[E]ven if we take the rationalist view that there was no resurrection in reality, it cannot be denied that there was one in the belief of the disciples and, eventually, of hundreds of millions of men – and that made all the difference. (E.A.)

In other words, if it hadn’t been for the millions upon millions of people who came to believe, “the history of the world would be ‘enormously different.'” On that note, “even some atheists admit that – taken as a whole – Christianity has had a positive influence on history.”

As for how Thomas ended up: Tradition says he got sold into slavery, in India. (Like Saint Patrick, he became a literal slave.) But despite the setback, he ultimately got free and carried “the Faith to the Malabar coast, which still boasts a large native population calling themselves ‘Christians of St. Thomas:'”

St. Thomas is especially venerated as The Apostle in India [and is] upheld as an example of both doubter and a staunch and loyal believer in Christ… After all, each of us has both of these characteristics residing deep within ourselves – both moments of doubt and those of great spiritual strength…

And then of course there’s good old “Santa Claus.” He was originally “Nikolaos the Wonder-worker.” See The original St. Nicholas. (From which the upper image was borrowed):

Saint Nicholas, also called Nicholas of Bari or Nicholas of Myra [is] one of the most popular minor saints commemorated in the Eastern and Western churches and now traditionally associated with the festival of Christmas. In many countries children receive gifts on December 6, Saint Nicholas Day.

In other words, our Santa Claus is based on a “historic 4th-century Christian saint and Greek Bishop of Myra.” (“Original St. Nicholas” also explored the question why we celebrate Christmas on December 25, “if Saint Nicholas Day is December 6.”)

As to the image at the top of the page, here’s how the original St. Nicholas saved three innocents from death:

Nicholas was visiting a remote part of his diocese [when he heard of the “three innocents.” He set out for home and] found a large crowd of people and the three men kneeling with their arms bound, awaiting the fatal blow. Nicholas passed through the crowd, took the sword from the executioner’s hands and threw it to the ground, then ordered that the condemned men be freed from their bonds. His authority was such that the executioner left his sword where it fell…

So like St. Ambrose of Milan, the original “St. Nick” was both a real person and personally brave. (See An early Advent medley.) And that’s not to mention generous.

So for today’s post we remember both St. Nicholas and “Doubting Thomas.” (Who apparently lived to a ripe old age, as shown in the image below…)

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Peter Paul Rubens: St Thomas

St. Thomas by Peter Paul Rubens…

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The upper image is courtesy of Saint Nicholas – Wikipedia, with the caption: “Saint Nicholas Saves Three Innocents from Death (oil painting by Ilya Repin, 1888, State Russian Museum).” See also St. Nicholas Center … Saint Who Stopped an Execution:

Re: “Hanukkah.” See also Hanukkah 2015 – My Jewish Learning, which noted that Hanukkah 2015 began at sunset on Sunday, December 6, and ended – at sunset – on Monday, December 14. That’s because a Jewish “day” begins and ends at sunset, not midnight. See Judaism 101.

Re: Thomas the Apostle. See also “Doubting Thomas” Sunday, and Wikipedia:

When the feast of Saint Thomas was inserted in the Roman calendar in the 9th century, it was assigned to 21 December. The Martyrology of St. Jerome mentioned the apostle on 3 July, the date to which the Roman celebration was transferred in 1969 [to avoid interference with] Advent. 3 July was the day on which his relics were translated from Mylapore [to] Mesopotamia. Traditionalist Roman Catholics … and many Anglicans … still celebrate his feast day on 21 December.

Re: Other readings for his day. They are Habakkuk 2:1-4, Psalm 126, and Hebrews 10:35-11-1.

The image below the winter solstice “miniature” is courtesy of Resurrection of Jesus – Wikipedia. The caption: “The Chi Rho” – one of the earliest forms of christogram – “and with a wreath symbolizing the victory of the Resurrection, above Roman soldiers, ca. 350.”

The lower image is courtesy of Thomas the Apostle – Wikipedia.

An early Advent medley

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Caravaggio: The calling of Sts Peter and Andrew

“The Calling of Saints Peter and Andrew,” by Caravaggio…

Following up on Advent – 2015, this post continues the Season of Advent theme:

Advent is “a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas.” The theme of Bible readings is to prepare for the Second Coming while “commemorating the First Coming of Christ at Christmas.”

One problem: Even Scrooge recognized that “Christmas is a very busy time for us.”

So to keep you abreast of your Bible-readings and Feast Days, I present this “Advent Medley.”

For one thing, note that last Monday – November 30 – was the Feast of St. Andrew, the “First Apostle.” And that according to the National Catholic Register, “St. Andrew was one of Jesus’ closest disciples, but many people know little about him.” Which is another way of saying that Andrew was pretty important, but that he often gets overlooked:

Andrew was “one of the four disciples closest to Jesus, but he seems to have been the least close of the four… That’s ironic because Andrew was one of the first followers[. In fact,] because he followed Jesus before St. Peter and the others – he is called the Protoklete or ‘First Called’ apostle.”

Turning to the readings for Sunday, December 6: They include Philippians 1:3-11 and Luke 3:1-6. (For the full readings see Second Sunday of Advent.) For an overview of Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, see On the readings for September 21. (From 2014):

The letter was written to the church at Philippi, one of the earliest churches to be founded in Europe. They [the Philippians] were very attached to Paul, just as he was very fond of them. Of all the churches, their contributions (which Paul gratefully acknowledges) are among the only ones he accepts. (See Acts 20:33–35; 2 Cor. 11:7–12; 2 Thess. 3:8).

Paul began this Sunday’s reading, “I thank my God every time I remember you.” And in Philippians 1:9, he echoed Psalm 119:66. In the NLT, Paul prayed “that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding.” Psalm 119:66 asks of God: “Teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I trust your commands.”

Turning to the Gospel, Luke 3:1-6 recalled the prophesy of Isaiah 40:3: “A voice of one calling: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.'” Not to mention Isaiah 40:4: and 40:5:

Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

All of which served to introduce John the Baptist, the “son of Zechariah.”

And which brings to mind Handel’s Messiah. (Especially popular this time of year. Handel is shown at left.)

For more on John – shown “preaching” in the lower image – see The Nativity of John the Baptist. And finally, next Monday – December 7 – is the Feast Day of Ambrose of Milan.

In the Catholic Church, Ambrose is one of “Eight Doctors of the Church” and four “Fathers of the Western Church.” His day is unique because most saints are remembered on the day they died. But Ambrose died in April 397. (1,618 years ago.) And his death-date falls so often in Easter that his feast day got moved to the date he got consecrated as bishop. (To avoid conflict.)

Another note: At a time of dispute and faction, he appealed to the “better angels.” (A skill we could use today.) When the time came to elect a new bishop, rioting was in order. (“The city was evenly divided between Arians and Athanasians.”) But then:

Ambrose went to the meeting where the election was to take place, and appealed to the crowd for order and good will on both sides. He ended up being elected bishop with the support of both sides.

Note also that after he got elected bishop, he gave away his considerable wealth and “lived in simplicity.” Beyond that, he was personally brave.

The Roman Emperor Theodosius I once had his soldiers kill a defiant crowd of people, then showed up for church. But Ambrose blocked the way: “You may not come in. There is blood on your hands.” Theodosius finally gave in and did public penance.

But perhaps his greatest work was converting St. Augustine of Hippo. (Whose writings “influenced the development of Western Christianity and Western philosophy“):

He [St. Augustine] is viewed as one of the most important Church Fathers in Western Christianity for his writings in the Patristic Era. Among his most important works are The City of God and Confessions.

For that and more we celebrate the life of St. Ambrose.

And in so doing, maybe we can work on finding that true meaning of Christmas: “discovering your humanity and connecting with humanity around you.”

“St. John the Baptist Preaching…”

The upper image is courtesy of Caravaggio: The calling of Sts Peter and Andrew – Art:

A beardless Jesus gestures Peter … and his brother Andrew to follow him… Caravaggio gives his own interpretation. Because of his prominence, the man on the left is thought to be Peter… One of the details that shows this work must be the original is a carving in the ground layer under Peter’s ear. Caravaggio often used such incissions [sic]…

Re: Scrooge. He expressed his sentiment to “Bob Cratchit.” See also This time of year is busy and hectic for all of us, an apparent take-off, delving into the true meaning of Christmas.

The final quote – on “discovering your humanity,” etc. – is from “hectic for all of us.”

Re: the Feast of St. Andrew, “First Apostle.” (From which the upper image was borrowed.) That post noted that the church I attend is named after St. Andrew. But like St. Ambrose, Andrew’s Feast Day is often superseded – by the First Sunday of Advent – or transferred to what would normally be the Second Sunday of Advent. Note also that Andrew is often shown holding a saltire – or x-shaped cross – on which he was “martyred.”

Re: John the Baptist. According to Luke, he began preaching “in the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee…”

Re: Handel’s Messiah. See for example, Messiah Every Valley & Hallelujah. Or for a live version see Messiah (Handel) … “Every valley.”

For more in St. Ambrose see Ambrose – Wikipedia: “Ambrose was one of the four original doctors of the Church, and is the patron saint of Milan. He is notable for his influence on St. Augustine.” See also Doctor of the Church and Church Fathers – Wikipedia.

The date of Ambrose’s death – in April – “so often falls in Holy Week or Easter Week” that his feast day is celebrated on the date he got consecrated as bishop.

See also Massacre of Thessalonica – Wikipedia, referring to “an atrocity carried out by Gothic troops under the Roman Emperor Theodosius I in 390 against the inhabitants of Thessalonica, who had risen in revolt against the Germanic soldiers.”

The lower image is courtesy of John the Baptist – Wikipedia. The caption: “St. John the Baptist Preaching, c. 1665, by Mattia Preti.”

See also www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/caravaggio:, on the beheading of John: “The subject is from the New Testament [Mark 6, verses 14-29]. Salome had danced so well for King Herod that he swore he would grant her any request. Her mother, Herodias, who sought revenge on John the Baptist, persuaded Salome to ask for his head. The old woman behind Salome may be Herodias.”

On Advent – 2015

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Jeremiah – the Weeping Prophet – “Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem…”

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“It’s that time again.” Time to start the New (church) Year!

That’s another way of saying: According to the church, the New Year started on November 29. (Aka, “Advent Sunday … the first day of the liturgical year.”)

November 29 also begins the Season of Advent:

Advent is “a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas.” The theme of Bible readings is to prepare for the Second Coming while “commemorating the First Coming of Christ at Christmas.”

See On the readings for Advent Sunday, from last year. Note that the Advent Season doesn’t end until the afternoon of December 24. That’s when the Season of Christmas – also known as Christmastide – begins. See The 12 Days of Christmas. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

Getting back to the Advent Season, it used to be kept as a period of fasting “as strict as in Lent.” And just as Mardi Gras kicks off the season of Lent, the penitential season of Advent used to be preceded by the “feast day of St. Martin of Tours.” (Seen at right.)

The feast of St. Martin used to be “a time of frolic and heavy eating,” much like Mardi Gras. But while the Church kept Advent as a season of penitence, it relaxed the rules on fasting before Christmas.

Anyway, to see the full Bible readings for November 29, see First Sunday of Advent. Note also that November 30 is the Feast Day of St. Andrew, Apostle. (Who gave his name to the church I attend.)

This year the Bible readings for November 29 were: Jeremiah 33:14-16, Psalm 25:1-9, 1st Thessalonians 3:9-13, and Luke 21:25-36. The first reading – from Jeremiah – is from the man known as The Weeping Prophet. (The term “jeremiad” came from him. That’s a “long, mournful complaint or lamentation,” or a “list of woes.”)

But for Advent Sunday, Jeremiah had a joyful message: “The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel… I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.”

That “righteous branch” of course was Jesus.

For a good commentary on Psalm 25, see Seeking God in the Hard Times. (And in a way the church seasons of preparation and penitence – Advent and Lent – can be seen as a kind of Spiritual boot camp. As seen at left…)

On that note too, see the reading from 1st Thessalonians, where the Apostle Paul prayed that God might “so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless … at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.”

And finally, note that last year’s Gospel was Mark 13:24-37. This year, the Gospel for Advent Sunday retells the same story, but from Luke’s perspective. In Luke 21:25-36, Jesus foretold of “signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations…”

He said those signs would precede “the Son of Man coming in a cloud.” And as an example He told the Parable of the Budding Fig Tree. (Not to be confused with the barren fig tree):

“Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near…”

As noted in last year’s post on Advent Sunday, in doing so Jesus was quoting the Book of Isaiah – twice – as well as the Book of Daniel. See also Jesus and messianic prophecy. The main point Jesus was trying to make? “Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come.” And also, “What I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”

Which is pretty much what the Season of Advent is all about…

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The Parable of the barren fig tree, not to be confused with “the Budding Fig Tree…”

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The upper image is courtesy of Jeremiah – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The caption: “Rembrandt van Rijn, Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem, c. 1630.”

Re: “church calendar.” See also Liturgical Calendar – Android Apps on Google Play.

Re: the end of Advent. See Liturgy: Advent and Christmas Seasons – Felix Just, SJ: “Advent technically ends of the afternoon of Dec. 24, since that evening, Christmas Eve, begins the Christmas Season.”

The image of St. Martin of Tours is courtesy of Wikipedia, “St. Martin of Tours.” The caption: “San Martín y el mendigo by El Greco.” Translated, “Saint Martin and the Beggar:”

… a painting by Spanish mannerist painter El Greco, painted c. 1597-1599 [“now showing” at] the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. It depicts a legend in the life of Christian saint Martin of Tours: the saint cut off half his cloak and gave it to a beggar.

See also St. Martin’s Day – Wikipedia, which said the actual feast day was November 11:

In the 6th century, local councils required fasting on all days except Saturdays and Sundays from Saint Martin’s Day to Epiphany [January 6], a period of 56 days, but of 40 days fasting, like the fast of Lent. It was therefore called Quadragesima Sancti Martini (Saint Martin’s Lent). This period of fasting was later shortened and called “Advent” by the Church.

Re: Jeremiah as “weeping prophet.” See The Weeping Prophet: Reflections on Jeremiah 31:27-34 – Patheos, and also What should we learn from the life of Jeremiah?

Re: Jesus quoting Isaiah and Daniel. See: 1) Isaiah 13:10, “The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light.” 2) Isaiah 34:4, “All the stars in the sky will be dissolved and the heavens rolled up like a scroll; all the starry host will fall like withered leaves from the vine, like shriveled figs from the fig tree.” And 3) Daniel 7:13, “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven.”

The lower image is courtesy of Wikipedia, The Parable of the barren fig tree.

Hitler and Mussolini help create Christ the King Sunday…

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Hitler and Mussolini in 1940

Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini: Their actions led to the making of Christ the King Sunday…

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November 18, 2015 – This post talks about two separate subjects. One is “the end of Ordinary Time” in the Christian calendar. The second topic is a group of Jewish freedom fighters. The Maccabees – a century or two before Jesus was born – were able to free the Jewish people from foreign domination. Their story is being told “even as we speak,” in the Daily Office Readings. But first a note: I edited this 2015 post on November 13-14, in preparing a post on the time between “Halloween and Thanksgiving, 2022.” I tried to smooth this post out a bit, but there may be some glitches… And now, back to Ordinary Time…

Next Sunday – November 22[, 2015*] – goes by several names: The final Sunday of Ordinary Time, and Christ the King Sunday. And the idea of Christ the King Sunday is of recent origin:

Pope Pius XI instituted The Feast of Christ the King in 1925 [after] the rise of non-Christian dictatorships in Europe… These dictators often attempted to assert authority over the Church [and] the Feast of Christ the King was instituted during a time when respect for Christ and the Church was waning… [E.A.]

And speaking of 1925, here’s how that year started, according to Wikipedia: On January 3, Benito Mussolini “promised to take charge of restoring order to Italy within forty-eight hours,” leading to the beginning of Mussolini’s dictatorship. Aside from Mussolini there was Adolph Hitler, and a front organization leading to the Russian KGB, and – in the United States in 1925 – a demonstration of strength by a group called the Ku Klux Klan.

In July 1925, “Adolf Hitler published Volume 1 of his personal manifesto Mein Kampf.” Also in July, TASS was created, and quickly became a front for “the NKVD (later, the KGB).” In the United States, the Ku Klux Klan held a parade in Washington. Their five million members made the Klan the “largest fraternal organization in the United States.”

In plain words, Pius XI created the Feast of Christ the King in response to world events swirling around him. (Including – but hardly limited to – Hitler, Mussolini, and the KKK.) But getting back to more pleasant matters: Christ the King Sunday ends “Ordinary Time.” It also bridges that end and the start of Advent. (Which leads to Christmas.) In plain words, Ordinary Time refers to two “seasons of the Christian liturgical calendar.”

The better known Ordinary Time takes up half the Christian calendar. See On Pentecost – “Happy Birthday, Church!” (From which the following was gleaned:) Ordinary time begins with Pentecost Sunday, for Catholics. In the Anglican liturgy, it’s known as the Season of Pentecost.

[In] 2015 the Season of Pentecost [ends on] November 28 [Thanksgiving Weekend. T]he day after that – November 29 – marks … a new liturgical year.

(See also Liturgical year – Wikipedia.) For more on the upcoming transition of seasons, see last year’s On the readings for Advent Sunday, and On the 12 Days of Christmas. The first one noted an alternate “New Year:”

Advent Sunday is the first day of the liturgical year in the Western Christian churches. It also marks the start of the season of Advent [and leads to Christmas…]

See Advent Sunday – Wikipedia, and also Advent – Wikipedia, which noted that Advent is “a time of expectant waiting and preparation.” (For Christmas.) But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. The second topic here: the Maccabees. Readings from the First Book of the Maccabees have been featured in the Daily Office since Thursday. November 12.

So what the heck is a “Maccabee?”

They were Jewish Freedom Fighters, a century or two before Jesus was born. They were a family who led a rebellion against the foreigners occupying Judea. (Before the Romans.) And so for one brief shining moment in time, their homeland was free. Also, and as Isaac Asimov noted, in 142 B.C. their actions led to the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.

The story begins about 150 years after Alexander the Great conquered Judea. But he died and Judea was taken over by Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who tried to force his strange foreign ways on the Jewish people. The Maccabee family fought back, successfully – from 175 to 134 BC – in a long guerrilla war. So they were early versions of the “Swamp Fox,” in our Revolutionary War, as seen below.

And as shown in the painting below. More to the point, Hanukkah celebrates their victories. See Hanukkah – Wikipedia, noting this year the eight-day holiday begins at sunset on Sunday December 6, and ends Monday, December 14. (Not unlike the 12 days of Christmas.)

All of which is a reminder: Freedom isn’t free. (Nor is it easy to keep…)

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The “Swamp Fox” shares a meal with his sworn enemy…

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The upper image is courtesy of Hitler and Mussolini meet in Rome | History Today.

In 2022, Christ the King Sunday comes on November 20.

Re: The Old Testament readings. The last reading from 1 Maccabees is on Friday, November 20.

Re: the ratio of Klan members. According to US Population by Year – S&P 500 PE Ratio, in 1925 the population of the United States was just under 116 million.

Re: Isaac Asimov. The quote is from Asimov’s Guide to the Bible (Two Volumes in One), Avenel Books (1981), at pages 748-49. Asimov (1920-1992) was “an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000 letters and postcards.” His list of books included those on “astronomy, mathematics, the Bible, William Shakespeare’s writing, and chemistry.” He was a long-time member of Mensa, “albeit reluctantly; he described some members of that organization as ‘brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs.’” See Isaac Asimov – Wikipedia.

Re: “one brief shining moment.” See Camelot – Wikipedia:

In American contexts, the word “Camelot” is sometimes used to refer admiringly to the presidency of John F. Kennedy. The Lerner and Loewe musical was still quite recent at the time and his widow Jackie quoted its lines in a 1963 Life interview… She said the lines, “Don’t let it be forgot, that once there was a spot, for one brief shining moment, that was known as Camelot” were Kennedy’s favorite… [E.A.]

Unfortunately, such moments do tend do to be brief.

To see a painting of the Maccabee family, check Maccabees – Wikipedia. The article added, “One explanation of the name’s origins is that it derives from the Aramaic “makkaba,” “the hammer,” in recognition of Judah [Maccabee’s] ferocity in battle.

The lower image is courtesy of Francis Marion “Swamp Fox” – Wikipedia. The full caption: “General Marion Inviting a British Officer to Share His Meal by John Blake White; his slave Oscar Marion kneels at the left of the group. ”

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And finally, here’s a longer version,” on questions like:

What the heck is “Ordinary Time?

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And now, back to Ordinary Time… As noted, this next Sunday – November 22 – goes by several names: Last Sunday after Pentecost, the final Sunday of Ordinary Time, the Sunday before Advent, and – last but not least – Christ the King Sunday. In turn, the idea of Christ the King Sunday is of recent origin:

Pope Pius XI instituted The Feast of Christ the King in 1925… [At the time] many Christians (including Catholics) began to doubt Christ’s authority and existence… Pius XI, and the rest of the Christian world, witnessed the rise of non-Christian dictatorships in Europe, and saw Catholics being taken in by these earthly leaders. These dictators often attempted to assert authority over the Church… [T]he Feast of Christ the King was instituted during a time when respect for Christ and the Church was waning… [E.A.]

See All About Christ the King Sunday, and Feast of Christ the King – Wikipedia. And on December 11, 1925, “Pope Pius XI‘s encyclical Quas primas, on the Feast of Christ the King, is promulgated.” (For reasons that should now seem obvious.)

The first – and shorter – “Ordinary Time” comes between Christmas and Lent, as shown in the chart… The better known – and longer – season of Ordinary Time takes over the half the Christian yearly calendar. (From the end of Easter Season, up to the First Sunday of Advent.) See also On Pentecost – “Happy Birthday, Church!” (From which the following was gleaned:)

Pentecost Sunday marks the beginning of “Ordinary Time.” (As it’s called in the Catholic Church, and shown in the chart…)

Such “Ordinary Time” takes up over half the church year. (Though in the Episcopal Church and other Protestant denominations, it goes by another name.)

In the Anglican liturgy, the Season of Pentecost begins on the Monday after Pentecost Sunday and goes on “through most of the summer and autumn.” It may include as many as 28 Sundays, “depending on the date of Easter.” (See also the List of Anglican Church Calendars.)

In other words, this year – 2015 – the Season of Pentecost begins on Monday, May 25, and doesn’t end until Saturday, November 28. That’s Thanksgiving Weekend, and the day after that – November 29 – marks the First Sunday of Advent, and with it the start of a newliturgical year.

I wrote that back on May 19, which just goes to show one benefit of reading the Bible on a regular basis. You get into the rhythm of the seasons. That is, a “regular quantitative change in a variable (notably natural) process.” And as exemplified in: “The rhythm of the seasons dominates agriculture as well as wildlife…” (See also Liturgical year – Wikipedia.)

As an example: Last Sunday – November 15, 2015 – was the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, in the Catholic Church. Also in the Catholic Church, Sunday the 22d is more formally known as The Solemnity Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.

For more on the upcoming transition of seasons, see last year’s On the readings for Advent Sunday, and On the 12 Days of Christmas. The first one noted an alternate “New Year:”

Advent Sunday is the first day of the liturgical year in the Western Christian churches. It also marks the start of the season of Advent [and] the first violet or blue Advent candle is lit… [T]he symbolism of the day is that Christ enters the church. Advent Sunday is the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day. This is equivalent to the Sunday nearest to St. Andrew’s Day, 30 November, and the Sunday following the Feast of Christ the King.

See Advent Sunday – Wikipedia, emphasis added. See also Advent – Wikipedia, which noted that Advent is “a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas.” The theme of Bible readings is to prepare for the Second Coming while “commemorating the First Coming of Christ at Christmas.”

Readings from the First Book of the Maccabees have been featured in the Daily Office since Thursday. November 12.

So what the heck is a “Maccabee?”

They were Jewish Freedom Fighters, a century or two before Jesus was born. They were a familywho led a rebellion against the foreigners occupying Judea.

(Before the Romans.) And so for one brief shining moment in time, their homeland was free.

In plain words, the Maccabees were an early group of Jewish Freedom Fighters. And – for one brief shining moment – between occupation by the Seleucid Empire and the Roman Empire – their homeland was free. As Isaac Asimov noted, in the year 142 B.C., “for the first time since Nebuchadnezzar’s destruction of Jerusalem 445 years before, the land of Judah was completely free and the foot of no foreign soldier was to be found in Jerusalem.” (748-49)

For another answer, see Why the Maccabees Aren’t in the Bible – My Jewish Learning:

The First and Second Books of Maccabees contain the most detailed accounts of the battles of Judah Maccabee and his brothers for the liberation of Judea from foreign domination. These books include within them the earliest references to the story of Hanukkah and the re-dedication of the Temple, in addition to the famous story of the mother and her seven sons. And yet, these two books are missing from the Hebrew Bible.

See also Books of the Maccabees – Wikipedia, which noted that the first book is set “about a century and a half after the conquest of Judea by the Greeks under Alexander the Great, after Alexander’s empire has been divided so that Judea was part of the Greek Seleucid Empire.”

And according to Maccabees – Wikipedia, the first book tells of the Greek ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes trying to force the Jewish people to accept his culture, by suppressing the practice of “basic Jewish law.” The result was a Jewish revolt against Seleucid rule, from 175 to 134 BC.

…after Antiochus issued his decrees forbidding Jewish religious practice, a rural Jewish priest … Mattathias the Hasmonean, sparked the revolt … by refusing to worship the Greek gods… After Mattathias’ death about one year later in 166 BCE, his son Judas Maccabee led an army of Jewish dissidents to victory over the Seleucid dynasty in guerrilla warfare…

And finally, the Jewish festival of Hanukkah celebrates the re-dedication of the Temple following Judah Maccabee’s victory over the Seleucids. See Hanukkah – Wikipedia, re: the 8-dayholiday celebrating the re-dedication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, during the “Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire of the 2nd century BC.” This year Hanukkah 2015 begins at sunset on Sunday, December 6, and ends on Monday, December 14.”

On the readings for November 8

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“Ruth on the fields of Boaz,” from today’s first reading…

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Earlier this week I planned to do a time-to-read-it post on the Bible readings for Sunday November 8. Then I came across the New Testament Daily Office Reading – a term illustrated at right – for Thursday, November 5. That reading – Revelation 14:1-13 – told of the “144,000” who seem to be already chosen:

Then I looked, and there was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion! And with him were one hundred and forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads… No one could learn that song except the one hundred forty-four thousand who have been redeemed from the earth… They have been redeemed from humankind as first fruits for God and the Lamb … they are blameless.

All of which gave me pause for thought. I seemed to remember some literalists who insist that only 144,00 people will make it to heaven. In turn, this passage from Revelation seemed to say that those “mere 144,000” have already been chosen.

Since my spiritual “self” is at stake, I decided to explore the issue further.

Again, the emphasized parts above seem to show that these 144,000 people are the only ones who will make it to heaven, according to some “literalists.” Put another way, if taken literally, that Bible passage – either taken literally or out of context – seems to mean that the “144,00” have already been chosen, and that us poor schmucks today are out of luck.

My research led me first to Who Are the 144,000 in Revelation? That article gave five reasons indicating the number is a metaphor: “The 144,000 represent the entire community of the redeemed:”

Fifth, the last reason for thinking that the 144,000 is the entire community of the redeemed is because of the highly stylized list of tribes in verses 5-8. The number itself is stylized. It’s not to be taken literally.

Then I checked out 144000 – Wikipedia: “The number 144,000 has religious significance for Christians because of its use in the Book of Revelation.” The article added that the numbers 12,000 and 144,000 are “variously interpreted” in Christianity, with some saying the 144,000 is symbolic. But others insist the numbers “are literal numbers … representing either descendants of Jacob … or others to whom God has given a superior destiny with a distinct role at the time of the end of the world.” Then there are Jehovah’s Witnesses:

Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that exactly 144,000 faithful Christian men and women from Pentecost of 33 CE until the present day will be resurrected to heaven as immortal spirit beings to spend eternity with God and Christ… Individual Witnesses indicate their claim of being “anointed…” Nearly 12,000 Witnesses worldwide … claim to be of the anointed “remnant” of the 144,000.

Display fff default image And finally I came across Who Are the 144,000 of Revelation 7 and 14? : Christian Courier. The article began by saying the Book of Revelation is a “highly symbolic treatise.” As a result, “many false religionists have attempted to exploit the message of the narrative to their own theological ends.” (“The Apocalypse has become a happy hunting ground for some religious cultists who seek biblical support for their peculiar doctrines.”) It then added:

The “Jehovah’s Witnesses” have almost no concept of the distinction between the literal and the figurative language in the Bible. And so, they literalize the number 144,000 in these two contexts, and ridiculously argue that only 144,000 people will gain heaven.

Which seemed to fit in with the theme of this blog. See for example THE BASICS:

How can we do greater works than Jesus if we interpret the Bible in a cramped, narrow, or limiting manner? For that matter, why does the Bible so often tell us to “sing to the Lord a new song?” (For example, Isaiah 42:10 and Psalms 96:1, 98:1, and 144:9.)

See also The DORs for July 20, and On dissin’ the Prez. So to reiterate: “Reading the Bible literally is a great place to start,” but ” if you really want to be all that you can be, you need to go on and explore the ‘mystical side of Bible reading.'”

And now, back to the Bible readings for November 8.

Those readings according to The Lectionary Page are for the 24th Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 27). Specifically: Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17, Psalm 127, Hebrews 9:24-28, and Mark 12:38-44.

gravestone But first a brief word about November 2, “All Souls’ Day.” It’s formally known as the Commemoration of All Faithful Departed, and is the third day of the “Triduum of Halloween.” See “All Hallows E’en” – 2015. And for a fuller set of prayers and/or explanation, see the All Faithful Departed link, at the Satucket website, where you can find the Daily office readings.

Now back to the story of Ruth. Briefly, she was a “foreigner” who married a son of Naomi, who then died. But rather than return to her people after her husband died, Ruth opted to stay with Naomi, as detailed most famously in Ruth 1:16. In the King James Version (the one God uses), the passage reads: “For whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.”

As a result and among other things, Ruth’s expression of faith made her an ancestor of Jesus:

So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When they came together, the LORD made her conceive, and she bore a son… The women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed; he became the father of Jesse, the father of David…

See also Matthew 1 (1 to 17), listing the “fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.”

The psalm for the day is Psalm 127, which includes verses 5 and 6: “Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them! He shall not be put to shame when he contends with his enemies in the gate.”

As to Psalm 127, see On Bill Tyndale – who did up a Bible you could actually READ! That post presented another example of some people taking isolated passages of the Bible out of context:

[T]he “Quiverfull Movement” can be found at sites including Quiverfull – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; What Is Quiverfull? – Patheos, part of “No longer quivering,” an ostensible “gathering place for women escaping and healing from spiritual abuse;” 5 Insane Lessons from My Christian Fundamentalist Childhood …; and/or QuiverFull .com :: Psalm 127:3-5.

The New Testament reading is from the Epistle to the Hebrews. According to scholars its writing is “more polished and eloquent than any other book of the New Testament.” It’s also “earned the reputation of being a masterpiece.” It is thought to have been “written for Jewish Christians who lived in Jerusalem,” and that its purpose was to exhort Christians to persevere in the face of persecution. The reading today distinguished Jesus from “earthly” priests:

Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one… Nor was it to offer himself again and again, as the high priest enters the Holy Place year after year… Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

And finally, the Gospel for the day is Mark 12:38-44. The second part of that reading tells the Lesson of the widow’s mite. (As shown at left, compared with a penny today.)

In the story, “a widow donates two small coins, while wealthy people donate much more. Jesus explains to his disciples that the small sacrifices of the poor mean more to God than the extravagant, but proportionately lesser, donations of the rich.” Or as noted in Mark 12:44, “For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” But see also Missing the Point of the Widow’s Mite | Dating God:

A reading of Jesus’s comments that appears to hold the widow up on a pedestal is, I believe, a perpetuation of this injustice that inflicted the widow of Jesus’s time and continues to affect the poor and vulnerable in our day… Jesus is not endorsing this behavior, but blatantly naming it for what it is … and challenging us to see the structures that allow this to continue… Why do we let this continue to happen such that the poor give until it hurts and the wealthy seem to so often benefit from this self-defeat of the impoverished?

Either way, it’s a pretty good short allegorical story designed to teach some truth…

The upper image is courtesy of Ruth (biblical figure) – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The full caption: “Ruth on the fields of Boaz, by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld.”

The “tombstone” image is courtesy of the Satucket link All Faithful Departed (All Souls’).

Re: “Dating God.” See also Dating God | Franciscan Spirituality for the 21st Century, and/or Dating God | America Magazine. The blog is written by Daniel P. Horan, a “Franciscan Friar (of the Order of Friars Minor of Holy Name Province,” a Franciscan spiritual writer, and currently a Ph. D. student “in systematic theology at Boston College.” See America Magazine and/or Wikipedia.

The “penny-mite” image is courtesy of www.village-missions.org/about … the-mite.

The lower image is courtesy of the “The Widow’s Mite” link at Bible Illustrations, by G. Dore – Main Page – Creationism.org. The article added this about the artist:

French artist Gustave Doré (1832-1883) produced hundreds of quality Bible story illustrations in his lifetime… Doré’s realistic style breathed new life into these real stories. Centuries of [images] had caricaturized many Bible stories in the minds of believers. But his persons and places look real. Gustave Doré’s work (and artistic license) was criticized by some in his own day, but these illustrations stand the test of time as good physical representations of important Biblical events…

This web link – Creationism.org – includes a plethora of examples of Dore’s work. And just for the reader’s edification, the F A Q link includes this question: “Didn’t the Scopes Trial in 1925 (a.k.a. the Monkey Trial) show that evolution had won and creation lost – big time!” It also provided this answer: “That’s what the liberal media and Hollywood have consistently reported since then.”

Be that as it may, the website still has a very nice collection of Gustave Doré pictures…

On the Bible readings for September 27

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King Ahasuerus – getting sloshed – shortly before he married Esther of the Bible…

I last reviewed the readings for a Sunday coming up on August 7. (See The OTHER readings for August.) I said I was leaving town on August 10, and wouldn’t be back until August 27. So here’s a summary of the Bible readings for September 27. (A full month later.)

(And a BTW: Today’s Gospel raises the question whether Jesus was a Liberal or a Conservative…)

Officially, the Bible readings are for the 18th Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 21. The “Track 1” readings are Esther 7 [and] 9, Psalm 124, James 5:13-20, and Mark 9:38-50.

Now about that Gospel:

In Mark 9:38 a disciple told Jesus, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” But Jesus said, “Don’t do that.” Because – as He noted in Mark 9:40 – “whoever is not against us is for us.” (See also Luke 9:50.)

Some people have pointed out that this contradicts what Jesus said in Matthew 12:30. Matthew had Jesus saying, “Whoever is not with me is against me.”

Which raises a matter of legal presumptions. In the Mark/Luke version, if you haven’t come out and said you’re against Jesus, you’re still on His side. But in the Matthew version, unless you come out and say that you’re on the side of Jesus, you are presumptively against Him. All of which could be extremely important when it comes to deciding if you’re “going to Hell.”

Then too, some other people have gone as far as to say that such contradictions in the Bible prove both that it’s a crock, and/or that there are “no supernatural entities – including God.” (See for example, A List Of Biblical Contradictions, discussed further in the notes.)

But the issue here is whether today’s Gospel tends to prove that Jesus was either a Conservative or a Liberal.

(One quick point: If Jesus had been conservative, we’d all be Jewish today. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that!“)

But seriously, I discussed the issue raised by this Gospel reading in a post in May 2014: Jesus: Liberal or Fundamentalist? In that post I wrote:

Under [a] strict construction – used by [conservatives] – “ambiguous language is given its exact and technical meaning.” Under that rule for Matthew [12:30], if you aren’t expressly for Jesus, you are against Him. But in Mark [9:40], being “kind of against us” doesn’t put you “outside the pale.” In Mark, if you are not expressly against Jesus, you are for Him… Also, by strictly interpreting those quotes – giving them their exact and technical meaning – you end up with Jesus contradicting Himself.

So which is it? Did Jesus mean to say unless you’re expressly for Him, you’re against Him? (And presumably going to Hell…) Or that unless you expressly reject Him, you’ve still got a chance?

When resolving such issues, the primary question is: “What did the writer intend?” So, could Matthew and Mark have intended to create such a contradiction? Certainly not.

To make a long story short: The two passages reflect entirely different situations. In Matthew 12, Jesus was dealing with demons. (Matthew 12:22-37 comes under the heading “Jesus and Beelzebul.”) But in Mark 9, Jesus addressed what to do with people; human beings.

Thus in the case of people – like us – Jesus liberally interpreted the Bible:

With demons, Jesus used a strict construction. If a demon wasn’t expressly for Jesus, he was against Him. But in the case of people, Jesus used a liberal construction. By that construction the law was “reasonably and fairly evaluated so as to implement [its] object and purpose.”

In this case the “law” at issue is the Bible. By using a liberal interpretation, Jesus was saying that “if a person isn’t expressly against Me,” He – Jesus – is willing to give that person the benefit of the doubt. In other words, Jesus was prone to give us poor schmucks a break.

In further words, Jesus was a “Liberal” when it came to giving us humans the benefit of the doubt, but “Conservative” when it came to dealing with demons. (Hmmmm.)

In still further words, Jesus seemed to be showing that He was a true moderate. He wanted to see the Bible’s “object and purpose” fully implemented. And to do that, He used a liberal approach when necessary, and a conservative approach when He had to.

And what is that “object and purpose?” The best answer is in 2d Peter 3:9, where Saint Peter – holding “the keys to the kingdom” – said God “wants all people to have an opportunity to turn to him…”

* * * *

Moving on to the Old Testament, the Book of Esther tells the story of a Jewish woman who married a king and in turn saved her people from annihilation. Here’s what happened:

Ahasuerus was the king of Persia. (He was also known as Xerxes.) One day he got drunk with his buddies. He then sent for his wife – Queen Vashti, who was very beautiful – with orders to come to the party and strut her stuff. But she refused – she was very proud – so Ahasuerus decided to get rid of her. In a process very much like today’s American Idol, Esther ended up being chosen as the new queen.

Which was a good thing, because the Grand Vizier – Haman – had hatched a plot against the Jews. (Of which Esther was one. This was during the Babylonian exile, one of the times when the Jewish people were carried away into captivity.) Haman was jealous of Mordecai – Esther’s cousin – for reasons including but not limited to the fact that Mordecai “refused to do obeisance” to him. So he tricked the king into giving orders to “exterminate this alien race.” To that end, Haman had a tall gallows built, on which to hang Mordecai.

But in the reading for September 27, Haman’s plans come unraveled. (As shown metaphorically at left.)

For one thing, Esther finally told the king that she was Jewish. (Which is consistent with the “Seinfeld” theme noted above.) And in the end, “they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai.” (See Esther 7:10, with some translations reading that Haman was “impaled” on the pole he intended to use on Mordecai.) But more than that, the Jewish people in the country were saved from annihilation, and all of which led to the present Jewish festival of Purim.

See also hoist on his own petard. (A phrase originating in Shakespeare’s Hamlet.)

And finally – I’m running out of space – there’s the reading from James the brother of Jesus. (See Epistle of James – Wikipedia.) James wrote in part that “faith apart from works is dead,” which led to a controversy that continues “even to this day.” (See James 2:26, and also On Mary and Martha of Bethany, which provided a possible solution.)

But in today’s reading he advised that “whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” So if you “bring someone to Jesus,” you’ll not only save that person, but also “cover up” a bunch of your own sins. See James 5:20, raising what I like to call the “James 5:20 commission.” (I’ll take any break I can get…)

And besides that, the reading gave rise to the rather domestic scene below.

“Christ in the House of His Parents … including James, the brother of Jesus.”

Notes:

The upper image is courtesy of Ahasuerus – Wikipedia. The caption: “Aert de Gelder, The Banquet of Ahasuerus.” The site noted that the name “Ahasuerus is equivalent to the Greek name Xerxes, both deriving from the Old Persian language.” See also AHASUERUS – Jewish Encyclopedia.com, noting he was the “Persian king, identical with Xerxes (486-465 B.C.).”

Re: “Bible contradictions.” The ostensible Matthew-Mark contradiction was pointed out in the For or against link at the Secular Web site, owned and operated by Internet Infidels, Inc. The site added: “The Bible is riddled with repetitions and contradictions, things that the Bible bangers would be quick to point out in anything that they want to criticize.”

The website took the Bible to task for not creating a “carefully constructed treatise, reflecting a well-thought-out plan.” I addressed such criticisms in posts like The readings for June 15 – Part I. I pointed out that Moses – for example – in writing the first five books of the Bible, was limited by “his audience’s ability to comprehend.” The audience he “wrote” for was almost wholly illiterate – not to mention ignorant by present-day standards – and had been trained since birth only to be mindless, docile slaves. Thus Moses was forced by circumstance “to use language and concepts that his ‘relatively-pea-brained contemporary audience’ could understand.”

In further words, if Moses had written the “carefully constructed treatise” suggested by the “Infidels,” he almost certainly would be burned at the stake or stoned to death. (Or both.) See also Reflections on Volume 3 – Part II, which includes “The Stoning of Moses and Aaron.”

On this point see also Internal consistency of the Bible – Wikipedia:

Dietrich Bonhoeffer pointed out [the] conflict, between Matthew 12:30 … and Mark 9:40 [and] called these two sayings “the claim to exclusiveness and the claim to totality…” D.A. Carson commented similarly, adding he thought [Mark 9:40] describe[d] the attitude listeners are to have to other possible disciples: when in doubt, be inclusive…

Other New Testament scholars have said these were not separate statements, “but rather one statement that has either been preserved in two different forms, or has been altered by the Gospel writers to present a point of view that expresses the needs of the Christian community at the time.” The site noted that Mark – the first Gospel to be written – presented the “inclusive” type of Christianity, while Matthew’s version is the more exclusive.

“Seinfeld” image courtesy of my123cents.com/2014/08/not-that-theres-anything-wrong-with-that.

The “No labels” image is courtesy of www.newrepublic.com/article/politics/80058/sticking-point.

Re: “Haman’s plans come unraveled.” The image is courtesy of the Wikipedia Mordecai link, with the caption, “The Triumph of Mordecai by Pieter Lastman, 1624.”

Re: “impaling.” See also Vlad the Impaler: “The name of the vampire Count Dracula in Bram Stoker‘s 1897 novel Dracula was inspired by Vlad.”

The lower image is courtesy of Epistle of James – Wikipedia. The painting is by John Everett Millais, and was “immensely controversial when first exhibited because of its realistic depiction of a carpentry workshop, especially the dirt and detritus on the floor.” For example, Charles Dickens said Millais portrayed Mary as so “hideous in her ugliness that … she would stand out from the rest of the company as a Monster, in the vilest cabaret in France, or the lowest gin-shop in England.”

But I thought it was a very nice, very “domestic” painting…

* * * *

A side note: The next major Feast Day is September 29, St. Michael and All Angels. I did a post on August 10, 2014. See St. Michael and All Angels, and also On St. Michael’s – Tybee Island:

Michael is mentioned three times in the Book of Daniel, once as a “great prince who stands up for the children of your people.” The idea that Michael was the advocate of the Jews became so prevalent that in spite of the rabbinical prohibition against appealing to angels as intermediaries … Michael came to occupy a certain place in the Jewish liturgy.

On the OTHER readings for August

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A visualization of the Bible’s “Song of Songs…”

Welcome to “read the Bible – expand your mind:”

For more on expanding your mind and horizons, see the Introduction.

The theme here is that taking the Bible literally is a good place to start. But to be all that you can be in this earthly pilgrimage, you need to explore the “mystical side of Bible reading.*”

That’s what this blog is about. Exploring that mystical side of the Bible.

Or see Some basics, on the Three Great Promises of Jesus: 1) He’ll accept anyone who comes to Him; 2) He wants us to live abundantly; and 3) He wants us do greater miracles than He did.

In the meantime:

I’m leaving town on Monday, August 10, and won’t be back until August 27. (A matter of some “unfinished business,” canoe-trip-wise.) So here’s an analysis of the Bible readings for Sunday, August 16, 23 and 30.

(You can see the full readings for all three Sundays at Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 15, Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 16, and Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 17.)

In the readings discussed below, we see a rare Biblical glimpse on the beauty of sexual love, and on David finally dying, or “sleeping with his ancestors.” They also tell about Jesus as both the Bread of Life and as the Light of the World.

But first, a note that on August 16 there’s a switch in the Old Testament readings.

Up until August 9, those readings were from the Second Book of Samuel. On August 16 – and 23 – they switch to the First Book of Kings. The two books “of Kings” were originally one, but they were so long that they had to be put on two different scrolls. (The ancient Hebrews didn’t have “books” as we know them. Their books were actually scrolls.)

The Two Book of Kings present the Bible view of the “history of ancient Israel and Judah from the death of David to the release of his successor Jehoiachin from imprisonment in Babylon.”

Then for August 30 the OT reading changes again, from Kings to the “Song of Solomon” or Song of Songs. (After that, during the month of September the Old Testament readings are from the Book of Proverbs.)

The “Song of Songs” is unique. It doesn’t refer to The Law (illustrated at right), or to the Covenant, or to Yahweh. And the song doesn’t teach wisdom “in the manner of Proverbs or Ecclesiastes:”

Instead, it celebrates sexual love. It gives “the voices of two lovers, praising each other, yearning for each other, proffering invitations to enjoy.” The two are in harmony, each desiring the other and rejoicing in sexual intimacy; the women (or “daughters”) of Jerusalem form a chorus to the lovers … whose participation in the lovers’ erotic encounters facilitates the participation of the reader.

But more about that later.

The OT reading for August 16 – 1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14 – starts: “David slept with his ancestors, and was buried in the City of David,” that is, Jerusalem. (This was after he’d been King of Israel for 40 years.) It then introduces Solomon – David’s son – as the new King. (Though not without a bit of drama, in the form of a struggle over the succession.)

Wikipedia said Solomon was known most for his wisdom, and the reading shows Solomon praying for such wisdom. God responded by giving him “wisdom plus:”

It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches … I now do according to your word… I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor all your life; no other king shall compare with you… (E.A.)

All of which provides a wonderful object lesson in the proper way to pray to God.

The OT reading for August 23 – 1 Kings 8:(1, 6, 10-11), 22-30, 41-43 – includes a similar prayer with Solomon praising God. He did this in the process of bringing the Ark of the Covenant back to the First Temple in Jerusalem.

( 1st Kings 7 described the process of building the Temple. Note that the Ark had been with David when he fled Jerusalem “at the time of Absalom‘s conspiracy.” It was later returned, and during the 13 years that Solomon built the Temple, it was kept in “a special inner room, named Kodesh Hakodashim, or Holy of Holies. See 1st Kings 6:19.)

The OT reading for August 30 – Song of Solomon 2:8-13 – follows the Introduction (1:1–6) and a “Dialogue between the lovers (1:7–2:7).” In this reading the “woman recalls a visit from her lover (2:8–17).” Passages include “My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag,” and the beloved speaking to her, “Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.” (Wikipedia noted the Christian tradition, “appreciating the literal meaning of a romantic song between man and woman,” but also seeing the poem as “an allegory of Christ (the bridegroom) and his Church (the bride).”)

The psalms for these three weeks include Psalm 111, Psalm 84, and Psalm 45:1-2, 7-10. The International Bible Commentary (IBC) described Psalm 84 as “A pilgrim’s testimony.” It added that the psalm rivals Paul’s letter to the Philippians as an expression of spiritual joy.” The psalmist finds in God “true security and abundant blessing, to which a life of [attempted] moral integrity is the key according to the covenant.” (See “the Covenant, above.)

(“Attempted” in brackets is a reminder that we’re all still “works in progress,” and will remain so…)

And speaking of weddings, the IBC said Psalm 45 was a “wedding song for a king and his bride.” Continuing the theme begun in Song of Songs – above – Psalm 45:2 reads: “You are the fairest of men; grace flows from your lips, because God has blessed you for ever.” And Psalm 45:8 reads: “All your garments are fragrant with myrrh, aloes, and cassia, and the music of strings from ivory palaces makes you glad.”

The New Testament readings are Ephesians 5:15-20, Ephesians 6:10-20, and James 1:17-27.

As noted in Wikipedia, Ephesians 5:15-20 is part of Paul’s discourse of instructions about ordinary life and different relationships. But in Ephesians 6:10-20, Paul moves on to the “imagery of spiritual warfare (including the metaphor of the Armor of God).” And James begins with an introduction, with an additional instruction to “be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.” (James 1:22.)

That simple phrase set up a spiritual battle that continues even to this day. See Mary and Martha of Bethany: “the debate over which is the better path – faith or works – has been going for most if not all the 2,000 years since the Church was born. See Faith and Works.”

Martin Luther for one characterized James’ letter as an ‘epistle of straw,'” mostly – he thought – because it supposedly conflicted “with Paul on the doctrine of justification.” (Like I said, that spiritual battle continues “even to this day,” but maybe the answer isn’t “either-or,” but rather “both.” See Mary and Martha.) Note also that readings from James will continue throughout the month of September.

The Gospel readings are John 6:51-58, John 6:56-69, and – in another switch – to Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23. In the readings from John’s Gospel, Jesus continues His Bread of Life Discourse:

In the Christological context, the use of the Bread of Life title is similar to the Light of the World title in John 8:12 where Jesus states: “I am the light of the world: he who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” These assertions build on the Christological theme of John 5:26 where Jesus claims to possess life just as the Father does and provide it to those who follow him

See also The readings for August 9, which added that “part of that ‘light of life’ or ‘bread of life’ approach is to know how to process anger and/or misunderstandings…”

The Gospel for August 30 includes Jesus being criticized by “Pharisees and some of the scribes.” (They saw some disciples eating with “unwashed hands.”) He responded by quoting Isaiah 29:13 and concluding, “You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.” Incidentally, Mark 7:9 is skipped over in this reading, but in it Jesus continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!”

Another example of the proper way not to approach God…

“Woe unto You, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!“

The upper image is courtesy of religion.lilithezine.com/The-Song-of-Solomon. The article doesn’t have a readily-identifiable attribution, but it appears to be the work of Aubrey Beardsley. Beardsley (1872-1898) was a noted English illustrator and author:

His drawings in black ink, influenced by the style of Japanese woodcuts, emphasized the grotesque, the decadent, and the erotic. He was a leading figure in the Aesthetic movement… [His] contribution to the development of the Art Nouveau and poster styles was significant, despite the brevity of his career before his early death from tuberculosis.

See Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The canoe image is courtesy of Canoe – Wikipedia. Caption: “Voyageur canoe shooting the rapids.”

Re: First and Second Kings. The consensus is that First and Second Chronicles repeat much of the material in First and Second Kings. See Wikipedia: “Much of the content of Chronicles is a repetition of material from other books of the Bible, from Genesis to Kings.” But see also Chronicles and Kings – A Comparison – Mark Haughwout, and/or The Relationship between … Kings and Chronicles.

The “Law” image is courtesy of Torah – Wikipedia. The caption: “Presentation of The Torah (1860) –Museum of Jewish Art and History.” The Torah is also known as The Law:

Christian scholars usually refer to the first five books of the Hebrew Bible as the “Pentateuch” … or as the Law, or Law of Moses. Muslims refer to the Torah as Tawrat (توراة, “Law”), an Arabic word for the revelations given to the Islamic prophet Musa (موسى, Moses in Arabic).

The “Solomon dedication” image is courtesy of the First Temple Wikipedia article. The caption: “In an artistic representation, King Solomon dedicates the Temple at Jerusalem (painting by James Tissot or follower, c. 1896–1902).”

The Martin Luther image is courtesy of Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The caption: “Luther as a friar, with tonsure.” See also Tonsure – Wikipedia, referring to practice “in medieval Catholicism, abandoned by papal order in 1972.”

The lower image is courtesy of Woes of the Pharisees – Wikipedia. The full caption: “James Tissot, Woe unto You, Scribes and Pharisees, Brooklyn Museum.” See also Light of the World – Wikipedia. The quote including “hypocrites” is from Matthew 23:14.

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Expand your horizons – Read the Bible with an open mind

Category Archives: Sunday Bible readings

An Annunciation-Good Friday anomaly

Moses, the Burning Bush, “et alia”

On Jesus as a teenager – REDUX

“What did Jesus know, and when did He know it?”

On St. Nick and “Doubting Thomas”

An early Advent medley

On Advent – 2015

Hitler and Mussolini help create Christ the King Sunday…

On the readings for November 8

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On the Bible readings for September 27

On the OTHER readings for August

Welcome to “read the Bible – expand your mind:”