Lent, Day 21

Lent Day 21, Shalom Snail
โ€œLent, Day 21โ€
Communion Antiphon from Mark 12:33
Friday of the Third Week of Lent
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

One of the scribes, when he came forward and heard them disputing and saw how well he had answered them, asked him, โ€œWhich is the first of all the commandments?โ€ Jesus

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From Aleph to Tav

โ€œFrom Aleph to Tavโ€
Mark 12:28-34 โ€œin a snailshellโ€
Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

Readings:

Deuteronomy 6:2-6 
Hebrews 7:23-28
Mark 12:28-34

Blueprint for Freedom

After the exodus from Egypt and its polytheistic culture, Moses leads the Israelites into the wilderness to begin a long journey of divine pedagogy and discipline.… Read the rest

Who is the Heir?

โ€œWho is the Heir?โ€
A reflection on Isaiah 5:1-7 and Matthew 21:33-43
Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)
ยฉ๏ธ2023 Gloria M. Chang

The vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel,
and the people of Judah are his cherished plant;
he looked for judgment, but see, bloodshed!

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The Law Made Flesh

Fra Angelico: The Crucifixion (detail), ca.1437-46
Source: Wikimedia Commons

10th week in Ordinary Time, Wednesday

1 Kings 18:20-39, Psalm 25, Matthew 5:17-19

โ€œDo not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.โ€… Read the rest

Authentic Personhood

Widow’s Mite: 6th century image

9th Week in Ordinary Time, Saturday

In the course of his teaching Jesus said, โ€œBeware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes and accept greetings in the marketplaces, seats of honor in synagogues, and places of honor at banquets.

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Who is the “Son of David”?

The Psalms scroll, one of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

9th Week in Ordinary Time, Friday

As Jesus was teaching in the temple area he said, โ€œHow do the scribes claim that the Messiah is the son of David? David himself, inspired by the holy Spirit, said:

โ€˜The Lord said to my lord,
โ€œSit at my right hand
until I place your enemies under your feet.โ€โ€™

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The Greatest Commandment

Shema Yisrael at the Knesset Menorah in Jerusalem
(Licensed by Rabanus Flavus under CC-BY-SA-3.0)

9th Week in Ordinary Time, Thursday

Mark 12:28-34

A Scribeโ€™s Query

Most encounters between Jesus and the teachers of the Law end in confrontation, but in this passage, we meet a thoughtful and spiritually discerning son of Israel. … Read the rest

The Royal Image

9th Week in Ordinary Time, Tuesday

Mark 12:13-17

We Have No King But Caesar

โ€œIs it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or should we not pay?โ€

The Pharisees and the Herodians thought they had Jesus cornered.… Read the rest