Category: Homilies

Recordings of Recent Sunday Homilies

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Of Burning Bushes, Fig Trees, and Such

There is a lot going on in the scriptures this weekend. While we are in Year C of the three-year lectionary cycle, various Masses will be using the A Cycle readings for the next three weeks as we celebrate the Scrutinies for the Elect in the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA).

       While the burning bush is a neat attention getter, it is the parable of the fig tree that should really give us pause.  It’s notable that it comes in the context of two recent tragedies, the folks whose blood Pilate mingled with the pagan sacrifices (a terrible sacrilege and curse) and the death of 18 people who died when a tower collapsed.

Whether we admit it or not, we still carry with us the notion that “what goes around comes around.”  Namely, if you do something bad, something bad is going to happen to you. It was even more prevalent in the days of Jesus. Many in the crowd assumed that those who suffered these tragedies must have done something to deserve it. While our Lord is quick to disavow them of this, he uses it as a way to remind them and us that an even greater tragedy looms for our souls if we don’t repent of our sins and believe in the Gospel. Dying is not the worst thing that can happen to you. Eternal damnation is.

So how does this tie into the fig tree that does not bear fruit? Simple. A disciple who does not repent is not much of a disciple. Repentance, not perfection, is the fruit that Christ is looking for. If we are too proud  or too busy to repent, then there’s not much he can do for us, no matter how much he cares for us.

Lent is a time that reminds us that the first fruit, the first gift, we give to God is sorrow for our sins. Doing so opens the door for the healing grace of God to enter our lives and lead us down the path of reconciliation leading to the joys of the resurrection. May our Lenten prayer, fasting and almsgiving guide our steps into the way of true discipleship.  

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The View From the Top

Hey, Church Fans, this is the basic text, but there is a whole lot more on the video from the 8:30 Mass, including a little explanation of the Sacrifice of establishing the covenant with Abram in the first reading. I would have put a clip of it here, but Microsoft has decided that making a video clip should take at least 45 minutes instead of just two or three like it used to. You can see the homily by clicking here and then just fast forward. It is at 18:50 in the video. Sorry to make you work harder. You may want to tell Microsoft that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

     Right in our backyard in Anchorage is the most climbed peak in North America. It is 3510 feet high and has a peak roughly the size of a football field. Easily accessible from the Glen Alps trailhead, it is scaled by young and old, humans and canine. In the old days, they would even haul a polka band and a few kegs of brew to the summit on the summer solstice. I am talking of course, about Flattop Mountain.

Most people climb Flattop because it is a quick and relatively easy hike, but also because on a nice day the view from there is really spectacular. It puts all of the Anchorage bowl, and sometimes life, into perspective.

You’ll notice that the encounter of Abram with God and the Transfiguration of our Lord both happened on the top of a mountain. In the ancient world, this is where one went to encounter God, presumably because it got you that much closer to heaven, but also I suspect that, just like on Flattop, the view puts everything into perspective. 

It was certainly true of the ministry of Jesus.  From this vantage point, we see by the presence of Moses, that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law.  By the presence of Elijah, we see that he is also the fulfillment of all Old Testament prophecy. From the mountain top, we can see all the way back to the origins of God’s people, and we can look ahead to “what he would accomplish in Jerusalem” by his passion, death and resurrection. 

It is good to pause once in awhile either in prayer, or even by climbing to a place like the peak of Flattop, to put things into perspective. It is good to look back on where we have come from, how God has accompanied us and guided us on this journey of life and then to try to get a glimpse of where that is leading, what God might be calling us to as individuals and as a parish “and what we will accomplish in 99504.” 

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How Tempting!

Temptation is an interesting thing. No one ever pursues something because they believe it to be evil. Rather, they pursue it, because it is something that they perceive to be good, or at least benign.

       As humans beings, it is part of our very nature to pursue the good.  As Christians, we understand that the greatest good is God. The problem is that there are all these other lesser goods out there vying for our attention. Some of these will lead us to God.  These we call “real goods.”  Others will lead us away from God and ultimately into perdition. These are called “apparent goods.” 

       So how do you tell the difference? The temptation of Christ in the desert depicted in this week’s gospel (Luke 4:1-13) can help us out. 

       Let’s take the suggestion of the Devil that Jesus turn the stones into bread. Is a bread a good thing? You bet! All things being equal, there’s nothing better than a big hunk of warm sourdough with a slab of melting butter on it. And Jesus was hungry after fasting for forty days, so what’s the harm? Well, there’s lots of harm, actually. He who is able to turn water into wine can certainly turn stones into bread, but that is not why Jesus has that ability. Rather, it is to bring others to faith in God and in himself. To do otherwise would be a misuse of God’s gift.

       Likewise, understood and used rightly, political power can be a very good thing for the building of a just society. However, the power that the Devil offers Jesus comes only if he turns from the Creator and worships one of the created. Secondly, the Kingdom that Jesus has come to proclaim is “not of this world.” To pursue worldly power would be to subvert the very reason of the Incarnation.

       Finally, reliance on the providence of Almighty God is a very good thing. However, there is a not-so-fine line between faith in God’s providence and presumption of the same. When we cross that line, we say “MY will be done.” not “THY will be done.” Remember, God has three ways of answering prayer: “Yes.”,  “Not yet.”, and “I have something better in mind for you.” Who are we to presume that we know better than Almighty God?

       Keeping in mind the grand scheme of things helps us to distinguish between apparent goods and real goods. Something may be good in itself, but if it is not what God intends for us, then it is not a real good that will lead to our fulfillment and salvation, but an apparent good that will lead to our doom. May we have the grace of prayerful discernment to know the difference.     

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A Practical Paradox

     St. Luke must have been an interesting guy. We don’t know much about him personally, but based on what we do have, I gather that he must have been a bit of a renaissance man. He was at once a doctor, an artist, an historian, and an author, among other things. I also get the idea that he was a very practical man.

       A good example of this is his presentation of Jesus’ teaching commonly known as “the Beatitudes.” Unlike Matthew who has nine, Luke only has four. Luke also has an accompanying “woe” for each beatitude. Why is this teaching of Our Lord so important to Luke?

       Perhaps it’s because as a physician and an historian, it was very important for him to highlight the practicality of Jesus’ teaching. Matthew was a Jew writing to other Jews.  Luke on the other hand, was a Gentile writing to other Gentiles. As such, he tailors his message to his audience. Luke knew about the deepest desires of people in the Greek and Roman societies of his day. He also knew that such desires were often as out of reach for most as the pagan gods to whom they were obligated to pay homage. The great fears of the day were poverty, hunger, death and persecution.

       It was in just such a social and spiritual environment that the paradox of the Paschal Mystery could bring hope. This paradox is expressed clearly in the Lucan beatitudes and woes. It is the poor who are blessed; the hungry, the mourners, the persecuted. In his life and ministry as well as in his passion, death and resurrection, Jesus had experienced all of these things and emerged triumphant and glorious. For the pagan Greeks and Romans, the good news was that there was a better way. That the limits of this world, including even death itself, no longer had the final say, and thus has no lasting power over us in this life or the next. Christ has shown us that our final destiny is far greater, far more triumphant, far more glorious, as we enter into communion with the Divine in this life and into the next.

       As human beings, we are made by God, for God. Our Deepest longings can only be satisfied by God.  We are all born with what Ron Rolheiser calls a “holy longing” that can only satisfied by communion with God.

Sadly, though, so many try to fill that holy longing for God with the very things Our Lord says will bring us woe: wealth, pleasure, power, and honor. None of these are bad in and of themselves, but if we place them in our heart before God, they will lead to our ultimate destruction. 

       The Christian knows that when Christ is the center of one’s being:

              Wealth finds its expression in charity.

              Pleasure is found in feeding the hungry

              Power is used in service to others.

              Honor comes from leading others to glory.

Thus, the paradox. blessed are the poor, blessed are the the hungry, blessed are those who mourn, blessed are those who are persecuted.

       Things have not changed all that much in the last 2000 years.  Our way of doing things has changed, but we humans still seek ultimate meaning and the revelation of our final destiny. We still have the same fears and desires; and these fears and desires are still overcome by the power of Christ’s passion, death and resurrection.

       Luke helps us to see that salvation is still a practical matter. Despite the passage of time, we humans have not changed all that much, and neither has the salvation won for us in Christ so that we may enter into the realm of the Blessed. 

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Every Nation on Earth

Merry Christmas, Day 12! Today (and tomorrow) we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany. As we do every year, we get   Matthew’s gospel account of the Magi coming to visit the Holy Family in Bethlehem. These Magi are interesting characters.  We really don’t know how many of them there actually were, but pious tradition has settled on three, given that they brought three types of gifts. I’ve spoken before about how the gifts represent that Jesus was a king (gold), a priest (frankincense), and how both of these would be manifested in his passion, death and resurrection (myrrh).  Let’s chat a little about the Magi themselves and what they represent.

First, they are not kings. That notion developed over time in art and popular piety over the centuries for a variety of reasons.  But strictly they are magi. Magi were interesting folks. They were scholars and astrologers who looked to the heavens to discern what was going on in the world. Interestingly enough, about the time of Christ’s birth, the planet Jupiter, which represented kings, moved into Aries, the constellation that represented Israel at that time. This would make sense to magi, but would probably have gone unnoticed by others. 

Also very notable is the fact that they are all Gentiles.    Matthew saw them as the first fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah in today’s first reading, as well as echoing today’s     Responsorial in Psalm 72, “Lord every nation on earth will adore you.” In time, the characteristics of the magi in artistic expression, such as their skin color and their style of dress, have them representing the three known continents of Europe, Asia and Africa. This was a way to help people understand, as Paul says very clearly in today’s second reading from      Ephesians, “that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”  The good news is truly universal in scope.

Finally, the magi also help show us that the nature of the Kingdom which Christ ushers in is very different than any earthly Kingdom. Sadly, Herod, being the despot that he is  misses this point entirely. Like so many rooted in the world, he sees Jesus as a threat, not as a Savior.

The world has changed quite a bit since a long time ago in a Galilee far, far away.  Sadly, human nature has not. Thus, those of us who understand who Jesus really is have the     special task of making him known to the world of today. Wise men still seek him.  May we all have the grace to be heralds of the good news.

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Learning from the Holy Family

Merry Christmas, Day 5!  

     Many of you know Deacon Jim Lee and his wife Mireya. Deacon Jim is more or less retired from the deacon biz now, but I always appreciated his homilies. I remember him preaching once on this very Feast of the Holy Family many years ago. He was chatting about his own family and quipped,  “I used to wish that my kid would be more like Jesus. Then I realized that my kid would probably be more like Jesus if I were more like St. Joseph.” 

  As we celebrate the Feast of the Feast Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, we can learn a lot from them on how we can each be “holy families.” 

  They faithfully practiced their faith — The scriptures tell us that the Holy Family did all the things a good, pious Jewish family would do…and more. They were faithful to the Law when they dedicated him in the Temple. We see today in Luke how they would go up to Jerusalem each year for the Passover. Something Jesus did well into adulthood all the way up to  the end of his public ministry when he celebrated the Passover with his disciples in the Upper Room at the Last Supper. 

  They were each open to the will of God—Each member had to grapple with what God was asking them and then go forward living their lives accordingly.  Mary was probably envisioning a very different life with Joseph when the angel Gabriel announced to her that she would be the mother of the Savior. Yet, she responded in faith, saying, “Let it be done to me according to your will.”  Joseph also had to change his plans when Gabriel told him that it was by the Holy Spirit that Mary had conceived. Then again, when he was told to flee into Egypt…and again when they returned to Nazareth. Finally, in his agony in the garden, Jesus asked that this cup might pass, but in the end said, “Not my will, but yours be done.”

  They dealt with hardship and kept their faith in God and in each other—The circumstances of his birth in the stable and becoming political refugees fleeing from Herod are just two examples.  I am particularly struck by how the Blessed Mother remained with Jesus all the way through his passion and death on the Cross. Even later, she stayed the course and remained with the disciples in the Upper Room. She was with the disciples in the Upper Room at Pentecost. 

  There are many, many other examples of how the Holy Family can teach us holiness, but let’s go with these three for now.

First, let us practice our faith.

Now, you have heard me say a few times this year that to be Catholic in the United States these days is to be countercultural.

  Sometimes we may think that this is a recent phenomenon, but it has ALWAYS been so.   

  So, how can we live our faith in today’s world?  Pretty simple really.  The Church sanctifies three things: people, places and time. To sanctify someone or something, means to set it aside for God.  Each household, such as it is, should do the same. 

  1. Realize that you have been sanctified by your baptism.  You are a holy people, a holy family, a household of grace, set aside by God for the sanctification of the world.  And if not the whole world, then at least that little part of the world which with come into contact each day.  Be the animators of grace in your neighborhood.
    • This season, or next, put up a manger scene in your yard.  John Thomas Williamson has a really cool one that he came up with made out of plywood and a few lights.  It is really cool. If we are nice to him, maybe he will share with us the plans so we can each have one next year.  Imagine the difference that would make? 
    • Sanctify space: Where does prayer happen in your home every day?  You have a place to eat, a place to sleep, a place to watch TV, hopefully a place for your vehicle.  Where is the space set aside for prayer each day?  Get creative. 
    • Sanctify time: 
      • When does prayer happen each day in the home.  This will change as the life within the home changes.  Prayers that once took place at bedtime may move to right after dinner as the household gathers around the dinner or moves into the family room for a quick decade of the Rosary. 
      • Celebrate the holy seasons and feasts of the Church as part of the life of the home. Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, feast days of the patron saints of members of household. 

2. Living our faith and building that deep relationship with Christ and one another allows us to be open to the will of God for each member of our family.

In doing so, we are able recognize the gifts of others in the household and encourage those gifts to be used in a way that is pleasing to the giver within the family and the Church for the greater glory of Almighty God.

For ten years I was the Vocations Director for the Archdiocese.  Do you know what the greatest biggest obstacle was for those who were discerning a vocation to the priesthood or religious life? 

Parents. Specifically fathers who wanted their family name carried on and mothers who wanted grandchildren.

Now, neither of these are bad things, but if they are not the will of God for your child, you are doing them a great disservice and will find yourself fighting against God himself. Personally, I would not want to be in that position. You want your kid to be happy? Want the same thing that God wants for them. You’ll be glad you did. Celebrate each others gifts and vocation within the family and within the Church…for the world.

3. Finally, if we live our faith, if we are open to the will of God, then we are we may bear hardships that lead us and those around us to salvation.

  I’ve said it many times. 

       Life is messy…and…God is faithful. 

You can count on it.

       Still, I cannot say how I have been inspired and lifted up by those who seem to be going through the worst of times.  Yet through it all, they literally glow with the light of faith.

       It is real and it is undeniable. 

       It was true for the Holy Family, who seemed to know no end of hardship in those early years.

       Why would it not be true for us also? 

The world and everything and everyone in it has limits.

       Sometimes those limits manifest themselves in very tragic and troubling ways.   So what?!

  We have God and one another. 

  I know a woman who has had cancer two times, who has a 6’4” autistic son, who sometimes is more than a handful, and who by many measures of the world has had more than her share of heartbreak and hardship.

  And yet she radiates a joy that is unmistakable. 

       When I asked her about it once, she said, “Well, you just have to realize that you are held.”

And so we return to the Holy Family

  As Jesus was held in the arms of Mary and Joseph so too each of us is held precious in the arms of a loving God.

  So let US be a holy family.

Let us practice our faith with courage and constancy,

  Let us celebrate each other’s gifts for the glory of Almighty God

       So that none of the troubles of this world or of anyone in it can ever separate us the love of God or one another.

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Advent – Hope and Joy!

You know, in my life as an Ecumenist, both on the theological and the practical side, I have worked with folks from every denomination and major world religion.  One of the side effects is that when one enters into dialogue with others, you gain a real appreciation for your own tradition.

…I really like being Catholic. 

One of the great things about being Catholic is that how we see every part of life as touched by Almighty God. We sanctify everything: people, places…and time. As we enter int Advent this week, I’m going to concentrate on how we sanctify time.

We have holy hours, holy days, (ergo the word “Holiday”), Holy Week, and holy seasons.   In many ways this makes us counter cultural. 

While secular America has just entered “the Holiday Season”, we enter into the Holy Season of Advent. For us Catholics and many protestants, the Christmas season proper does not begin until the Vigil Mass on Christmas Eve and continues until the Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord. on January 12th.

But before we get there, we have this wonderful season of expectation, preparation, repentance, and hope. 

Most people may know that the Advent season focuses on expectation and think that it serves as an anticipation of Christ’s birth in the season leading up to Christmas. This is part of the story, but there’s so much more to Advent.

       The word “Advent” is derived from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming,” which is a translation of the Greek word parousia (παρουσία). During the 4th and 5th centuries in Spain and Gaul, Advent was a season of preparation for the baptism of new Christians in January on the feast of the Epiphany, the manifestation of Christ’s humanity and divinity by the visit of the Magi to the child Jesus, his baptism in the Jordan River by John the Baptist, and his first miracle at Cana. During this season of preparation, sometimes called St. Martin’s Lent, since it began on November 11th, the Feast of St. Martin, early Christians would spend 40 days in penance, prayer, and fasting to prepare for this celebration.

       By the 6th century, however, the Church in Rome had tied Advent to the coming of Christ. Pope Gregory the Great in the late 6th/early 7th century composed many of the prayers, antiphons, and psalm responses. But the “coming” they had in mind was not Christ’s first coming in the manger in Bethlehem, but his second coming in glory at the end of the age. It was not until the Middle Ages that the Advent season was explicitly linked to Christ’s first coming at Christmas.

       These days, the first three weeks of Advent focus on our preparation for Christ’s second coming in glory. Then, in the last week of Advent, we shift the focus to our preparation for his first coming in humility.

       The readings each Sunday reinforce this. Today, we hear the prophet Jeremiah remind us that the days are coming when the Lord will fulfill his promise to send the Messiah

       Paul exhorts us to conduct ourselves in a way that is pleasing to God.

       And finally, Our Lord himself tells us that when he comes again in glory, we should stand erect and raise our head, for our redemption is at hand. Indeed, the trials and tribulations that he mentioned seem all too present sometimes. Thus, we need to remain vigilant so that we may recognize him at his coming. 

       And he may find us waiting in joyful hope.

How we keep the Holy Season of Advent not only helps us do so, but it can be a lot of fun.

Be counter cultural! 

This year, why not make Advent something special.  Here’s some ideas

  • Get an Advent Wreath. 
  • Celebrate the Sundays of Advent and the major saints and feasts:
  • St. Andew’s Christmas Novena
  • St. Nicholas Day, 6 December
  • Immaculate Conception, Holy Day Dec. 9th
  • Our Lady of Guadalupe, 12 December
  • St. Lucy Day, 13 Dec
  • Go to Confession!  Get your spiritual house in order.
  • Fun stuff to do in Advent
    • Advent Wreathes
    • Jesse Trees – an example in the Narthex
    • Advent Calendars
    • O Antiphons
  • Have the Wise Men travel across the living room a little each day, until they finally reach the manger on January 6th.
  • Once you’ve set up your Manger, (of Baby Jesus won’t go in there until Christmas), have a little pile of straw nearby. Every times someone in the house does a good deed, put a piece of straw in the manger so that Jesus may have a comfortable bed when he arrives .
  • Clean out your closet and give something to the Warm Clothing Drive.
  • Go to Formed.org for videos, podcasts and Advent resources.

Advent is a time of expectation, preparation, repentance, and hope. 

      For the first three weeks we prepare for his second coming in glory at the end of the age. In the last week, we shift our focus as we prepare to celebrate his first coming in humility. 

      Be counter cultural! Get ready!  Have fun! So that when Our Lord comes…

however he comes,

he may find us ready to welcome him

standing erect, with our heads held high,

filled with hope and joy.

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What Does a Do King Anyway?

     The feast of Christ the King is always a bit puzzling for us Americans. Since we do not have any practical experience of a king, our notions of royalty are principally governed by our observations of the British royal family, (a most puzzling institution), or from fairy tales. Thus, our perception (rightly and wrongly) is that it is either irrelevant or the stuff of fantasy. Either way, we are left wondering what this “king” thing is all about.

It helps to remember what kings and sovereignty are really all about. In the best sense, as sovereign, the king was a messiah, an anointed of God, ordained as steward over the land as well as everything and everyone on it. If he understood his vocation well, he understood that he was not an owner, but a steward. Thus, at the end of his life, he would be judged by whether the land and the people thrived or not. To carry out this duty, he was given authority. But just as in the Church, that authority only made sense if it was used in the context of service to those in his realm. To act in his own interest was to become a despot. It was an abuse of the gift of authority from God.

So when we speak of Christ, the King of the Universe, first we are saying that he has been given authority by God over all of creation. That means everything and everybody; and by his life, death, resurrection and ascension to the Father, where he makes intercession for us, he continues to be the ultimate steward and servant. Truly, he is the greatest among us because he is the servant of all. 

It’s a good reminder for us on many levels. Our Lord has our best interests in mind and will do all that he can for our salvation in this life and into the next. Should we allow him to reign in our hearts and lives, there is no limit to how much we can love him and others in return. May we have the grace and humility to make it so.  

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The End is Near! So what?!

I was amused to read that a study done by an independent think tank had determined that because of the culture of gun ownership, geographic isolation and a number of other factors, Alaska is considered to be most likely to survive a zombie apocalypse. Good to know.

I’ve never understood the popularity of the whole zombie phenom. Or rather, I understand it, I just think it is a sad and tragic commentary on the secular humanism that is so prevalent in our country.

Simply put, modern secular humanism has trouble dealing with the mystery of death. Still, because human beings are comprised of a body and a soul, every fiber of our being cries out for some sort of reality beyond this present one.  Rejecting any concept of life after death, and thus, the resurrection of the dead, inevitably leaves one bereft of hope. If all one can hope for in this life is what is before us, then the future is bleak indeed. As a result, any depiction of life after death becomes a caricature of the resurrection of the dead and life everlasting…reanimated tissue…the undead…zombies…ewwww!

Christ reveals a better destiny for humanity. For the Christian, while powerful in its unfolding, the end of the age is not a scary thing. Rather it is the fulfillment of all our hopes and deepest desires. To be a human being is a marvelous thing. We are body and soul. In the resurrection of the body and the life of the world to come, we become what God has created us to be — perfectly human, body and soul. In this light, St. Ambrose actually speaks of death as a remedy rather than a curse, for it is through dying that we are born to eternal life. Sin separated us from God, but for the righteous, death unites us with God forever. The resurrection of the body is the completion of this reality and the fulfillment of our ultimate destiny of perfect communion, body and soul, with God. 

The temptation is to see the resurrection as some distant future reality.  But in truth, it is a reality unfolding in the present moment of the life of every Christian. Even now we are growing in communion with Christ and one another; and so even now we are becoming what God has created us to be. Thus, the Kingdom of God is very much in our midst.

May we have the grace to be people of the resurrection now, so that others may come to know the grace of God in their lives and enter into that same communion of Grace.

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Softball Questions

    I can’t wait for the election to be over. That being said, I once again remind you of your civic and moral obligation to vote an informed conscience.  That means becoming familiar with the seven pillars of Catholic Social Teaching, you inform yourself about where the candidates and ballot issues fall within that context and vote a well-informed conscience.

Watching candidate interviews can be helpful sometimes. Still I am amazed at the softball questions candidates will get from certain journalists.

Jesus never ran for office, but he did get some softball questions. In his exchange with the scribe in today’s gospel reading, he gets what appears to be a high, hanging curveball that any rabbi could knock out of the park: “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Any seven year old Jewish kid would have gotten this right. It’s like asking a Catholic kid, “What is the first line of the Our Father?”

Is the scribe just being easy on Jesus? Not really. It helps to understand the method of scholarship that was used in those  days. It was a simple process designed to help those involved delve more deeply into the meaning of the sacred texts. There were typically at least three stages. First, someone would ask a question that everyone knew so that they could locate themselves in the text. Next, the one who responded would take that text and provide an insight or connection to something else in the scriptures.  Then the one who initially asked would respond in a like manner.  The process continued until they felt they had exhausted the possibilities. 

This is exactly what the scribe and Jesus are doing. The unique thing is that Jesus connects the concept of the first text, love of God (Deut. 6), with the command to love one’s neighbor as yourself found in Leviticus 19:18. The latter is a pretty obscure text. By linking the two, Jesus shows that he knows the law better than just about anybody in the room. (Which, I suspect is why no one had the courage to ask more questions!)  He also gives us the Great Commandment for all time where love of God and love of neighbor as oneself can never be separated.  The scribe sees the wisdom of his answer. May we have the same grace and wisdom in our lives.

Hey, 60 trips around the sun! What fun. In Alaska, that means we get a permanent hunting/fishing license! Life is good.