America Magazine - The Good Word

The Apostle Paul in Denver

Author: John W. Martens;

Does the Apostle Paul help us understand what’s going on in Denver? You might ask, what’s going on in Denver? Two children, preschoolers, whose parents are lesbians, are not going to be able to continue their education in the Catholic school at Sacred Heart of Jesus parish. The reasons offered by the Parish priest, Fr. Bill Breslin, and Archbishop Chaput are found here and here. I will offer a few excerpts. The first two are from the letter of Fr. Bill Breslin:

"If a child of gay parents comes to our school, and we teach that gay marriage is against the will of

Sunday, March 7

Author: John Kilgallen, S.J.;

One looks for a glimmer of hope in this Sunday's Gospel reading. The reading unfolds as a remembrance of two of Jesus' threatening statements and one of his parables. The threats from Jesus are the results of a certain way an audience tells Jesus about Galilean blood that Pilate, ever a harsh man and never one of half-measures, mixed with Jewish sacrifices in Jerusalem (the only place of Jewish sacrifices). This audience in some way must have suggested to Jesus that 'the insult revealed the sinfulness of these Galileans'. Jesus does not respond to any subtle suggestion that indeed their humiliation shows they were sinners; sin

Third Sunday of Lent: A Jewish Interpretation of Exodus

Author: Barbara Green, O.P.;

I am in the midst of teaching a seminar that considers, among other things, the (perceived and often undeniable) violence involved in Christian interpretation of the Hebrew Bible. And I recently attended the feast of Purim at a conservative synagogue—quite a different experience from hearing an Esther reading at Christian liturgy on Thursday of the first week of Lent! Consequently, I would like to present a summary reminder of how ‘Judaism’ interprets today’s first reading.

When Jews interpret the Bible, they consider and consult not only the written biblical text but the genres of commentary around it: Mishnah, Talmud, legal and homiletic material, r

A Lenten Scripture Reflection

Author: John W. Martens;

There are numerous positives to blogging on the scripture: people actually read what you have written; the time between writing and publishing is not measured in months and years, but in minutes; and you can write in a less formal style than is required by academia, allowing you often to bridge heart and head. It has its drawbacks, too, and the one that looms over me most often has to do not with style or audience but whether I should write on this day about this scripture. This is not, mind you, a question of writer’s block or procrastination – though God knows these are realities for most who write at one time or another – but of the awesome task of writing about scrip

The Transfiguration - Feb 28, Sunday

Author: John Kilgallen, S.J.;

The Transfiguration of Jesus is a story meant to light hope in the reader. Each of the Synoptics - today we look to Luke - wants to have his Gospel speak of this extraordinary event. Indeed, extraordinary, for there is nothing like it anywhere in the rest of Jesus' public life.

The term 'transifiguration' seems unrevealing, but can any one adequately describe what takes place in Jesus at this moment? 'Brightness' seems a common theme, but that means only 'glory' and 'truth' and 'majesty' and 'life' in biblical vocabulary. Jesus was, for a brief period, transformed.&nb