The Lateran Basilica in Rome is not the home parish for many of us though some might have visited it It is the pope rsquo s own cathedral but we are parishioners at churches closer to home with less ancient and lofty origins and nicknames like St Joe rsquo s and St Mike rsquo s Our home paris

What happens when we die This is a question most people ask at some point perhaps especially Christians who look forward to the resurrection at the end of time But in the interim prior to the general resurrection what happens to those who have died Where do they go This is a confusing issue

In the covenant code in Exodus in which Moses reveals God rsquo s prohibitions and commandments to the Israelites we quickly learn that God is a God who hears the voices of the powerless who sees the needs of the poor The terms of the covenant directed the Israelites not to ldquo wrong or oppre

One of Jesus rsquo most famous sayings challenges us to consider a simple question what do I owe to whom The saying is mellifluous in the King James translation ldquo Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar rsquo s and unto God the things that are God rsquo s rdquo It is tea

There is no more compelling image for the city of God than that of the banquet drawing as it does on the common experiences of good food and drink I remember the cities I have visited by the food I ate in them so this picture of the feast resonates at a deep human level Feasts recall times of j

In biblical poetry a vineyard often represents the beloved. The prophet Isaiah begins to “sing for my beloved my love-song concerning his vineyard,” a song in which God’s affectionate care of Israel is recounted. The love song quickly becomes a lover’s lament, though, as Isaiah tells how the vineyard was prepared with tenderness, but since it produced “wild grapes,” it will now be abandoned.