De Omnibus Dubitandum Est.

The notion that Christ was a "rule breaker" is a very naive reading of the Christian calling as CC Father reminds us here . Reflecting on this theme, he concludes: I believe that it is only in obedience that we are able properly to cooperate with Christ's saving work, and submit to whatever He asks of us. But every force in our fallen nature and in our society and its dominant thinking, culture and values, rebels at that notion. For me, this blog immediately brought to mind Pope Benedict XVI's words in his excellent exposition of the person of Christ Jesus of Nazareth, Volume I where he discusses the exposition of Jesus in the Jewish scholar Jacob Neusner's book A Rabbi Talks with Jesus . "The conventional interpretation is that Jesus broke open a narrow-minded, legalistic practice and replaced it with a more generous, more liberal view, and thereby opened the door for acting rationally in accord with the given situation. Jesus' statement that ...

I thought the readings last Sunday were particularly pertinent and spoke clearly to me regarding several issues. The Readings were: • Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8 • Psalm: 14:2-5; Response: v. 1 • Second Reading: James 1:17-18, 21-22, 27 • Gospel: Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 It has taken me a few evenings to write this up, largely because I was working out what I wanted to understand about the Scripture in my own head. This was a reaction to the teaching of the Scriptures regarding Law, revelation and fidelity. These issues are worth discussing here because a proper understanding of the Scriptures, especially in a proper Old Testament context, can only deepen one's understanding of the important societal battle being waged in which we are the troops, whether we like it or not. As I opined earlier this week , we need to stand up and fight! I think this Sunday's readings really show off an apparent contradiction between the Old Testament and the New Testament: at least...

Welcome to this, the twenty-seventh of my reflections on the theology of the Sunday readings at Mass. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I sincerely hope that this reflection will inspire you. You might find that it answers a few questions you may have, but most of all I hope that it will show you how fantastic Sacred Scripture is and perhaps enable you to share some of my love and passion for the Bible as you begin to comprehend how layered and multi-faceted it is, and what a carefully considered part of the Mass the readings are. If you want to know how these posts came about, please read my first post in this series  here . I would like to think this regular blog would be a great help to anyone who reads at Mass, to enable them to foster a deeper understanding of the message they are trying to impart to the congregation. There are several different ways to read this post. I would suggest the first thing to do is to look at the relevant...

Matthias Grunewald , Isenheim Altarpiece, 1512-1516 I have been questioned (a lot) on Twitter by a tweep called @theTRUTHSPIRIT about Easter. The suggestion is that it is a Pagan festival and that Jesus didn't rise on Sunday. This is a question about Mass really. Catholics go to Mass on Sunday, but the Sabbath (or Shabbat) is celebrated Friday to Saturday. To be precise, according to halakha , Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until the appearance of three stars in the sky on Saturday night.  Shabbat is ushered in by lighting candles and reciting a blessing. Traditionally, three festive meals are eaten; on Friday night, Saturday morning, and late Saturday afternoon. Friday night dinner begins with kiddush and a blessing recited over two loaves of challah . Shabbat is a festive day when Jews are freed from the regular labours of everyday life. It offers an opportunity to contemplate the spiritual aspects of life and spend time with famil...