Sunday Reflections

Throughout Matthew’s Gospel, his former life as a tax collector shows through in the parables and moments he chose to preserve.  It is a testimony to how God uses the lens of our ordinary work to reveal deeper truths.  And the confrontation between the Pharisees and Jesus in Matthew 22:15–21 is no exception.  In it, … Read more

Hearing Saint Paul write to the Philippians of contentment, of knowing both abundance and humble circumstance, my mind turns naturally to wedding vows.  In good times and in bad, for richer, for poorer.  We recognize that cadence because it is the language of covenant.  Paul’s endurance is not stoic grit or a spiritual crutch; it … Read more

“Actions speak louder than words” – a common phrase, and one underscored by Jesus in the parable of the two sons.  One says no to his father but does the work, while the other agrees but never goes into the vineyard.  As Jesus points out, the first son is the one who did his duty. … Read more

The parable of the vineyard workers in Matthew’s Gospel cuts against our natural instincts about justice.  We readily identify with the laborers hired at dawn.  They endured the dry heat, put in the twelve-hour shift, and expected their wage to reflect their sweat.  When the eleventh-hour arrivals received the exact same payment, resentment followed immediately.  … Read more

Do unto others as you wish to be treated, in all ways. This is an easy rule when framed by our expectations of what is owed to us.  However, it becomes demanding when the perspective reverses, when the mirror turns around.  In that moment, we often fall into the trap Jesus describes to Peter in … Read more