“Who are these, clothed in white robes, and whence have they come?” “Sir, you know.” “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” It’s possible that, by the “great tribulation,” John refers here to the Neronian persecution in the middle of the first century. Though many Christians today prefer to think of this as some kind of future apocalyptic event. Whatever it is, historically, the

The Lord’s summary of the Law here in Matthew 22 does not cause the crowds to disperse in dismay like the dramatic Bread of Life discourse in John 6; nor does provide the shocking command to enemy love that we hear on the sermon on the mount. It seems familiar to us — certainly especially in our prayer book tradition where we often hear it announced at the beginning of Mass — and it would have seemed familiar to many Jews at the time, as a good summary of the two “tablets” of

The dilemma posed to Jesus by this odd alliance of Pharisees and Herodians should seem familiar to anyone who has seriously wrestled with a Christian conscience in the modern world. The Lord sees the “malice” of the group — the Greek word is the same one for “evil” or “the evil one” at the end of the Our Father — which would ordinarily have nothing to do with one another. They have teamed up, not because they agree, but because they agree in their disagreement with the implic

By the time we get to the parable of the wedding feast in Matthew 22, the Lord has already shared a series of increasingly pointed parables in front of the chief priests and Pharisees. The timing, recall, is in fact Holy Week. The dramatic confrontation that has been building continues to mount. In the lectionary choice of Isaiah 25, Holy Church shows us a directly relevant background for the parable. This great wedding feast is the culmination of God’s great love and provi

The gospel presents us today with yet another parable about vineyards, but this time we finally get with it the passage from Isaiah 5 which stands behind all of these parables and sayings. In Isaiah, the vineyard is explicitly identified as God’s people, Israel. But the vineyard has been badly managed and left to grow sour wild grapes, resulting in God’s judgment. The prophet’s initial describe of God the landowner as “my beloved” echoes the language of the Song of Songs, t

Matthew’s parable of the two sons happens on Tuesday of Holy Week. Earlier in this same chapter, Jesus entered Jerusalem, acclaimed by the crowds. But the week continues with a series of direct confrontations with the temple authorities and Pharisees. Jesus cleanses the temple, turning over the tables of the moneychangers. The priests and scribes, increasingly hostile, confront him with a question of authority: by what authority does he do and say these things? This parable c

Today’s parable of the laborers in the vineyard gives us a compelling and yet disorienting vision of the kingdom of God. As Fr. Simeon puts it, “The parable is a catechesis meant to transform the natural man and his pagan values and mentality into a Christian with the generous mind and redeeming Heart of Christ, that is, into a being capable of bearing the full joy and glory of a kingdom where every breath is an act of love.”[1] This is one of those gospel passages that, as

We can do no better than our collect for the day (14th Sunday after Trinity) at tying together the various themes from our readings: ALMIGHTY and everlasting God: give unto us the increase of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain that which thou dost promise, make us to love that which thou dost command… In 1549 Cranmer translated that collect from the Sarum books, which in turn received it from a much older Roman tradition. In any case it implies something wh

In case there was any misconception about how the Church understands the Petrine ministry – the office of the popes as the successors of St. Peter — the continuation of Matthew 16 today offers some important correctives. So often critics of the papacy balk at the idea of infallibility, imagining that Catholics think the pope is perfect and can make no mistakes. And far too often this criticism happens because of Catholics who hold exactly this naive view. In fact the teaching

“O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” (Rom 11:33) St. Paul has been speaking, in Romans, for the previous few chapters, of the mystery of election, and his hope for the ultimate salvation of ethnic Israel despite the majority’s apparent rejection of the new covenant in Christ. Perhaps we might just pause here to say that, in the face of, on the one hand, a resurgence in what I can only c

Today’s readings are filled with the promise of God’s expansion of the covenant beyond the bounds of ethnic Israel. In particular, Isaiah’s description of all the nations “ministering” to the Lord — using distinct priestly language — is a striking reminder that the newness of the New Testament, the newness of the expansion to the Gentiles in the book of Acts, is new only in part. This was, in other words, part of the plan all along. Israel’s particularity, her status as the c

I have to wonder what the disciples were thinking in the story of our gospel today. In another story, of course, a storm comes when Jesus takes a nap. And today we hear about a storm that comes on while Jesus goes off alone to pray. Surely these were both a little discouraging, and we can imagine the men asking that question that seems to constantly plague us in moments of trial: Where’s Jesus when you need him? Or, if you prefer, cue Lena Horne’s plaintive voice in her class

Just last week we heard the parable of the sower, where the seed is the word of God and the soil is the people who receive it. Today, though, in the parable of the wheat and the tares, we are not the soil but the seed. In one interpretation, this parable can appear disturbing, because whatever we are — wheat or weeds — we are simply what either Jesus or the devil planted. Seeds have no free will; they just live out their nature as seeds. This was how many of the Gnostic her

From Isaiah: [My word] shall not return to me empty,but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it. This is a great set of readings for those who like growing things. Even the most successful human gardener has issues from time to time — seeds that don’t sprout like they should, unpredictable weather, pests. Having moved all over the country, I’ve often had to forget a lot of what I’ve learned when I come to a new place. Scr

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matt 11:28-30) This seems like a good message for summer vacations, though the heat of late makes it hard to do much of anything, including rest. Anyway it’s a wonderful passage, one that we rightly emphasize as a core description of the Ch

A very happy feast of title! This year I have enjoyed chewing on the Tradition’s thinking on this feast. It is a very old feast, dating at least back to the 4th century, and celebrated in both East and West. If you’re wondering why it happens on this date, recall simply that scripture informs us that, when Mary visits Elizabeth, shortly after the Annunciation, it was the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy. So St. John’s nativity is approximately six months before our Lord’s

The prophet Jeremiah’s call to repent and keep the Sabbath is met by nothing but mockery and contempt among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. The prophets are often ignored and persecuted. The Lord’s call in Matthew to have no fear in the face of such persecution is framed not as a description of what is normal but a command, because in fact it would be unnatural, in normal human terms, not to fear. Today’s climate of supposedly secular neo-pagan morality tests the boundaries of

Over the last few weeks we watched the Lord ascend into heaven, saw the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and turned finally to the contemplation of that mystery of all mysteries, the Holy Trinity. But if we imagine, through this progression, that the Catholic faith was moving us in the direction of pure intellectual vision and disembodied spiritual life, think again: “For my flesh is meat indeed: and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my b

If one is a certain kind of mainstream Christian, it is likely that one will find any extended conversation on the subject of the Trinity to be tedious and pointless. This won’t stop one from invoking said Trinity, or naming things after it, or even, perhaps, believing in it, whatever it means — but as a subject for discussion, or contemplation, the Trinity is about as useful as last week’s newspaper: a curious starting point somewhere in the background of the more interestin

Come Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of thy faithful people: and kindle in them the fire of thy love. This week I want to continue the theme that I began last week, leading to next Sunday’s celebration of the Most Holy Trinity. I want to show how the dogma of the Trinity is no mere academic afterthought but stands at the heart of Christian life. This morning, on the day of Pentecost, our worship is naturally tuned to the gift of the Holy Spirit. And this is where many of us p