In Matthew 11, we discover that John the Baptist, who earlier preached the Kingdom of God in the wilderness, is now imprisoned. At this point in story, we do not know how John ended up in prison. All we know is that he preached the Kingdom. Looking a few verses ahead, we learn from Jesus…
Category: The Bible as Literature
To These Little Ones
Image credit: “Mother of God, Protectress of the Oppressed,” by Kelly Latimore, inspired by Brother Robert Lentz. Today is July 4, a holiday in the United States. As is the custom of our church, over the centuries, many such holidays have been coopted to serve the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In this spirit, on this day,…
Bringer of the Sword
Bewitched by the lie of acquisition and consumerism, we have become a society of people whose actions proclaim the vulgar creed, “me first.” With supposed possessions in hand, we emerge as a nation of cowards, so terrified of losing what we think we have that we elevate our cravenness with ugly platitudes: family first, religion…
Fear Wisdom
People claim to be members of God’s household—to be followers of his teaching—but in the Roman Empire, your master determines your household, and in the Bible, your fears reveal your true master. Insofar as our fears control us, the Matthean metaphor of the Roman household contextualizes this dynamic perfectly, as a kind of slavery. If…
How the Gospel Uses Fear
Critics of the Bible often complain about its violent stories. How could the Bible be considered sacred, they ask, when it is full of so much cruelty and abuse? The answer—of course—is that it is human civilization that is overflowing with cruelty and violence, and the Bible holds this fact up to our face. Almost…
Daniel Anthony del Castillo
Fr. Marc Boulos, June 8, 2019 In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. To Daniel’s beloved wife, Renae, and his mother, Marcia; To Renae’s mother Claudette and her family; To his sisters, Deborah and Michele; To Giovanni, Alessandro, Isabella, Cezanne and Hudson, and to the least…
Are You Worthy?
So often, we hear Scripture in translation and assume a meaning for its words based on how we use those words in our modern language. When we do this, we make three mistakes. First, we forget that the way words are used can change over time; second, we disregard the problem of translation; third, and…
Do Not Muzzle the Ox
The famous Negro Spiritual, “Keep Your Eyes on the Prize,” captures the spirit of Matthew 10. The hymn calls to mind an array of Scriptural passages to encourage and enjoin the faithful to run the race set before them. In its famous verse: “Keep your hand on the Gospel plow; Won’t take nothing for my…
The One Who Betrayed Him
Insofar as Matthew’s Genealogy in chapter 1 dismantles and ridicules the patrilineal line of David, it provides context for our understanding of the names of the Twelve in chapter 10. Where the name Matthew looks ahead, offering the hope of his gospel for Israel, the names that come after foreshadow a gift—a “Matthan”—already rejected. These…
First Things Last
As in the case of the Matthean Genealogy, our understanding of the summoning of the Twelve Apostles in Matthew 10 depends heavily upon the meaning of names. Not only their meaning, but their placement within Matthew’s list and their language of origin, taken in context of the broader narrative—all of which is amplified by the…