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Oct 2018
When we consider sacrifice in the Old Testament we discover that no matter how we approach the matter, sacrifice always falls short. As a gift of tribute to God, the ruler of all, it falls short because of the rebellion of the subject people. If sacrifice is seen as a pledge of fidelity in a sort of marriage covenant between God and his people, sacrifice fails because of the infidelity and adultery of an idolatrous people. When we consider the plea of God, I want mercy, not sacrifice, and set that it......
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October 05, 2018
Fidelity or ’emeth’: the solid foundation for the covenant
Jesus teaches that the weightier matters of the law are judgment, mercy, and fidelity. I have been examining the Hebrew words that lie behind these inseparable covenant qualities: mishpat for judgment, chesed for mercy, and...
September 28, 2018
‘Chesed’: The mercy that gives security to the vulnerable
Jesus speaks of judgment, mercy, and fidelity as the weightier matters of the law. (Mt 23:23) Setting these three together is essential for the right understanding of the more compact statement that mercy is better...
September 21, 2018
Who am I to judge?
In order better to understand the words of the prophet, I want mercy, not sacrifice (Hos 6:6), I turned to Jesus’ statement about the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and fidelity. I am...
September 14, 2018
The covenant qualities of judgment, mercy, and fidelity: judgment
In the past weeks I have been writing about how the Old Testament compares the covenant between God and Israel to a marriage. We have seen that Israel acted in relation to God as a...
September 07, 2018
Sacrifice and Covenant in Hosea and Ezekiel
I have been writing about sacrifice in the Old Testament in the context of the covenant between God and Israel, which was compared to a marriage. In this context idolatry was seen as the spiritual...
August 31, 2018
Idolatry, Adultery, and the renewal of the Covenant in the Prophet Hosea: Part I
Last Sunday I began writing about the role of sacrifice precisely within the context of the covenant between God and his people Israel. The covenant between God and Israel, precisely because it is founded not...
August 24, 2018
Sacrifice in the Old Testament – Part IV
Last Sunday I resumed writing about the meaning and practice of sacrifice in the Old Testament and followed line of thought that starts with the idea of a gift given to honor a ruler and...
August 10, 2018
Pope Pius XI on Reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Last Sunday I introduced for the Prayers of the Faithful an act of reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, composed by Pope Pius XI. The reason I introduce the prayer was the corruption that...
August 03, 2018
Corruption in the Clergy
Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus, committed the most abominable crime in the history of humanity by betraying Jesus Christ into the hands of his enemies. Through his act of betrayal...