Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchHugging Anger
Episode 186
Our first reading—taken from the twenty-seventh and twenty-eighth chapters of the marvelous book of Sirach, called in older Bibles the book of Ecclesiasticus—has to do with anger, vengeance, and forg…
Published on 5 years, 3 months ago
Correcting a Brother
Episode 185
The Gospel for today addresses an issue of tremendous practical importance—namely, whether and how we ought to engage in fraternal correction. This is the traditional term for constructive criticism …
Published on 5 years, 4 months ago
Losing One’s Soul
Episode 184
Jesus in our Gospel for today says, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.” Do you want to save your soul? There’s the formula. Find the path in your lif…
Published on 5 years, 4 months ago
Shebna and Peter: The Nature of Authority
Episode 183
In the twenty-second chapter of the book of the prophet Isaiah, we find the prophet’s only criticism of an individual. The man in the prophet’s crosshairs is a certain Shebna, who is described as “ma…
Published on 5 years, 4 months ago
Israel Is Chosen for the World
Episode 182
One of the most distinctive (and scandalous) qualities of ancient Israelite religion is the insistence that Israel is the specially chosen people of God. Now, especially today, we have a problem with…
Published on 5 years, 4 months ago
The Best and Worst of Religion
Episode 181
Our first reading for this weekend, taken from the first book of Kings, is one of the most beautiful and memorable passages in the Old Testament. It tells of the prophet Elijah, who heard a tiny, whi…
Published on 5 years, 4 months ago
Come to the Water!
Episode 180
Our first reading for this weekend is taken from the fifty-fifth chapter of the book of the prophet Isaiah. The “second” section of Isaiah dates from around the time of the return of Israel from capt…
Published on 5 years, 5 months ago
What Do You Want?
Episode 179
Our first reading for this week is from the first book of Kings, and it has to do with Solomon, the son of David and Bathsheba, the great Israelite king who built the temple, and who eventually becam…
Published on 5 years, 5 months ago
How Strange Is the Power of God
Episode 178
What a privilege we have this weekend to hear from the book of Wisdom. Scholars contend that this is the last book written in the Old Testament, dating from around the time of Jesus. It is a collecti…
Published on 5 years, 5 months ago
The Word That Accomplishes Its Purpose
Episode 177
This week, we hear from the book of the prophet Isaiah, and the theme of this short passage is the Word of God. How wonderful that we are hearing one of the greatest speakers of the Word precisely on…
Published on 5 years, 5 months ago