The call to a change of heart and a change of life was a hallmark of the ministry of Jesus, of His forerunner, John the Baptist, and of His apostles. And the Lenten season, which has been part of the Christian year from the earliest days of the church, has always made repentance its centerpiece.
Today's first reading about Abraham sacrificing his only son — the son of promise, the son who would carry the future of Abraham's descendants to be as numerous as the stars or the sands on the seashore — may strike us as brutal, savage, primitive and shocking. A little background may cause the dark clouds that envelop this reading to dissipate.
When I was about 13, I had a bad temper — so bad that I quit playing golf.
Being the target of gossip can be traumatizing for any teenager. When you are a teen, you are already grappling with questions about your identity, relationships and purpose. The unwanted attention that gossip brings can make us feel embarrassed, betrayed or frustrated. The doubt and shame can also make it harder to ask an adult for help.
Has interest subsided because we know so much more now or because "black history" has been well assimilated into the narrative of "American history"? More important, has the populace benefited from a cordoned-off study of the achievements of black people?
In a recent survey conducted by America Media in collaboration with the Center for the Applied Research in the Apostolate, more than 67 percent of all the Catholic women who were surveyed reported that they have never participated in parish ministry.
Cleansing our temple
As each of the four Gospel evangelists provide an account of Jesus Christ cleansing the Temple, we recognize that it is a pivotal event in His ministerial life. John’s description provides a dramatic scene, as Jesus made a whip and drove out the money changers, those selling animals to be sacrificed, and even the animals themselves. Amid the turmoil, as Our Lord overturned tables, He shouted that His Father’s house should not be “a house of trade.”