The Gospel According to Luke 5:1–11 (NABRE) describes Jesus’ call of his disciples and includes the wonderful passage: “from now on you will be catching men,” which sometimes is translated elsewhere as “I will make you fishers of men.” While the English pun “fishers of men” is clever and catchy, …

The Book of Jeremiah 1:4–5 (NABRE) highlights that God called the prophet even before creating him and setting him apart for his task. This idea of being set apart in order to be dedicated to God appears throughout the Old and New Testaments and is one of the most important …

The Church annually celebrates Sunday of the Word of God in late January to reflect on the extraordinary gift of God’s word. The Bible or the Scriptures make up a central part of Christian worship because they uniquely reveal God to us through God’s own inspiration. While these writings are …

The Gospel According to John 2:1–11 (NABRE) features the wedding at Cana and an odd exchange between Jesus and his mother. In this exchange, Mary comes to Jesus with a problem, Jesus seems to be dismissive of her concern, and then ultimately he does what she asks with no further …

As we celebrate the baptism of Jesus by John we reflect on the word baptism, which comes from the Greek word βαπτίζω (baptizo) and means “dip” or “plunge.” Baptism as it’s usually mentioned in the Bible is a dipping or submerging of the person being baptized into water. John’s baptism …

The Letter to the Colossians 3:12 (NABRE) describes a number of traits Christians should endeavor to adopt in terms of getting dressed in them. Paul describes the process this way: “Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” In many translations, the …

Although most people are familiar with the prophet Micah’s foretelling where the Messiah would be born, the same prophecy also has something important to say about the temporal nature of the new king. The fifth chapter in the Book of Micah (NABRE) contains a powerful prophecy about the coming Messiah …

As we reflect on the cost and conflict that comes with proclaiming the word of God, the Letter to the Hebrews 12:1 (NABRE) reminds us that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. Within the context of Christianity, bearing witness came to have a special sense, and the …

The Book of Jeremiah 33:16 (NABRE) contains a promise of safety and security in the land. It often can seem to us as Christians that such security is impossible. The model of the early Church of suffering and martyrdom for Christ suggests anything but security, and yet this concept is …

The Book of Daniel 7:13 (NABRE) contains the significant phrase “one like a son of man” later adopted by Jesus in the Gospels to describe himself. Interestingly, this phrase is of Aramaic origin. The Book of Daniel is one of the later writings of the Old Testament with some sections …