The Book of Wisdom 6:12–16 (NABRE) describes many positive attributes of wisdom. This deuterocanonical book is one of the last written in the Old Testament and clearly shows the influence of Greek thought on the Jewish mindset. For many Greeks, wisdom was one of the deepest held and most highly …

In the Gospel According to Matthew 22:40 (NABRE), Jesus makes a fascinating point that’s easy to misinterpret when he says: “The whole law and prophets depend on these two commandments.” The word depend here carries a lot of weight and suggests an interesting dependency. The Greek verb that is translated …

In the Gospel According to Matthew 22:36 (NABRE), a lawyer asks Jesus an extremely important question: “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” Beyond giving us Jesus’ answer and insight into God’s view of the meaning and purpose of Old Testament events, this question also gives us an …

The Letter to the Philippians 4:13 (NABRE) contains Paul’s familiar statement, “I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me.” (The RSVCE translation is perhaps more familiar: “I can do all things in him who strengthens me.” Immediately prior to that verse in the Letter to the Philippians …

In the Gospel According to Matthew, Jesus tells a parable about a master who pays laborers the same wage whether they worked for the entire day or only a few hours at the end. This generosity causes those who worked the entire day to complain, leading the master in the …

The Book of Sirach 28:1 (NABRE) focuses on vengeful people and God’s vengeance. On the surface, this seems like a bit of an odd sentiment as we much prefer to see God as merciful rather than vengeful. The Book of Sirach is one of the Old Testament books originally written …

In the Gospel According to Matthew 18:18 (NABRE), Jesus says to his disciples “Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” A lot has been made of this important statement. As we …

The idea of becoming perfect and complete as a person is a spiritual goal for all Christians. Jesus’ instruction to his disciples found in the Gospel According to Matthew 5:48 (NABRE) to “be perfect just as your heavenly father is perfect” remains a call that applies to us all. What …

In the Gospel According to Luke 20:27–38 (NABRE), Jesus talks with the Sadducees about resurrection. In the Gospels, resurrection is an interesting term that is connected with eternal life but not synonymous with it. The Greek word for resurrection is ἀνάστασις (anastasis). This word literally means “standing up” and so also means …

In the Second Letter to the Thessalonians 1:11—2:2 (NABRE), Paul prays that God may make the Thessalonians worthy of their calling. This is quite a significant ask. In our society where we so often feed a sense of entitlement to whatever it is that we want, any sense of worthiness …