The Gospel According to Matthew 14:19 (NABRE) records: “Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds.” A similar event in recorded in the Fourth …

In his Letter to the Romans 8:29 (NABRE), Paul provides a powerful statement about God’s plan for humanity that he culminates with the familiar: “For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” …

In the Letter to the Romans 8:26 (NABRE), Paul describes the role of the Holy Spirit in prayer when he writes, “for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.” The phrase “inexpressible groanings” seems a bit odd and not …

The Letter to the Romans 8:20 (NABRE) contains an elegant description of the state of fallen humanity that characterizes creation as being made “subject to futility.” The word here translated as futility also sometimes is translated as vanity, and it carries significant shades of meaning. The Greek word ματαιότης (mataiotes) …

The Gospel According to Matthew 11:28–30 (NABRE) contains Jesus’ frequently quoted promise to give rest to humanity. Rest is an important concept in both the Old and New Testaments. When we think of rest, however, it can mean a number of things. What exactly is it that Jesus is promising …

In the Gospel According to Matthew 10:37 (NABRE), Jesus makes a bold statement about love that is easy to misconstrue. The statement is: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” …

What does it mean to kill the body but not the soul? Jesus draws a distinction between death and destruction in this week’s liturgy, where we encounter the Gospel According to Matthew 10:28 (NABRE): “And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; …

In this week’s reading from the Gospel According to Matthew 10:1-2 (NABRE), Jesus sends out his 12 main followers without him, and the text shifts from calling them disciples to calling them apostles. This is an important shift in role and responsibility that has considerable bearing on what it means …

The sixth chapter in the Gospel According to John (NABRE) contains what sometimes is called the Bread of Life discourse. For centuries people have been debating what Jesus meant when he said to his followers: “Unless you eat my flesh ….” This passage contains an interesting tension on the topic …

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity marks the Church’s celebration of the one God in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Trinity is the word that we use to describe the threefold nature of God.Interestingly, the word Trinity doesn’t actually appear anywhere in the Bible. It’s a word that …