Being anxious is something everyone experiences now and then. In the Gospel According to Luke 10:38-42 (NABRE), Jesus chastises Martha for having many cares or anxieties, a condition many in our world today can relate to. What exactly is it about Martha’s behavior that Jesus sees as less than ideal? …

Who is your neighbor? The setup to the parable of the Good Samaritan in the Gospel According to Luke 10:25–29 (NABRE) presents an interesting linguistic anomaly that arises between the Hebrew Old Testament and the first Greek translation of it, the Septuagint. Jesus and a scholar of the law are discussing …

In the tenth chapter of the Gospel According to Luke (NABRE), Jesus sends out 72 disciples to deliver a message of peace. Throughout the Old and New Testaments, the concept of peace is used in a variety of ways and has many meanings—ranging from the absence of war to harmony between neighbors …

The fifth chapter of the Letter to the Galatians (NABRE) focuses on spirit and flesh. We see there a clear contrast between living in the spirit and living in the flesh, with the strong suggestion that the two are mutually exclusive. What makes these two things opposed, and what is …

The book of Genesis 14:18-20 (NABRE) describes Melchizedek blessing Abraham. This blessing is foundational in the Old Testament as it establishes a relationship between Abraham and God that is extended also to Abraham’s descendants. So what exactly is it? In Greek and Latin, blessing ultimately has to do with speaking …

In the Gospel According to John 14:26 (NABRE), we encounter Jesus’ well-known description of the Holy Spirit as the Advocate or Counselor. This view of the Holy Spirit is essential to the Evangelist’s view of the role of the third person of the Most Holy Trinity, so it’s worthwhile to …

The Gospel According to John 13:31–35 (NABRE) looks ahead to when Jesus will be glorified. What exactly does Jesus mean by that, and what is it that Jesus is going to look like? The Greek word δόξα (doxa) translated as glory is related to a verb meaning “to expect,” “to …

What does it mean to worship and serve God in heaven? What does heaven look like and what will we be doing if we make it there? In the seventh chapter of the book of Revelation (NABRE), we see a great multitude before the throne of God. What exactly this …

Why would Jesus distinguish between philia and agape when asking Peter about love? The Gospel According to John 21:15–19 (NABRE) contains one of the most interesting translation issues in the whole of Scripture, the discussion between Jesus and Peter as they talk back and forth about the notion of love. What …

The Gospel According to John 8:1–11 (NABRE) highlights sin and consequence in the account of the woman taken in adultery. The Jewish leaders have found a sinful woman whom they are using as a trap for Jesus. He can either endorse carrying out the law and get in trouble with …