The Letter to the Colossians 1:15 (NABRE) contains a beautiful and powerful description of the kingship of Jesus Christ, and one of the key points in that description is that Jesus came before all other creatures as the firstborn. This seems like an odd concept because as a human person, …

As we approach the end of Ordinary Time, our Mass readings focus on completion and the end or fullness of time. In the Gospel According to Luke 21:5–19 (NABRE), Jesus talks about the eventual destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, which becomes a metaphor for the destruction of all things. …

The Gospel According to John 2:13–22 (NABRE) describes Jesus driving the money changers from the Temple. Jesus’ followers see his actions and recall the passage from Psalm 69:10 (NABRE): “Zeal for your house has consumed me.” What is it about Jesus’ behavior that caused his disciples to think of this …

This weekend we celebrate the feasts of All Saints and All Souls. These two feasts fall back-to-back on the liturgical calendar and focus on the departed by first inviting us to entreat prayers from the saints and then to pray for all fallen souls. The distinction between saints and everyone …

In the Second Letter to Timothy 4:7 (NABRE), Paul describes his work spreading the Gospel as an athletic contest or competition that’s nearing completion. This view of serving God may seem foreign to us at first. In a contest, there are winners and losers, a view that may be challenging …

In the Second Letter to Timothy 3:16 (NABRE), Paul emphasizes the importance of Scripture for growing in the spiritual life when he writes that “all Scripture is inspired by God.” This phrase inspired by God comes from a single Greek word, θεόπνευστος (theopneustos). This Greek word appears only in this one …

In the Gospel According to Luke 17:11–19 (NABRE), Jesus cleanses a group of lepers by sending them to present themselves to the priests. According to the law, this presentation was required to be pronounced clean again if one’s leprosy passed, and it was on their way there that these lepers …

In the first and second chapters of the Book of Habakkuk (NABRE), the prophet encourages faith among the people who feel that the LORD isn’t listening to their cry. The prophet urges patience and ultimately faith. We’ve previously examined the root and origin of the Greek word for faith at …

What is Hades? How does it differ from our Christian concept of hell? The Gospel According to Luke 16:19–31 (NABRE) contains the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The action takes place in the underworld, though the image used for the underworld here is noticeably different from the Christian concept …

The Gospel According to Luke 16:13 (NABRE) contains Jesus’ familiar statement: “You cannot serve both God and mammon.” Within the context of the passage, it’s clear that mammon here concerns wealth, but something unusual is also going on with this term that explains why translators don’t frequently translate it into …