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 Letter to the Philippians 4:6 (NABRE), Paul urges his readers to “have no anxiety,” a powerful statement, though this translation may not capture the full spirit of the original intent. Anxiety involves a fear response and bears much relationship to fear. In that context, this statement seems similar …

Paul’s Letter to the Philippians 2:6-11 (NABRE) contains a well-known and powerful description of Jesus. In the opening of this passage, Paul describes Jesus as being in the “form” of God. What does that say about Jesus? The Greek word for form, μορφή (morphe), describes and refers to outward appearance. …

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 frequently quoted verse from the Book of Jeremiah 20:7—”You duped me, O LORD, and I let myself be duped”—is an interesting concept made even more complex because in this instance the liturgical reading disagrees with the text from the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE), which has “seduced” instead of …

In the Gospel According to Matthew 16:13–23 (NABRE), Simon proclaims Jesus the Son of God, and Jesus in turns renames Simon as Peter or rock. Typically in the Bible, a renaming is a deeply serious matter of profound significance regarding who that person is intended to become, and this particular …

In the Gospel According to Matthew 15:26 (NABRE), Jesus responds to a Canaanite woman’s request for assistance by saying: “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” Jesus’ response initially seems rather harsh. The Greek word translated here as “dogs,” κυνάριον (kunarion), …