Our Gospel passage this week could be subtitled: Jesus vs. Death. In raising Lazarus from the dead, our Lord shows his Godly power over life and death, but He also confronts our fear of death and conquers that as well. Jesus deliberately takes his time before going to Bethany to help Lazarus. This allows the natural time for the people to recognize Lazarus as really and truly dead. In the words of Lazarus’ very practical sister Martha: "Lord, by now there will be a stench; he has been dead for four days." They understand death; they have seen it and smelt its effects on our passing human bodies. But there is more significance here. Jesus not only sustains life and heals wounds, He can

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ, Truth is true, no matter who speaks it. Humility allows us to receive lessons even from the least likely of teachers. Yet what we see from the Pharisees in the ninth chapter of John’s Gospel is anything but humility. Their response to the logical statements of the man born blind is “You were born totally in sin, and are you trying to teach us?” Leaving behind for a moment their assumption that physical illness or defect must be the result of sin, we must ask: what was it that made the Pharisees feel self-righteous enough to dismiss the arguments of this miraculous witness? There are several answers. First, they had rejected Jesus as a false prophet,

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ, The people of Israel grew thirsty in the desert and gave in to that most human of behaviors: complaining. They grumbled against Moses, but they were really grumbling against God. Despite having been saved from slavery in Egypt, they quickly forgot just Who was in charge of their lives. I struggle to understand how they could lose faith so quickly after having crossed the Red Sea in such a miraculous fashion. They failed to remember the good things God had provided for them and were instead focused on the one thing lacking in their present situation: water. We have the advantage of knowing why God allowed them to grow thirsty, and the great lesson abou

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ, “Abram went as the LORD directed him.” (Gen 12:4) Abram’s faith is a model for us on our Lenten journey. God directed him to leave the comfort and security of his earthly homeland and set out for a land of promise. This is very similar to our earthly pilgrimage toward heaven. We are called to leave behind earthly pleasures and seek first the Kingdom of God. In his pilgrimage of faith, Abram became the father of a great nation that blessed the whole human race by bringing forth Jesus Christ. Abram’s trust in God resulted in great blessings for himself and his family. We continue to retell his story, imperfect as he was, as a model for our own pilgrima

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ, Satan has only lies and tricks to offer us. He has no lordship over anything in creation, for all things belong to God. Indeed, the only power Satan has is that which is given to him. So why do we spare even a thought for evil? Since the garden of Eden, we have been suckers for self-interest. Listen to the words of the serpent to Eve: "Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?" Would God lie to us? How are we so easily fooled? I think the answer comes when the serpent offers Eve something that appears good for her: to be like God. "You certainly will not die!” No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes