PaddlingPadre

What is the proper way to approach the law? This is the question that lurks in the background of today’s gospel, as Jesus challenges his hearers to not only obey the commandments, but to go to the heart of the commandments – to not only not kill, but to not even give in to anger,…

¿Cuál es la forma adecuada de abordar la ley? Esta es la pregunta que subyace en el evangelio de hoy, cuando Jesús desafía a sus oyentes a no solo obedecer los mandamientos, sino a ir al corazón de los mandamientos: no solo no matar, sino ni siquiera ceder a la ira; no solo no cometer…

This call that Jesus makes to us to be the salt of the earth, a city on a hill, a lamp on a lampstand – this gets to the heart of our evangelizing mission as Christians. It is, you could say, integral to who we are that we radiate the light of Christ to the…

Esta llamada que Jesús nos hace a ser la sal de la tierra, una ciudad en un monte, una vela en un candelero, llega al corazón de nuestra misión evangelizadora como cristianos. Se podría decir que es parte integral de lo que somos irradiar la luz de Cristo al mundo, un hecho que celebramos litúrgicamente…

This weekend we begin reading from the Sermon on the Mount, that great discourse of Jesus that we find in Matthew’s gospel, which we will be hearing from for these next three weeks until the start of Lent. And it’s important, I think, that we not lose sight of the unity of this discourse, which…

Este fin de semana comenzamos a leer el Sermón de la Montaña, ese gran discurso de Jesús que encontramos en el Evangelio de Mateo, que escucharemos durante las próximas tres semanas hasta el comienzo de la Cuaresma. Y creo que es importante que no perdamos de vista la unidad de este discurso, lo cual puede…

The land of Zebulon and the land of Naphtali, the land West of the Jordan, Galilee of the gentiles—the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. These words of Isaiah are probably familiar to us—we hear them here as they are taken up by Saint Matthew, and they are quite prominent during…

Tierra de Zabulón y Neftalí, al otro lado del Jordán, Galilea de los paganos: el pueblo que caminaba en tinieblas vio una gran luz. Probablemente estas palabras de Isaías les resulten familiares: las escuchan aquí, tal y como las recoge san Mateo, y también son muy destacadas durante el Adviento, ya que solo unos versículos…

            It is too little, the Lord says, for you to be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob and restore the survivors of Israel; I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth. This prophecy of Isaiah really is an astounding…

Today’s feast, as has often been remarked, is a feast that presents a bit of a puzzle. Even John seems confused, at least in St. Matthew’s account, as he asks Jesus, I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me? To which our Lord replies, with a reply that perhaps…