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JULY 31, 2016, EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Roger Vermalen Karban Ecc 1:2,2:21-23; Ps 90; Col 3:1-5,9-11; Lk 12:13-21 Unlike catechisms, Scripture frequently offers us a choice. Counter to popular [...]

JANUARY 31,2016, FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Roger Vermalen Karban Jer 1:4-5, 17-19; Ps 71; 1 Cor 12:31-13:13; Lk 4:21-30 Listening to today's first reading is to know that a [...]

AUGUST 30, 2015, TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Roger Vermalen Karban Dt 4:1-2, 6-8; Ps 15; Jas 1:17-18,21b-22,27; Mk 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 Today's three readings bring up one of most [...]

MARCH 29, 2015, PASSION (PALM) SUNDAY Roger Vermalen Karban Mk 0:1-10; Is 50:4-7; Ps 22; Phil 2:6-11; Mk 14:1-15:47 The late Rudolph Bultmann often remarked, 'A Gospel is simply a [...]

FEBRUARY 22,2015, FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT Roger Vermalen Karban Gn 9:8-15; Ps25; 1Pt 3:18-22; Mk 1:12-15 I was once part of a faculty committee charged with rewriting the mission statement [...]

JANUARY 25, 2015, THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Roger Vermalen Karban Jon 3:1-5, 10; Ps 25;1 Cor 7:29-31; Mk 1:14-20 Follow me The book of Jonah is one of the [...]

As far as we can tell, nothing in Scripture was written exclusively for cloistered religious. We assume our sacred authors had ordinary married people and their children in mind when [...]

I'm still haunted by a late 1960s survey of American Catholics. Participants were asked just one question: What's the more important law--love your neighbor, or give up meat on Friday? [...]

The fact that Jesus of Nazareth frequently employed parables while he was teaching tells us a lot about what - he was trying to accomplish during his earthly ministry Teachers [...]

A dynamic spirit In 1971, a significant book for the study of the Christian Scriptures appeared. Trajectories Through Early Christianity, by James McConkey Robinson and Helmut Koester, explored the diverse [...]

I remember the time I changed some the 'biblical' wording of Matthew's Sermon on the Mount and read it to a junior boys' religion class. I then asked them two [...]

NOVEMBER 11, 2013, THIRTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Roger Vermalen Karban Mal 3:19-20a; Ps 98; 2 Thes 3:7-12; Lk 21:5-19 Focus on the present Christians always find it difficult to [...]

OCTOBER 27, 2013, THIRTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Roger Vermalen Karban Sir 35:12-14, 16-18; Ps 34; 2 Tm 4:6-8,16-18; Lk 18:9-14 After having taught Scripture for almost 50 years, I'm [...]

September 29, 2013, TWENTY-S1XTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Roger Vermalen Karban Am 8:4-7; Ps 113:1 Tm 2:1-8; Lk 16:1-13 Fundamental option Today's three readings bring up some essential questions of [...]

Most of us dread hearing the central words of today's Hebrews pericope: 'Do not disdain the discipline of the Lord or lose heart when reproved by him; for whom the [...]

Immediately after Paul's oftquoted 1 Corinthians 13 pericope on the importance of integrating love into every gift of the Spirit, he encourages his community, 'Strive eagerly for the spiritual gifts, [...]

JULY 28, 2013: SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Roger Vermalen Karban Gn 18:20-32; Ps 138; Col 2:12-14; LK 11:1-13 Our Genesis author continues along the same road we traveled last [...]

JULY 11, 2013, SIXTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Roger Vermalen Karban Gn 18: 1-10a, Ps 15; C01 1: 24-28; Lk 10: 38-42 Our sacred authors frequently present their readers with [...]

JUNE 23, 2013, TWELFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Roger Vermalen Karban Zec 12:10-11, 13:1; Ps 63; Gal 3:26-29; Lk 9:18-24 One of the easiest ways to learn the uniqueness of [...]

Since the Council of Nicaea's definition of the Trinity in 325--three persons in one God--isn't spelled out as such in Scripture, it's challenging to give a biblical homily on this [...]

APRIL 72, 2013, FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER Roger Vermalen Karban Acts 1421-27: Ps 145: Rv 21:1-5a: in 13:31a-33, 34-35 I believe each human being has a vision of a new [...]

APRIL 21, 2013, FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER Roger Vermalen Karban Acts 13:14, 43-52; Ps 100; Rv 7:9,14b-17; In 10:27-30 Practically none of our Scripture writers take pen to papyrus unless [...]

MARCH 24, 2013: PASSION/PAIN SUNDAY Roger Vermalen Karban Lk 1928-40; Is 50:4-7; Ps 22; Phil 2:6-11; Lk 22:14-23:56 Each Gospel's passion narrative is unique. Though they might sound the same [...]

Rudolph Bultmann once described our sacred writers as people who had glimpses of the 'other side,' but wrote for people 'on this side.' Though they admire the well-known scholar's insights, [...]

JANUARY 20, 2013, SECOND SUNDAY OF THE YEAR Roger Vermalen Karban Is 62:1-5; Ps 96; 1 for 12:4-11; in 2:1-11 We have no idea which miracle the historical Jesus first [...]

DECEMBER 23, 2012, FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT Roger Vermalen Karban Mi 5:1-4a; Ps 80; Heb 10:5-10; Lk 1:39-45 Each Gospel is unique. Each evangelist not only structures his work in [...]

Today's feast would have created huge problems for Jesus' earliest followers. Scripture scholars and church historians often point out the conflicts the historical Jesus and his first disciples experienced when [...]

It's impossible to understand today's first and third readings without an appreciation of the idea of biblical apocalyptic literature. The Bible isn't a book, it's a library. Not only does [...]

Unless we understand the original context in which Mark placed today's gospel pericope, we won't appreciate the important theological message he tried to convey. Mark has just concluded his last [...]

SEPTEMBER 23, 2012, TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Roger Vermalen Karban Wis 2:12117-20; Ps 54; Jas 316-4:3; Mk 9:30-37 Though today's Gospel passage presents us with Mark's second step in [...]

Gospels aren't biographies of Jesus. These four writings are a unique genre. Except for the Elijah/Elisha 'cycles' in 1 and 2 Kings, we've nothing quite like them in all of [...]

AUGUST 26, 2012, TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME It's hard to put ourselves in the place of Joshua and his family in today's first reading. Most of us presume all [...]

AUGUST 19, 2012: TWENTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Roger Vermalen Karban Pry 9:1-6; Ps 34; Eph 5:15-20; Jn 6:51-58 hose who base their homilies on today's Gospel pericope are actually [...]

JULY 22, 2012, SIXTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Jer 23:1-6; Ps 23; Eph 2:13-18; Mk 6:30-34 Every Sunday night in the minor seminary we were treated to a movie, usually [...]

JULY 15, 2012, FIFTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Am 7:12-15; Ps 85; Eph 1:3-14; Mk 6:7-13 Today's Gospel passage brings up several points that, though important for early Christian communities, [...]

As with Jesus, so with John the Baptizer: We must be careful to distinguish the historical person from the Gospel person. It's clear from the way the evangelists treat Jesus' [...]

Most biblical prophets eventually develop low expectations. Very few people listen to them; fewer still are willing to change their lives because of the prophets' message. At this point, the [...]

APRIL 15, 2012, SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER (DIVINE MERCY) Roger Vermalen Karban Acts 4:32-35; Ps 118; 1 Jn 5:1-6; Jn 20:19-31 The Sunday after Easter always has the same Gospel, [...]

APRIL 7, 2012, EASTER VIGIL Roger Vermalen Karban See Roman Lectionary for nine readings and psalms. No liturgy is more important or more ancient than the celebration of the Easter [...]

APRIL 1, 2012, PALM/PASSION SUNDAY Roger Vermalen Karban Is 50:4-7; Ps 22; Phil 2:6-11; Mk 14:1-15:47 or 15:1-39 Few of us form our images of Jesus' passion and death from [...]

NOVEMBER 1, 2009, SOLEMNITY OF ALL THE SAINTS Rv 7:2-4, 9-14; Ps 24; 1 Jn 3:1-3; Mt 5:1-12a The older I get, the more I understand why some grandparents have [...]