Under the Lectionary

Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may […]

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your

“Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord. But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is G-d’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it

What if the commandments were never meant to be permanent—not because they were flawed, but because they were successful? What if they were meant to be outgrown—not discarded, but fulfilled? The law says ‘do not murder.’ But a person who has truly internalized Torah doesn’t refrain from murder. They have become the kind of person

Jesus said to is disciples:“You are the salt of the earth.But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?It is no longer good for anythingbut to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.You are the light of the world.A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden.Nor do they light a lamp and

Blessed are the poor in spirit,for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn,for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek,for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful,for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the

In this, the third Sunday of Ordinary Time, the Gospel reading opens not with triumph but with absence.  John the Baptist has been imprisoned, his voice silenced by power threatened by what it cannot control.  It is at this moment that Jesus begins His public ministry, taking up John’s message rather than abandoning it: “Repent, for the

In this week’s appointed reading (John 1:29–34), John the Baptist points away from himself and toward Jesus. It is a moment of recognition—a testimony to who stands before him—and very much a continuation of last week’s story. Rather than rehashing what was already discussed just last week, I thought I’d look instead to last year’s

Christianity is, at its core, steeped in Torah. Jesus was a Jew, and he made it clear that he did not come to abolish Torah or revoke covenant, but to uphold both. His is often called “the greatest story ever told”—not because an institution claims it as such, but because no other story in human