Our Gospel is a continuation of the Sermon on the Mount. In this section Jesus preaches what are called the six antitheses where he takes the Old Law and elevates it. He takes on the role of Moses, going up the mountain and delivering a new law, one that is better than the old and that fulfills Old Testament prophecies in Ezekiel and Jeremiah that foretell of a law to come that will be written upon the heart. At the end of the day we discover that Christ’s call to exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees can only be had by docility to the Holy Spirit.

In this week’s episode discover:

- Why scholars refer to this section of the Sermon on the Mount as the “Six Antitheses”

- How Jesus is showing himself to be a new Moses

- An interesting rabbinic story about the iota in Sarah and Joshua’s name that illustrates the point Jesus makes about the iota

- The cultural background that prompted Moses to allow for divorce

- The Jewish practice called kinnuyim that explains Jesus’ words about oath swearing

The Church offers us multiple Gospels for Christmas. Having previously explored the readings from Matthew, we’ll dive instead into the classic Christmas tale provided by St. Luke. Though not considered a main character in the Nativity narrative, the figure of Caesar Augustus looms large. We’ll get deep in Roman history to paint a picture of the time period’s power struggles and we’ll even employ archaeology to flesh out the announcement of Christ’s birth. In that announcement we find an angelic message bordering on a taunt; Christmas might be peaceful but its announcement means war.

Quick Note: Katie will be in the Holy Land the first half of January guiding a pilgrimage. That coupled with the Holidays means there will be a short hiatus for the podcast. Expect the next episode to drop end of January/beginning of February. And keep Katie and the group in your prayers!

We explore our Gospel today through the lens of its protagonist, St. Joseph. Though the text is filled with details about Jesus and Mary, several of those details can in fact fill out our perception of Jesus’ father. We discover, for example, that St. Joseph, though a humble carpenter, is rightful heir to the throne of David and that, for example, his plan to divorce Mary quietly could have placed his own reputation in danger. These and other details paint a portrait for us of a man who is unabashedly faithful to God and completely in love with his wife and son.

John the Baptist sends some of his disciples to Jesus with a question, “Are you the Messiah?” Shrouded in mystery, this reading can seem scandalous as if John the Baptist has lost faith. Employing Aquinas’ interpretation of the text, however, we discover that there’s more to the story. Connecting our Gospel to the second reading from James, we see a summons to fortitude and courage and we end our time together with a philosophical and psychological treatment of the virtue of patience which, if embraced, can pay dividends in our relationship with the Lord.

A mysterious figure in his own right and yet one of the most important, we spend our episode today exploring the persona of John the Baptist. With some sleuthing we find that the prophet’s diet and wardrobe have much to tell us about this desert-dwelling man. Not only that but the location of his work, the Jordan River, speaks volumes about the Baptist’s mission once one takes into account the other significant events that occurred at the same site. We’ll also take a brief peek into the Jewish background of baptism and attempt to link John’s baptism with one particular kind of Jewish water washing.

Though not self-evident on the surface, the Church gives us readings today which prompt us to consider the parousia, a term that is associated with the second coming of Christ. Zooming out to explore the broader context of our Gospel, we see Jesus speaking judgement on the Jerusalem Temple. Though God withdraws His presence from that locale, He makes a promise to be with us in the future. Exploring the personal implications this has for each of us during Advent, we end our episode with a summons to prayer since prayer is the means by which we take advantage of God’s parousia.

A cascade of Old Testament texts find a connection in our Gospel today. Entering the city seated upon a colt, Jesus follows in the footsteps of his grandfather Solomon. But his authority is not merely human. Exploring the prophets we find that Jesus’ triumphal act ushers in not merely Davidic authority but Divine authority. Allowing Our Lord to Himself interpret His actions, we’ll explore the parable found just previous to our pericope. In it we read of a nobleman who goes into a far land to receive a kingdom. What is the far land and where are we in the parable?

This Sunday, the Church gives us the famous story of the woman caught in adultery from John’s Gospel. Jesus is in Jerusalem when His opponents attempt to trap Him with a question while also defaming the accused. Exploring the Old Testament as well as first century law and rhetorical practice, we’ll contextualize our Gospel to set the scene and appreciate the stakes. We’ll also dive deep into the perplexing act of Jesus writing in the sand, using a scene from Mt. Sinai to illuminate this fascinating gesture that breathlessly diffuses the situation.

Current events are the topic of Our Lord’s interactions in our Gospel today. Some bearers-of-bad-news bring Him word of the slaughter of Galileans by Pontius Pilate. Reading the hearts of His interlocutors, Jesus warns that the tragedy was not brought on by the victims’ sins and that if His listeners do not repent, the same tragedy will befall them. We’ll take a cue from Cyril of Alexandria who sees deeper meaning in the image of blood mingled with sacrifice and we’ll make the case that the figure of the vinedresser who begs for the fig tree’s life is none other than Christ Himself.

Katie is swamped preparing for Lent at her parish so she offers a pared down version of the podcast. Don't worry, though, it still packs a punch! Together we'll spend the episode exploring the tree and fruit analogy that Our Lord offers in our Gospel, bringing in the work of Catholic counselor Bob Schuchts to explore at greater length the healing needed to truly rid ourselves of bad fruit and replace it with good fruit. At the end of the day we'll make the case that Lent isn't so much about what we do for Jesus but what we let Jesus do for us.