All four Gospels include stories about a woman who anoints Jesus during a meal. Three Gospels describe this anointing as happening in Jerusalem before Jesus’ arrest as a foreshadowing of his...

Jesus restores a young man to his mother and community. He moves in close, touching the bier that carries the son. His action causes the bearers to stop, to stand still....

The grief of a mother in Nain evokes an emotional and physical response from Jesus. The widow loses her only son. She also loses her security and will live in poverty....

Paul, an advocate for inclusion of the Gentiles, now finds himself going toe-to-toe with leaders who question his apostolic authority. He counters their accusations in a very personal way—by insisting his...

The psalmist invites us to look to God for support we can count on: “Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob” (niv). The Hebrew word translated “help” implies...

The psalmist points us to the reliable love of God, which manifests itself in concrete help for people desperate for compassionate aid. We wisely ask ourselves: How does God provide all-encompassing...

Elijah engages a widow who has an edge. She makes it clear that this is not a good time for him to be asking for hospitality. Notice the dynamics of this...

In this reading, we meet a woman depleted. She has exhausted her food supplies and as she prepares a last meal for herself and her son, Elijah shows up asking for...

The first few times I read Galatians, I actually missed how upset Paul is at the beginning of the letter. I breezed right through the sarcasm in verse 6 and the...

Cheap imitations can entice. I remember buying a pair of sunglasses in New York City as a child that cost ten dollars and looked like a pair of sunglasses that would...