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  Isaiah 6:1-6;   John 21:1-19 Our Gospel reading today narrates one of the most dramatic “incidents” with Jesus’s disciples, right after Easter. Somewhere by the Lake of Galilee, a bunch of weary, dispirited professional fishermen lament an unsuccessful night – in fact, they have caught nothing. Suddenly a stranger appears and gives them some unrequested […]

John 20:1-18 One of the most entertaining and inspiring stories I ever read can be found in the book One Hundred Years of Solitude, by the Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez. For this book, García Márquez was awarded the 1982 Nobel Prize in Literature. The story I like so much is about an insomia-like illness

Mark 16:1-8   Mark, in his gospel tells us that Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome come to the tomb of Jesus covered in black, prepared to see a corpse. Instead, they find the stone rolled back and see a “young man dressed in a white robe.” This “young man” all in

The Easter story and the Easter news, if you remember, begin very early one morning when a messenger tells the women by the empty tomb not to cry because Jesus isn’t there — he is already on his way to Galilee. “Ladies, Jesus is not among the dead, neither he belongs to the past! He

Psalm 118:14-29;  Mark 11:1-11 Our Lenten journey continues –in a few more days Jesus and his disciples will arrive in the Holy City to celebrate Passover. But Jesus is not an ordinary visitor, which explains the way he will be received by a huge crowd along Main Street –with shouts of welcome and triumph. “Hosanna!

Acts 16:5-15;   John 16:16-22 Our Lenten journey with Jesus continues – in two more weeks, on Palm Sunday, we’ll arrive to Jerusalem. Our Easter Cantata that Sunday will remind us of the welcoming, cheerful multitude along the main road. Now, why are we walking with Jesus all the way into Jerusalem, a Hebrew name that

1 Corinthians 12:12-13;  Luke 7:36-50   One day while Jesus was going from place-to-place healing, teaching, and befriending people from all ways of life, a man named Simon the Pharisee hosted a very special dinner in his own courtyard. His very special guest was no other than Jesus, a sort of raising start to judge

Jeremiah 8:18-22;   Luke 6:1-11   Like most nations on earth, Israel at times experienced very harsh days and suffering, and when that happened, the Biblical prophets blamed idolatry and unfaithfulness. We don’t talk much about idolatry and unfaithfulness, let alone explain national or global misfortunes. But prophet Jeremiah does, and he does the moment he

Philippians 2:5-8;  Matthew 4:1-11   The famous French philosopher René Descartes once said, “I think; therefore, I exist.” I’d rather say, “I’m tempted; therefore, I exist.” I am tempted, you are tempted, he or she is tempted, we all are tempted, you all are tempted, they all are tempted – OK, OK! But why should

Philippians 2:1-8;   Mark 9:2-9 Many years ago in Los Angeles, a man was arraigned for murder. Since his case was a very difficult one, with a lot of circumstantial evidence, his defense lawyer devised an ingenious ploy to move the verdict his way. In his summing speech, he said: “Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury,