Kate Oxsen

April 09, 2025

April 20: Resurrection of the Lord

Today’s reading from the Gospel of John details the first moments that the disciples learn Jesus is not in the tomb. The passage is rich in symbolism and speaks to themes of faith, belief and the deep mystery of Christ’s resurrection.

April 09, 2025

April 13: Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of the most significant liturgical week for Catholics around the world: Holy Week. The early half of the week appears to be business as usual, but parish administrators and ministers are kicking into high gear as they prepare for the Triduum, the pinnacle of which is the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday.

March 19, 2025

April 6: Fifth Sunday of Lent

It is often noted that the story in John 8:1-11 does not seem to be original to this Gospel. It is found in other Gospel manuscripts, often in Luke, after 21:38. Indeed, it does seem to fit better in that location.

March 19, 2025

March 30: Fourth Sunday of Lent

There are many beautiful things about the Gospel of John. It presents readers with a vision of God who cares deeply about humanity, desiring so badly to be close to them that God sends Jesus to testify to God’s great love for the world. However, some aspects of the Gospel of John are difficult to read and have been the root of anti-Jewish and antisemitic attitudes in the church, and in Christianity as a whole.

March 19, 2025

March 23: Third Sunday of Lent

The story of the Samaritan woman at the well is a well-loved Gospel story for many people. However, common teachings about this reading have leaned on a lot of assumptions about first-century women in Judea that simply are not true. This skews our ability to appreciate this story and the virtues of hope and faith that this woman embodies. So, before we begin, let us do some brief myth-busting about women in first-century Judea.

March 06, 2025

March 16: Second Sunday of Lent

Abraham is often thought of as the example of perfect faith. He does everything God tells him to without hesitation or question. He leaves his home to travel to another land, he accepts God’s promise of land, descendants and blessings, and even takes his son to be sacrificed without hesitation. At least, it seems this way.

March 06, 2025

March 9: First Sunday of Lent

The season of Lent is a time for contemplation and reflection. We are meant to use this time to grow closer to God through prayer and acts of service.

February 19, 2025

March 2: Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

There is a genre of literature in the Bible, and throughout the ancient Near East that biblical scholars call “wisdom.” Our Old Testament reading is from a wisdom book called Sirach, and our Gospel today shows influence from this type of literature, as well.

February 19, 2025

Feb. 23: Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

One of the gifts of 1-2 Samuel is that the books contain some of the richest portrayals of biblical characters that we have. Saul and David are full characters with complex emotional lives, and an even more complex relationship.

February 05, 2025

Feb. 16: Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

The church commemorated the Presentation of the Lord a few Sundays ago. On that day we discussed some of the unique features of the Gospel of Luke. Specifically, we talked about the strong incarnational theology present in Luke’s Gospel.
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