"I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world."– Matt. 13:35
Jesus first gained fame as a healer and wonder-worker. If making the blind see and the lame walk weren’t enough, surely the reputation of turning water into wine or feeding thousands would be enough to make anyone popular. But the real purpose of miracles seems to have been to draw crowds and make them more…
Traditional Catholic teaching states that during the Mass, the bread and wine are mysteriously transformed into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. In Catholicism, this miraculous change is called “transubstantiation.” This means that once the sacred words of Consecration are spoken there is a real, total cosmic transmutation of the blessed elements. Even if…
If one goes looking for secret meanings in the Bible, the parables of Jesus are the most logical place to begin. By definition, they conceal secrets, for a parable is a story that makes its point by hiding it beneath another superficial story, after all. Yet, Jesus apparently never had any hope that all those…
A parable is a short allegorical tale from which the listener is expected to take a lesson. It is a literary form related to poetry, fables, wise sayings, and edifying and instructional literature in general, in that a parable seeks to impart helpful information under the guise of an interesting story. But while a parable…
The first big public address that Jesus gave in the Gospel of Matthew is called the Parable of the Sower. It was certainly a fine one to start with. His use of natural imagery was vivid and instantly understandable and it set the tone of the urgent need to reform that characterized all his teaching.…