A Psychologist looks at Scripture

Send us Fan Mail When Jesus was presented in the temple, it was likely an ordinary event among many similar presentations each week. However, Simeon and Anna's ability to perceive something extraordinary suggests that spirituality often eludes those who do not actively seek it. What insights did they possess that others lacked? This passage prompts us to consider whether God communicates with...

Send us Fan Mail During Sabbath services, it was customary for males to read from Scripture or the Torah. Jesus reads from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, which is significant because Isaiah made many prophecies about the Messiah.  The Gospel of Matthew speaks about how these prophecies are fulfilled.   This reading serves as a blueprint for Jesus’ ministry.   Even though Jesus is reading from t...

Send us Fan Mail The Gospel today is about the first miracle that Jesus performed. It is unique. There are no healings, or obvious teachings. The teaching is actually rather subtle. Jesus makes wine for a wedding at the request or expectation of his mother. There are a few points that I want to draw your attention to because they are useful teachings about spirituality. The first is the amount of...

Send us Fan Mail In Luke’s Gospel we have a brief description of Jesus being baptized by his cousin, John the Baptist. The details are scarce. We don’t know why Jesus chose to participate in this ritual or how it impacted his ministry.  This story is problematic however, as this ritual was designed for sinners, why would Jesus who had not sinned be participating in this ritual?  This is a good les...

Send us Fan Mail In today’s Gospel the arrival of the Magi is noted.  This Gospel is full of symbolism about who Jesus would be.  Some biblical traditions list the Magi as kings and some traditions have even named them, Caspar (or Gaspar), Melchior, and Balthazar.  Likely, this naming is primarily derived from Western Christian tradition.  Its highly unlikely that three kings would have gone  into...

Send us Fan Mail I like to do something special for Lent and Advent. Last Easter I set up an internet retreat. This Christmas season I want to talk about the spirituality of New Years Resolutions. I feel very strongly about this. I am surprised the Church doesn’t say more about New Years Resolutions.  I believe there is something spiritual happening when people at the end of the year look at their...

Send us Fan Mail The Gospel today is quite different from our usual readings. It is a story from when Jesus was a twelve-year-old boy.  This Gospel story is likely every parent’s nightmare; having one of their children lost. I can hardly imagine what Mary and Joseph were going through during those 3 days of searching for their son, Jesus. It seems that Jesus knew early in his life or  might have h...

Send us Fan Mail In today’s podcast we have Mary visiting her cousin Elizabeth.  There are several points in this Gospel I want to point out.  We have Mary who is pregnant herself going to help her cousin Elizabeth  .  Mary’s sense of service is obvious.  We know that Elizabeth  was likely past childbearing years.  She was not able to have a child in a culture that expected women to have children,...

Send us Fan Mail In this podcast from Luke, we hear more about John the Baptist.  John is giving advice to individuals who want to change their life to reflect their beliefs.  These individuals realize that their faith is not just practiced on holy days but will also impact their behavior at work and at home.  There are a couple of key points that I want to draw your attention to.  When asked what...

Send us Fan Mail In today’s podcast we are introduced to John also known as John the Baptist not to be confused with the apostle John, the beloved disciple.  John the Baptist was related to Jesus, his mother Elizabeth and Mary, the mother of Jesus were first cousins.  Likely John and Jesus knew each other growing up.  John is seen as the one prophesized by the great prophet Isaiah to prepare the p...

Send us Fan Mail We are encouraged to stand firm Lk 21:19 and be careful (Lk 21:34). These are valuable lessons for life, not just for coping with the end times but also applicable in the present moment.  I wonder if Jesus was talking about the end of the world or teaching us something about our spiritual lives.   I wonder if Jesus is telling us to be resilient and be determined.  We are called to...

Send us Fan Mail Jesus is asked by Pontius Pilate if he is the king of the Jews.  Pilate is not talking about a heavenly kingdom but an earthly kingdom.  Pilate was not making an act of faith.  He wanted to know if Jesus was a political threat or not.  Jesus responds knowing that Pilate would not likely understand but encourages Pilate and the listeners to learn about God’s kingdom.  Pilate’s pers...

Send us Fan Mail This Gospel was written over 2,000 years ago and the world is still here so I am less convinced the readings were written to prepare us for the end times.  However, many of the early Christians understood these readings as a sign pointing to  the end of the world.  One of the reasons why the Gospels were written so late, was because many people believed Jesus literally, and that t...

Send us Fan Mail The lesson in today’s Gospel is clear, do not get seduced by appearances! There is also a sub-theme of humility. Jesus is critical of the Scribes for their hypocritical behaviour. As Luke 12:48,  states, "To whom much is given, much will be required." Jesus emphasized the idea of responsibility that comes with blessings and resources. The verse suggests that those who ha...

Send us Fan Mail In today’s Gospel Jesus is asked by a scribe, “Which commandment is the first of all?”  Jesus answers his question directly. Jesus talked about loving God exclusively, with all your heart, mind and all your strength. Jesus did not leave anything out. Jesus does not stop there but teaches that we are to love our neighbor as our selves. Jesus would later go on to define his understa...

Send us Fan Mail Bartimaeus was blind and so had to resort to begging to feed himself.  As a beggar he had to compete with other beggars in order to survive.  His life was undoubtedly harsh.  We do not know if he had any support from his family.   Probably, he learned to be pushy to get what he needed.  We can see his assertiveness in the Gospel reading.  He is not going to be stopped by a bunch o...

Send us Fan Mail Jesus points out that following him is not going to be easy and there are no special concessions.  Jesus is teaching his disciples and ultimately his followers about what following him is all about. This was an issue for the early Christians who were experiencing the persecutions who wondered why God allowed these terrible things to happen to His people.  The Scriptural passage fr...

Send us Fan Mail Today’s Gospel from Mark describe a man asking what must I do to inherit eternal life?  I want to draw your attention to the question.  I am struck by the fact that the man is focused solely on his own needs.  While there is nothing wrong with that the question it does say much about his level of faith development.  It is very self-focused.  Jesus asks the expected questions, arou...

Send us Fan Mail Many Christian denominations have interpreted this Scripture passage differently, but I want to draw your attention to the comment Jesus made, and I quote: “What  God has joined together, no human being must separate.”   This is a very important line.  We assume that when someone has a wedding in a Church witnessed before a priest or minister that they are married.   I’ve made it...

Send us Fan Mail Being passionate about one’s faith is not being fanatical.  Being passionate about one’s faith is being inspired, actively seeking deeper understanding and being committed to living the values in our faith life.  The problem is that anyone’s faith can become complacent, left unchallenged our faith may ultimately becomes stale.   In Matthew 5:13 Jesus states, “You are the salt of t...

Send us Fan Mail Jesus was very clear in his understanding of leadership.  For example, His teachings on leadership are found in Matthew 20:26, where he states, "But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant." This reflects the principle that true leadership is about serving others rather than seeking power or authority.  It is sad when o...

Send us Fan Mail Jesus, like any good lawyer never asked  a question that he did not already know the answer to. After the disciples answer his question Jesus increases the heat by asking them who they think he is.   Peter responds with the perfect answer and Jesus points out that his answer is a reflection of God’s presence in his life.  Unfortunately for Peter he continues talking and shows that...

Send us Fan Mail In today’s Gospel we have a description of a healing, specifically the healing of a deaf and mute man.  Jesus orders the man not to tell anyone but Jesus orders falls on deaf ears, if you don’t mind the irony and the miracle is proclaimed anyway. Jesus must have known that the miracle would be proclaimed, and the people could not keep this a secret.  Jesus probably couldn’t help h...

Send us Fan Mail Today’s Gospel reading is from a group of teachings where Mark describes Jesus challenging the Scribes and Pharisees about the practice of their faith. The Scribes and Pharisees were not doing anything wrong. They were literally following the law and the traditions of their ancestors. The point that Jesus is making with them is that they are focusing on little details and missing...

Send us Fan Mail This Gospel is likely one of the most difficult to understand. Understandably, his first listeners are struggling to comprehend this teaching especially because they were taking Jesus literally. Jesus develops the lesson inviting his listeners  to think on the level of Spirit.   We have an account of a significant loss of disciples here.  Many of the disciples found the teaching t...