Sunday Dive

Our Gospel this week is packed with hidden gems and secret keys that unlock layers of hidden meaning in Mark's Last Supper account. The Essenes, producers of the famed Dead Sea Scrolls, serve as one of these keys. We'll make the case that Jesus celebrated the Passover with the Essene community in Jerusalem, a thesis that instigates a cascade of implications and we'll end our time together delving...

Our Gospel today comes from the end of Matthew. Jesus offers the great commission which includes the Trinitarian formula and the all-important summons to Baptism. Turning first and foremost to the Book of Daniel as well as the beginning of Matthew's Gospel we discover that Jesus' reception of authority is a fruit of his self-abasement and total obedience. Looking to the Christian calling with this...

When Luke mentions the feast of Pentecost in our first reading, we can easily gloss over the implication that Pentecost is a Jewish feast. One of four springtime feasts on the Jewish liturgical calendar, Pentecost celebrated both the ingathering of the harvest as well as the giving of the law on Mt. Sinai. Comparing and contrasting the first Pentecost with the new Pentecost we discover that the ou...

We break with routine in this episode and focus on the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles. In it, we see Jesus giving final instructions to his apostles before he ascends into heaven. Looking at subtle clues left by St. Luke, we discover that at his ascension Jesus takes on both the role of the “Son of Man” found in the Book of Daniel and the role of a new and everlasting high priest who...

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Join Katie's weekly newsletter and get a free audio download of her popular talk, Bible 101: A Crash Course in Scripture. Visit www.sundaydive.com/bible101

On this Good Shepherd Sunday, we find ourselves in the Gospel of John listening to Our Lord declare Himself the Good Shepherd. Following the healing of the man blind from birth, Jesus engages in a discussion of what it means to know Him. To answer the question, He employs the image of sheep who are masters in the discernment of voice. Whereas others come to pillage and plunder, Jesus comes as prot...

Our Gospel is the famous story of the road to Emmaus. Two of Jesus’ followers are returning home after the tumultuous events of Holy Week only to encounter the Risen Lord Himself. We’ll look to an early Church historian to uncover the identity of the two disciples. Comparing our story to the Feeding of the Five Thousand we’ll note several parallels between the two and we’ll also spend some time ex...

Our episode today traces a broad overview of salvation history in order to better appreciate the work of God in the Paschal mystery. Tracing the theme of covenant throughout Scripture, we see this concept as the key to understanding God's plan for us. Culminating in Jesus' passion and resurrection, we unpack the institution of the new and final covenant which is a foretaste of Heaven. Finally, we'...

Matthew’s account of the Lord’s entry into Jerusalem unleashes a cascade of parallels with the Old Testament. First and foremost, we see Jesus associating Himself with Solomon who rode a mule triumphantly into Jerusalem. The beginning location of our Gospel’s royal parade, the Mt. of Olives, echoes battle imagery when seen against its Old Testament backdrop. The use of palm branches has a rich his...

“Lazarus, come out!” These are the words with which Our Lord raises Lazarus from the dead but they are also the words that in many ways seal his own fate. Following the undeniable miracle of raising a man from the dead, the Pharisees and chief priests no longer stand by but decide to put Our Lord to death. But if Jesus is not conquered by death and neither is Lazarus, then our readings today offer...

Jesus is in Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles when He encounters a man who has been blind from birth. Forming clay from the ground to anoint the man’s eyes, Jesus then sends him to wash in the ritual pool of Siloam. Rich with meaning we’ll expound on the liturgical practices of the Feast of Tabernacles in order to elucidate Our Lord’s work and we’ll unpack the sacramental theme of John’s Gosp...

Jesus is in Samaria at a well when he asks a woman for a drink. What seems on the surface like a simple request for hospitality unfolds into a veritable proposal of love. Surveying the Old Testament instances of a man and a woman at a well uncovers the nuptial overtones of our Gospel and a look at the story of Jacob and Rachel’s first meeting displays a manly strength that Jesus Himself will show...

Katie needs to make this episode brief but still wants to give you something special. So, here is the talk she gave on the top of Mt. Tabor, the site of the Transfiguration just two months ago while on pilgrimage in the Holy Land. Yes, it’s short but it still covers all the highlights! In this episode discover: - The brief phrase that clearly but subtly links the Transfiguration to Peter’s confess...

Our Gospel today is the story of Jesus’ temptation in the desert. There in the wilderness he submits to a threefold enticement corresponding to that from the Garden of Eden, one which also mirrors the threefold concupiscence in 1 John 2:16. We’ll discuss the nature of Satan’s temptations and the means by which their promises sought to entice Christ. Finally, we’ll compare Our Lord’s ordeal to the...

Our Gospel picks up with the last two antitheses in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus addresses the prescription of “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” as well as the ancient command to love your neighbor but hate your enemy. This Gospel is chock-full of ancient context that we’ll bring to light by exploring the cultural background of the sayings. We’ll also take at look at what one 21st cent...

Our Gospel is a continuation of the Sermon on the Mount. In this section Jesus preaches what are called the six antitheses where he takes the Old Law and elevates it. He takes on the role of Moses, going up the mountain and delivering a new law, one that is better than the old and that fulfills Old Testament prophecies in Ezekiel and Jeremiah that foretell of a law to come that will be written upo...

The Church offers us multiple Gospels for Christmas. Having previously explored the readings from Matthew, we’ll dive instead into the classic Christmas tale provided by St. Luke. Though not considered a main character in the Nativity narrative, the figure of Caesar Augustus looms large. We’ll get deep in Roman history to paint a picture of the time period’s power struggles and we’ll even employ a...

We explore our Gospel today through the lens of its protagonist, St. Joseph. Though the text is filled with details about Jesus and Mary, several of those details can in fact fill out our perception of Jesus’ father. We discover, for example, that St. Joseph, though a humble carpenter, is rightful heir to the throne of David and that, for example, his plan to divorce Mary quietly could have placed...

John the Baptist sends some of his disciples to Jesus with a question, “Are you the Messiah?” Shrouded in mystery, this reading can seem scandalous as if John the Baptist has lost faith. Employing Aquinas’ interpretation of the text, however, we discover that there’s more to the story. Connecting our Gospel to the second reading from James, we see a summons to fortitude and courage and we end our...

A mysterious figure in his own right and yet one of the most important, we spend our episode today exploring the persona of John the Baptist. With some sleuthing we find that the prophet’s diet and wardrobe have much to tell us about this desert-dwelling man. Not only that but the location of his work, the Jordan River, speaks volumes about the Baptist’s mission once one takes into account the oth...

Though not self-evident on the surface, the Church gives us readings today which prompt us to consider the parousia, a term that is associated with the second coming of Christ. Zooming out to explore the broader context of our Gospel, we see Jesus speaking judgement on the Jerusalem Temple. Though God withdraws His presence from that locale, He makes a promise to be with us in the future. Explorin...

A cascade of Old Testament texts find a connection in our Gospel today. Entering the city seated upon a colt, Jesus follows in the footsteps of his grandfather Solomon. But his authority is not merely human. Exploring the prophets we find that Jesus’ triumphal act ushers in not merely Davidic authority but Divine authority. Allowing Our Lord to Himself interpret His actions, we’ll explore the para...

This Sunday, the Church gives us the famous story of the woman caught in adultery from John’s Gospel. Jesus is in Jerusalem when His opponents attempt to trap Him with a question while also defaming the accused. Exploring the Old Testament as well as first century law and rhetorical practice, we’ll contextualize our Gospel to set the scene and appreciate the stakes. We’ll also dive deep into the p...

Current events are the topic of Our Lord’s interactions in our Gospel today. Some bearers-of-bad-news bring Him word of the slaughter of Galileans by Pontius Pilate. Reading the hearts of His interlocutors, Jesus warns that the tragedy was not brought on by the victims’ sins and that if His listeners do not repent, the same tragedy will befall them. We’ll take a cue from Cyril of Alexandria who se...