Greg Friedman, OFM

Abraham and God made a commitment. God would make Abraham the father of a great nation. Abraham would be faithful to God in return.

With the [20th century] renewal of the catechumenate the Church sees Lent as a time of preparation for those to be baptized at Easter, and a time of renewal of baptism for all the rest of us.

The Gospel story of the healing of the leper is full of emotion. The man is invited to re-connect with the community, signaling the end of his isolation. The power at work in Jesus cannot be kept secret.

If we read more of the Book of Job than today’s passage, we discover that it doesn’t try to resolve the question of human suffering. Rather it ends by bringing us face to face with the very mystery of God.

When it comes to the word of God, listening is absolutely essential. Jesus is God’s Word enfleshed. Will we listen to him?

Scripture scholars see the story of Jonah as a kind of folk tale—short on history but long on spiritual truth: God calls each of us.