Christ’s theological and political enemies try, always try, to catch him out with multitudes of trick questions. Which is the greatest commandment in the law? they ask, craftily, ready to make a case for the one he does not choose. And from the morass of the 613 commands in the Torah, Christ chooses just two. The great and first commandment, the megale and protos commandment, he says, is to love God, with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind. Love God, because he, creator of the universe, and of you; lover of the world and of you; dream-giver, dream-granter, is worthy of ..read more

Christ’s theological and political enemies try, always try, to catch him out with multitudes of trick questions. Which is the greatest commandment in the law? they ask, craftily, ready to make a case for the one he does not choose. And from the morass of the 613 commands in the Torah, Christ chooses just two. The great and first commandment, the megale and protos commandment, he says, is to love God, with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind. Love God, because he, creator of the universe, and of you; lover of the world and of you; dream-giver, dream-granter, is worthy of ..read more

Jesus, wise as a serpent, gentle as a dove, brave as a lion.    Outraged at those who attempted to make money off people’s faith and longing for God, he rampages through the temple, overturning the tables of the moneychangers. He heals, he teaches; he’s proclaimed as Messiah. And he incurs the wrath of his old enemies, the chief priests and elders who ask: Who gave you the authority to do such things?    But Jesus coolly answers their hostile questions with a loaded question of his own, trapping the trappers.   So cool, so calm, so wise! We have no record of Jesus runn ..read more

So, Joseph, intending to quietly break up with his fiancée, Mary, found pregnant, though not be him, is assured by an angel that she had conceived by the power of God’s spirit, and the child would be the long-awaited Messiah, who would deliver people from the chokehold of their sins. And Joseph is not afraid, and lightning-bolt “coincidences” verified the angel’s words. A new star appeared in the heavens, and astrologers from the East, laden with gifts for the new King, followed it, until it stopped over a manger, where the temporarily homeless Jesus was laid. A location described by an angel ..read more

Tamar, who seduced her father-in-law, Judah.   Rahab, a Canaanite prostitute. Bathsheba, mother of Solomon, who was raped by David. Jacob, scammer and inheritance thief! Solomon, with 300 concubines and 700 wives. They were all among the chosen ancestors of Jesus. From them, he came. Iraqis, Canaanites, Moabites, Hittites, Ammonites--were all named as his ancestors. From all of them, Christ came. And he came for everyone. All can dive into the cascades of his love. He is Jesus for everyone. For the brilliant and the shallow, the selfish and the kind. For those who’ve memorised their Bible ..read more

https://anitamathias.com/2023/09/07/how-to-find-the-freedom-of-forgiveness/ How to Find the Freedom of Forgiveness Completely letting go of anger and resentment and forgiving is an emotional transaction as well as a decision of the will. We discover that we cannot command our emotions to forgive and let go of anger, just as we cannot ourselves to love or like or hate. But given that forgiveness gives us clarity of mind, spirit, and emotions, and so much more space in each of these… it’s important to master this gentle art. How? When tormenting memories surface, our cortisol, adrenaline, blood ..read more

So, the temple taxmen come for Jesus and Peter. And Jesus, who repeatedly referred to his powerful body as God’s temple on earth, decides to pay anyway, to avoid a scandal over something trivial--for him. And so, he instructs Peter, a professional fisherman with boats, and massive nets, to catch a fish with a line and hook, tool of the amateur fisherman, and  look inside its mouth! And Peter swallows his pride, fishes like a weekend hobbyist, and finds a four-drachma coin, the exact silver needed for his tax, and Jesus’s. One should never underestimate God’s wonder-working power, or his m ..read more

Jesus is blazingly honest about the cost of following him. We can no longer follow ourselves, or be driven by our prideful or self-indulgent desires. We submit our wills to a greater, phenomenally brilliant will, and accept His assignments for our day, and our life. His assignments, “the cross”, so to say, involve the discipline necessary for growth, rather than neurosis, in Carl Jung’s phrase. It’s the discipline necessary to maintain our health and an orderly household, and develop our gifts and fulfil our calling. Following Jesus is, of course, not incompatible with goals or ambitions, but ..read more

The story of an amazing, persistent, feisty woman who argues with Jesus, and contradicts Jesus until his No turns to Yes. Jesus praises her for her faith, one of the handful of times Jesus praises humans... and it's almost always for their faith, their honesty, or their ability to hear from the Spirit. My memoir: Rosaries, Reading, Secrets: A Catholic Childhood in India UK USA Blog: anitamathias.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anitamathiaswriter/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anita.mathias/ Twitter : anitamathias1 My book of essays: Wandering Between Two Worlds (US) and UK ..read more

Character-building difficulty and uncertainty comes for each of us, when it feels as if we are tossed in a boat on a stormy sea, buffeted by waves, with the wind against us.  And in the encircling gloom, Christ whispers the same words with which he reassured his storm-tossed disciples, “Take courage. It is I. Do not be afraid.”   And Peter, the confident risk-taker, says, “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water.” And Jesus says another of his great words, “Come.”   Jesus, the merciful, did not ask Peter to do something that transcended the humanly possible and P ..read more