The Scriptural Deacon

This weekend our nation celebrates Independence Day. It is an appropriate time to reflect on a subject that has shaped not only the history of our country but the history of humanity itself— power . In the Gospel for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost (Matthew 9:1–8), Jesus heals a paralytic. At first glance, the miracle appears to be the center of the story. Yet Matthew concludes with an observation that deserves our attention: "Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men." (Matthew 9:8) Power. Authority. Influence. These are words that have fascinated mankind from the very beginning. Power is often defined as the ability to act, to produce an effect, or to exercise authority over others. It can be used to build, to protect, to heal—or to dominate and destroy. History is filled with examples of both. The first temptation in Scripture was, in many ways, a temptation of power. In the Garden of Eden, the serpent promised Adam a...

  I have always enjoyed watching older movies. Perhaps it is because many of them were willing to take their time, allowing characters to grow and stories to unfold. One of my favorites is  The Verdict . Released in 1982, it stars Paul Newman in what many critics consider the finest performance of his career. Newman plays Frank Galvin, an alcoholic lawyer in Boston whose life has fallen apart. Once a promising attorney, he has become little more than an ambulance chaser, visiting funeral homes in search of easy cases that can be settled out of court for a quick payday. His addiction to alcohol and his love of money have slowly become the center around which his life revolves. A friend brings Frank a medical malpractice case involving a young woman named Deborah Ann Kaye. Admitted to the hospital to give birth, she was given the wrong anesthetic and left in a permanent coma. The lawsuit is against two prominent doctors, the hospital, and the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, whic...

One of the most challenging statements Jesus ever made is found in the Gospel of Matthew: "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me... Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."  (Matthew 10:37-39) At first glance, these words can sound almost shocking. Is Jesus telling us to love our families less? Certainly not. Throughout Scripture we are commanded to honor our father and mother, to love our spouse, and to care for our children. What Christ is teaching is something much deeper:  God must always come first. When we love God above everything else, every other relationship finds its proper place. But when anything—even something good—takes the place that belongs to God alone, our lives begin to lose their proper order. This has been humanity's struggle from the very beginning. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve enjoyed perfect communi...

Just what is a kingdom? For those of us living in the modern world, this can be a difficult question to answer. When we hear the word  kingdom , we often picture kings and queens dressed in beautiful robes, wearing crowns of gold. We imagine grand processions through crowded streets or medieval castles filled with knights and servants. But is this what Jesus means when He proclaims, "The kingdom of God is at hand"? The short answer is no. So what does Jesus mean? More importantly, what does His kingdom have to do with our lives today? How does the Kingdom of God become present in our hearts? A good place to begin is with another promise from the Old Testament. In the seventh chapter of Second Samuel, the Lord speaks to King David: "When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you... and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever." (2 Samuel 7:12-13) One thing should immediately stand out: this is somet...

Time is an important thing in all our lives. Many of us feel as if we never have enough of it. We rush from one task to another, trying to catch up, only to discover that time keeps moving forward whether we are ready or not. The famous Pink Floyd song  Time  captures this struggle: "And you run, and you run to catch up with the sun, but it's sinking  racing around to come up behind you again..."    The song expresses something deeply human. Time seems to move faster as we grow older. The years pass quickly, plans remain unfinished, and we wonder where the time has gone. Yet Scripture offers a different perspective. The Book of Ecclesiastes reminds us: "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven..." (Ecclesiastes 3:1) The biblical view of time is not one of randomness or chaos. Time unfolds according to God's purpose. There is a season for every event and a moment appointed by God for every work He intends to accomplish. At th...

How should one approach the Gospel of Mark? For me, the first thing that has always stood out is its pace. The often-repeated word  "immediately"  says it all. Jesus and His disciples are constantly on the move, and Jesus is always doing something. Mark does not give us the long sermons and discourses found in Matthew, Luke, or John. Instead, he paints a vivid picture of Jesus through movement and action. But how does this sense of urgency shape our faith and our understanding of Mark's message? I often think of the Passover and God's instructions to the people of Israel on the night of their deliverance: "In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Passover." (Exodus 12:11) There is something of that same urgency in Mark's Gospel. The Christian life is not meant to be stagnant. It is a life in motion—a heart moving ever closer to God...