In one sense, it was a routine duty: Forty days after giving birth to a son, every Jewish woman was required to bring an offering before the priest—a lamb and a pigeon or turtledove if she could afford it—or two turtledoves or pigeons if she was poor. More »

Special things happen when people gather to celebrate the Sabbath. On one particular day around the year a.d. 50, a group of women gathered by the river outside their city of Philippi to observe the Sabbath. More »

The story and legacy of St. Paul loom so large, both in the New Testament and in the history of the church, that we can sometimes lose sight of the man in the midst of the story. Even Paul’s most famous moment—his sudden conversion to Christianity—is wrapped in mystery. Writing about it himself, Paul simply says: More »

At Jesus’ initiative the apostles set out across the Sea of Galilee to the eastern shore, six or seven miles distant, as the sun was setting behind the Galilean hills (Mark 4:35). More »

Acts 22:3-16 (or Acts 9:1-22), Psalm 117:1-2, and Mark 16:15-18. More »

What does it mean for separated Christians to be one? What does it really mean for Christians to faithfully respond to Christ’s call to be one family, as God, the Trinity, is a family sharing one life? More »

[Jesus] entered the synagogue, and a man was there who had a withered hand. They watched him to see if he would cure him on the sabbath, so that they might accuse him. More »

If there had been a bestseller book list in 1609, Introduction to the Devout Life would have been at the top. Perhaps it was unusual even in the seventeenth century for a spiritual book to become so popular, but there was a reason that this one—written by the well-loved Bishop of Geneva, Francis de Sales—hit a chord with so many. More »