What does it mean to do something in the name of someone? You represent them, act on their behalf, maybe invoke their authority.

JESUS WAS A smart teacher. He took images that his neighbors understood and used them as the undergirding of his instruction.

When we vouch for people (vouch from the Latin vocare, “to call”), we are speaking up on their behalf and bearing witness to their worthiness to join with people who respect and trust our judgment.

As we continue on our Easter journey, we ask for new life in God.

In the readings for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, the message seems simple enough: Do what pleases God, follow God’s commandment to love in the name of Jesus, and you will receive whatever you ask.

The history of world religions is filled with treasures of wisdom and inspiration. Sadly it is also filled with strife, division, intolerance, and bloodshed.

At Damascus, the governor . . . guarded the city of Damascus, in order to seize me, I was lowered in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands. —2 Corinthians 11:33