The church year comes to a close this month. While our readings become increasingly apocalyptic, we do not descend into fatalism because Christ remains sovereign over history and eternity (25).

Do you give your whole self to God and neighbor? What makes it difficult to do so?

There seems to be some contemporary confusion about the meaning of the love command. A television series identified “big love” as a plural marriage: one husband, a bevy of wives. The title suggested that a man with several wives must have more love to give than the usual variety of husband.

Hearing the lively exchanges of question and answer and seeing how sharp Jesus was in his answers, he put in his question: “Which is most important of all the commandments?”

As the dean of formation of the high school seminary, every summer I joined in rewriting the student handbook based on what we had learned from the previous school year. Most of it needed no changes.

Melissa gave herself plenty of time to get to the airport. But she didn’t figure on the heavy traffic or the long line at the rental car desk. And the shuttle must have stopped a hundred times for more passengers headed home for the holidays.

Through the sacrifice of God’s Son, Jesus, our sins are forgiven. We turn now to God for that forgiveness.

The central mantra of the Jewish people is “Hear, O Israel.” Listen. The command implies that still one can hear, that the revelation is still happening.