Fr. Scott Lewis, S.J

Fr. Scott Lewis, S.J

Fr. Scott Lewis is an associate professor of New Testament at Regis College, a founding member of the Toronto School of Theology.

He is a past president of the Canadian Catholic Biblical Association.
3rd Sunday of Lent (Year C) March 11 (Ex 3:1-8a, 13-15/1 Cor 10:1-6, 10-12/Lk 13:1-9)

Many traditions insist that to name and define God is a form of betrayal, for whatever can be named and defined cannot be God. But that doesn’t stop us from trying our best to have a name and a face for God. Not only is it more personal, it also gives us (we think) a greater sense of possession and control.
Fourth Sunday of Lent (Year C), March 18 (Jos 5:9a, 10-12/2 Cor 5:17-21, Lk 15:1-3, 11-32)

The manna from heaven and the fruit of the Promised Land are both testimonies to God’s loving kindness and provident care. But they also testify to something else: human doubt and unbelief.
3rd Sunday of Lent (Year C) March 11 (Ex 3:1-8a, 13-15/1 Cor 10:1-6, 10-12/Lk 13:1-9)

Many traditions insist that to name and define God is a form of betrayal, for whatever can be named and defined cannot be God. But that doesn’t stop us from trying our best to have a name and a face for God. Not only is it more personal, it also gives us (we think) a greater sense of possession and control.
September 10, 2007

Accept what God offers us

Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C), Sept. 16 (Exodus 32:7-12, 13-14; Psalm 51; 1 Timothy 1:12-17; Luke 15:1-32)

The golden calf is a powerful religious and cultural symbol for idolatry and infidelity to God. Years ago a commentator described a particular luxury car as a “golden calf on wheels.” We might wonder why the Israelites chose to follow this dark path after God had done so much for them in such a dramatic fashion.

Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) Sept. 9 (Wisdom 9:13-18; Psalm 90; Philemon 9-10, 12-17; Luke 14:25-33)

At first glance, the book of Wisdom does not seem very encouraging. Human reasoning is useless, it insists, and human plans are bound to fail.

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C), Sept. 2 (Sirach 3:17-20, 28-29; Psalm 68; Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24; Luke 14:1, 7-14)

Twelve-step programs have freed countless people from addictions and restored them to health and sanity. The first three steps are the hardest, and they are the downfall of not a few. The sufferer must admit that his or her life is out of control and that they are not God after all.

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) Aug. 26 (Isaiah 66:18-21; Psalm 117; Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13; Luke 13:22-30)

New experiences — even difficult and painful ones — provide the opportunity for transformation and a change in spiritual awareness. The Israelites endured the destruction of their city and 50 years of painful and humiliating exile in Babylon. But that experience left a deep mark on their understanding of God.

20th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year C) Aug. 19 (Jeremiah 38:1-2, 4-6, 8-10; Psalm 40; Hebrews 12:1-4; Luke 12:49-53)

Jeremiah is not the first or the only prophet to get into trouble by voicing contrary views during a crisis or time of war. Usually the party line is the only voice desired or permitted. But Jeremiah has the dubious honour of proclaiming the word of God — not his own — and it is not something that those in power want to hear.

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C), Aug. 12 (Wisdom 18:6-9; Psalm 33; Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19; Luke 12:32-48)

What did the Israelites know and when did they know it? The book of Wisdom is a late interpretation of Israel’s foundation myth and it leaves one with the impression that the Israelites had God’s master plan tucked under their arm all along. In real life, things are seldom that clear or simple.
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C), July 29 (Genesis 18:20-21, 23-32; Psalm 138; Colossians 2:6-14; Luke 11:1-13)

Fifty – 40 – 30 – 20 – do I hear 10? The image of Abraham and God haggling and bargaining for the fate of a city and its inhabitants is rather disconcerting. It is one of many all-too-human images of God in the Bible, and reflects the mentality and understanding of people at the time it was written.