Father Kevin A. Codd

Jesus' Passion and Death: And Now We Weep

The previous Sunday, we found Jesus weeping at the cold, hard tomb of Lazarus. 

Today, it is we who now weep at the cold, hard tomb of Jesus.

The Prodigal Son 3: The Elder Brother Who Won't Come Home

In the third of three reflections on the magnificent parable of the Prodigal Son, Father Kevin offers insight into the end of the story, which features the Father's encounter with the elder brother, a stand-in, obviously, for those Pharisees who have challenged Jesus' practice of sharing table fellowship with sinners. 

Father Kevin's reflections are largely based on the book by Kenneth E. Bailey, The Cross & The Prodigal: Luke 15 Through the Eyes of Middle Eastern Peasants. Click here for a link to the book on Amazon:  CLICK!

The Prodigal Son 2: "Johnny Comes Marching Home Again..."

In the second of three reflections on the parable of the Prodigal Son, Father Kevin retells the heart of the story: the Father's welcome back into the family and community of his lost son, now found! 

Father's reflections on the parable are largely based on the book by Kenneth E. Bailey, The Cross & the Prodigal: Luke 15 Through the Eyes of Middle Eastern Peasants. Click here for the link to Amazon: CLICK!

The Prodigal Son 1: Two Bad Boys and One Kind of Bad Dad

On April 6, 2017, Father Kevin shared three reflections on the parable of the Prodigal Son at a Day of Prayer at Immaculate Heart Retreat House in Spokane. This is the first of his reflections, based largely on the book by Kenneth E. Bailey, The Cross & The Prodigal: Luke 15 Through the Eyes of Middle Eastern Peasants, Intervarsity Press, 2005. Click here for a link to the book on Amazon: CLICK!

And Jesus Wept.

Three words: "And Jesus wept." Among the most important of the Gospels. They plunge us into the heart of the mystery of the Incarnation.  In Jesus, God weeps with us and for us as one of us. 

The Samaritan Woman and Jesus: A Well-side Conversation

The Third Sunday of Lent in the "A" Cycle presents us with a terrific story...one that merits a sort of narrative analysis to see just how masterly Jesus brings the Living Water of salvation to a whole town. 

"Peter, shut up and LISTEN to him!"

The Transfiguration featured in this gospel is yet another episode in the Lenten Adventures of Jesus of Nazareth. The meaning of Jesus' upcoming passion and death is not yet grasped by Peter, James and John. The Father's voice from heaven commands Jesus' disciples to shut up already and LISTEN to him... Good advice for all of us in this Lenten season!

Two Fundamental Temptations

The first Man and Woman were tempted to eat the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, thus (they supposed) making themselves gods...with no need of GOD. 

Jesus was tempted in the desert to eat bread of his own divine making, throw himself from the parapet of the Temple without suffering consequences, and take the fast road to ruling the World...all temptations to presume upon his divinity so that he needn't be quite so human. 

How ironic! One is the temptation of humanity to make itself its own god...and the other for God to be not quite  human in all its lowliness, weakness, and exposure to injustice and death. 

Glitter or Ashes?

A new trend in some Christian churches is to replace the ashes of Ash Wednesday with glitter. Hmmm. What might we be losing with the practice? 

The Tribe: "Love your neighbor...except..."

As he continues his preaching from atop the Mount of Beatitudes, Jesus goes after the moral certainty that we must love our neighbor...meaning those who belong to OUR tribe...but remain free to fear, hate, and even kill those who are outsiders.