In today’s readings from the Letter to the Romans and the Gospel of Matthew, we learn about Jesus’ human and divine origins. Romans asserts that Jesus is “descended from David according to the flesh” ...

Sunday, Dec. 22, is the Fourth Sunday of Advent. Mass readings: Isaiah 7:10-14; Psalm 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-24. Advent begins its final week with the stories of two men, both ...

Many of the so-called prophesies of Jesus in the Hebrew Scriptures are deliberate mistranslations. Here are two of them. In an article well worth reading, the late Christopher Hitchens makes the ...

Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, “Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.” Then ...

The Virgin Mary and Jesus, flanked by the prophet Isaiah (right) and Saint Peter the Apostle. (Godong / Universal Images Group via Getty Images) “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and ...

Today, with Israel under so much pressure from “friends” and its many enemies, and anti-Semitism unreasonably showing its ugly face on the world stage, it’s wise to look back at our Prophets of old to ...

Today, with Israel under so much pressure from “friends” and many enemies, and anti-Semitism unreasonably showing its ugly face on the world stage, it’s wise to look back at our Prophets of old to ...

Here again, the word betula by itself does not seem to be enough to indicate virginity, since the narrator specifies that no man had known her. But further down in the chapter, in vv. 42-43, when the ...