These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.

Thursday, Week XX, Ordinary Time

So she departed with her companions
and mourned her virginity on the mountains.
At the end of the two months she returned to her father,
who did to her as he had vowed. (Judges 11:29-39)

The tragic story of Jepthah and his daughter is probably the most horrific story in the Scriptures. In this passage human sacrifice stands without any correction . . . such as, “DON’T DO THIS! DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME!” Personally, I would find it difficult to be the lector who has to proclaim at the end of this particular reading: “The Word of the Lord.” In the South we would simply call this passage “gawd-awful” and make sure it wasn’t included in the Children’s Bible.