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What's New
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July 2026
New article: “The Book of Revelation” (Revelation).
New article: “The Letters to the Seven Churches” (Revelation).
New article: “The Liturgy of Heaven” (Revelation).
New article: “The Woman, the Dragon, and the Lamb” (Revelation).
New article: “Babylon and the Judgment” (Revelation).
New article: “The New Jerusalem” (Revelation).
New article: “The Catholic Letters” (Catholic Letters).
New article: “The Letter of James” (Catholic Letters).
New article: “The Letters of Peter” (Catholic Letters).
New article: “The Letters of John” (Catholic Letters).
New article: “The Letter of Jude” (Catholic Letters).
New article: “The Book of Acts” (Acts).
New article: “Pentecost” (Acts).
New article: “The Church of the First Days” (Acts).
New article: “The Gospel to the Nations” (Acts).
New article: “To the Ends of the Earth” (Acts).
New article: “The Book of Hosea” (Hosea).
New article: “The Book of Micah” (Micah).
New article: “The Book of Jonah” (Jonah).
New article: “The Book of Habakkuk” (Habakkuk).
New article: “The Book of Zephaniah” (Zephaniah).
New article: “The Book of Malachi” (Malachi).
New article: “The Book of Daniel” (Daniel).
New article: “Faith in the Trial” (Daniel).
New article: “The Kingdoms That Pass” (Daniel).
New article: “The Son of Man and the Resurrection” (Daniel).
New article: “Susanna and the Wisdom of God” (Daniel).
New article: “The Book of Jeremiah” (Jeremiah).
New article: “Jeremiah, the Tested Prophet” (Jeremiah).
New article: “The New Covenant” (Jeremiah).
New article: “The Fall of Jerusalem and the Lamentations” (Jeremiah).
New article: “Baruch and the Hope of Exile” (Jeremiah).
New article: “The Song of Songs” (Song of Songs).
New article: “The Movement of Love” (Song of Songs).
New article: “The Garden of Symbols” (Song of Songs).
New article: “Love Strong as Death” (Song of Songs).
New article: “The Senses of the Song” (Song of Songs).
New article: “The Book of Job” (Job).
New article: “The Prologue and the Trial” (Job).
New article: “Job and His Friends” (Job).
New article: “God’s Answer” (Job).
New article: “My Eyes Have Seen You” (Job).
New article: “The Book of Ecclesiastes” (Ecclesiastes).
New article: “The Quest for Happiness” (Ecclesiastes).
New article: “A Time for Everything” (Ecclesiastes).
New article: “The Joy That Is God’s Gift” (Ecclesiastes).
New article: “Remember Your Creator” (Ecclesiastes).
New article: “The Book of Wisdom” (Wisdom).
New article: “The Righteous, the Wicked, and Immortality” (Wisdom).
New article: “Wisdom, the Breath of God” (Wisdom).
New article: “Wisdom, Guide of History” (Wisdom).
New article: “Knowing God and the Folly of Idols” (Wisdom).
New article: “The Book of Sirach” (Sirach).
New article: “The Fear of the Lord, Source of Wisdom” (Sirach).
New article: “Wisdom and the Law” (Sirach).
New article: “The Choice of Life and Everyday Wisdom” (Sirach).
New article: “The Praise of the Ancestors” (Sirach).
New article: “The Book of Proverbs” (Proverbs).
New article: “The Fear of the Lord and the Two Ways” (Proverbs).
New article: “Personified Wisdom” (Proverbs).
New article: “Wisdom for Daily Life” (Proverbs).
New article: “The Valiant Woman” (Proverbs).
New article: “The Psalter, Prayer of Israel” (Psalms).
New article: “The Psalms of Praise and Thanksgiving” (Psalms).
New article: “The Psalms of Supplication and Trust” (Psalms).
New article: “The Royal and Messianic Psalms” (Psalms).
New article: “The Psalms of Ascents and Wisdom” (Psalms).
New article: “The Psalms on the Lips of Christ” (Psalms).
New article: “The Crisis and the Profanation of the Temple” (1 Maccabees).
New article: “Eleazar and the Seven Brothers” (2 Maccabees).
New article: “Judas Maccabeus and the Dedication of the Temple” (1-2 Maccabees).
New article: “Jewish Independence” (1 Maccabees).
New article: “Tobit” (Tobit).
New article: “Judith” (Judith).
New article: “Esther” (Esther).
New article: “The Return and the House of God” (Ezra).
New article: “Ezra and the Return to the Law” (Ezra, Nehemiah).
New article: “Nehemiah and the Rebuilt City” (Nehemiah).
New article: “Samuel and the Rise of Kingship” (1-2 Samuel).
New article: “Saul and the Rise of David” (1 Samuel).
New article: “David, the Covenant, and the Promise” (2 Samuel).
New article: “Solomon and the Temple” (1 Kings).
New article: “The Schism and the Northern Kingdom” (1-2 Kings).
New article: “Judah until the Exile” (2 Kings, 2 Chronicles).
New article: “The Entry into the Promised Land” (Joshua).
New article: “The Division of the Land and the Covenant at Shechem” (Joshua).
New article: “The Time of the Judges” (Judges).
New article: “In Those Days There Was No King” (Judges).
New article: “Ruth the Moabite” (Ruth).
New article: “Abraham, Father of Believers” (Genesis).
New article: “Isaac and Jacob” (Genesis).
New article: “Joseph” (Genesis).
New article: “The Creation and the Rest” (Genesis).
New article: “The Garden and the Fall” (Genesis).
New article: “From Cain to Babel” (Genesis).
New article: “Personal Responsibility” (Ezekiel).
New article: “The Ministry of the New Covenant” (2 Corinthians).
New article: “The Collection for the Saints” (2 Corinthians).
New article: “Strength in Weakness” (2 Corinthians).
New article: “The Decalogue.”
New article: “The Law of the Neighbor.”
New article: “The Law of Worship and Holiness.”
New article: “The Law and Christ.”
New article: “The Law, Gift of the Covenant.”
New article: “Freedom and idols” (1 Corinthians 8-10).
New article: “The charisms and the assembly” (1 Corinthians 12 and 14).
New article: “The Cardinal Virtues”.
New article: “Prudence”.
New article: “Temperance”.
The French Bible of the site is now the Chérubin translation, with section headings in the reader.
New article: “Resentment and Forgiveness”.
New article: “Judging One’s Neighbour”.
New article: “The New Temple and the River of Life” (Ezekiel).
New article: “The Restoration of Israel” (Ezekiel).
New article: “The Oracles Against the Nations” (Ezekiel).
New article: “The Symbolic Actions and the Judgment of Jerusalem”.
New article: “Ezekiel, the Prophet of the Exile”.
New article: “Anger and Meekness”.
New article: “Love”.
New article: “The Desire to Feel the Spirit”.
New article: “The Dark Night of the Soul”.
June 2026
New article: “Consolation and Desolation”.
New article: “Discerning the Movements of the Heart”.
New article: “The Fall of Nineveh”.
New article: “The God Who Judges and Who Saves”.
New article: “Nahum and the Assyrian Empire”.
New article: “Justice, the Day of the Lord, and Hope”.
New article: “The Visions and the Rejected Worship”.
New article: “The Judgment of the Nations and of Israel”.
New article: “Amos, the Shepherd Prophet”.
New article: “The Glory of the Second Temple”.
New article: “The Four Oracles”.
New article: “Haggai and the Rebuilding of the Temple”.
New article: “The Expansion of Christianity”.
New article: “All Under Sin”.
New article: “The Epistle to the Romans”.
New article: “Sinai and the covenant”.
New article: “The deliverance”.
New article: “The bondage and the call”.
New article: “The oracles against the nations”.
New article: “Sadness”.
New article: “Fear”.
New article: “The finger of God”.
New article: “The baptism of Christ”.
New article: “The Resurrection and the Glorification”.
New article: “Holy Week”.
New article: “The third year: the opposition”.
New article: “The second year: popularity”.
New article: “The first year: the inauguration”.
New article: “The preparation for the ministry”.
New article: “The prologues and the coming of Christ”.
New: the “Memorise” tool.
New article: “The Real Presence.”
New article: “The four Servant Songs”.
New article: “Trito-Isaiah”.
New article: “Deutero-Isaiah”.
New article: “Proto-Isaiah”.
New article: “Predestination”.
New article: “The Angel of the Lord”.
New article: “Wars of Extermination in the Bible”.
New article: “Slavery in the Bible”.
New article: “The Nature of God”.
New article: “The Age of the Martyrs”.
New article: “The Abode of the Dead”.
New article: “The Canon and the Deuterocanonical Books”.
New article: “The Deacon”.
New article: “The Priest”.
New article: “Sola Scriptura”.
New article: “The Angels”.
New article: “Sola Fide”.
New article: “Once Saved, Always Saved”.
New article: “Elijah at Horeb”.
New article: “Turning the Other Cheek”.
New article: “Buy a Sword”.
New article: “Let the Dead Bury Their Dead”.
New article: “Jesus before Pilate”.
New article: “Jesus and Nicodemus”.
New article: “Invincible Ignorance”.
New article: “The Prophet and His Time”.
New article: “The Eight Night Visions”.
New article: “Joshua, the Branch and the Crown”.
New article: “Fasting and Restoration”.
New article: “First Oracle: The King Who Comes”.
New article: “The Book of Obadiah”.
New article: “Second Oracle: The Pierced One”.
New article: “The Day of the Lord”.
New article: “The Plague and the Day of the Lord”.
New article: “Conversion and the Spirit Poured Out”.
New article: “The Judgment of the Nations and the Salvation of Zion”.
New article: “The Three Ways of the Interior Life”.
New article: “Freedom and Responsibility”.
New article: “The Moral Conscience”.
New article: “Doubt and the Moral Systems”.
New article: “Doing Evil for a Good”.
New article: “Adoration and Praise”.
New article: “Why God Asks for Adoration”.
New article: “Faith and Science”.
New article: “The Theory of Evolution”.
New article: “The Woes of Isaiah”.
New article: “The Dwelling, the Priesthood and the Sacrifices”.
New article: “The Forty Years in the Desert”.
New article: "The Discourses of Moses".
New article: "The Death of Moses".
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Ruth the Moabite

In the midst of the disorder of the time of the judges, the little book of Ruth tells a story wholly of fidelity and gentleness. A foreigner, a Moabite, binds herself to the God of Israel and to her mother-in-law; through a series of humble acts, the providence of God leads her to become the great-grandmother of King David, and through him, of Christ. In an age of idolatry and violence, God prepares salvation through the quiet fidelity of two women.

Naomi and Ruth

A famine drives from Bethlehem a man, Elimelek, with his wife Naomi and their two sons; they settle in the land of Moab, among a people born of Lot, long an enemy of Israel, and whom a law even kept apart from the assembly of the Lord. The sons there marry Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth; then, within some ten years, Elimelek and his two sons die, leaving three widows without support. Naomi, learning that the Lord has visited his people by giving them bread, decides to return to Bethlehem, and urges her two daughters-in-law to stay in their own country, where they can make their life again. Orpah kisses her and goes back; but Ruth clings to her and refuses to leave her, with words in which she gives at a stroke her heart, her people, and her God. "Where you go, I will go… your people will be my people, and your God will be my God." Ruth 1:16 Naomi returns to Bethlehem with an emptied heart, and even her name weighs on her. "Do not call me Naomi, the sweet one; call me Mara, the bitter one, for the Almighty has filled me with bitterness." Ruth 1:20 She does not yet see that the foreigner she brings back is the beginning of her consolation.

Ruth and Boaz

At Bethlehem, at the time of the barley harvest, Ruth goes to glean in the fields, according to the law that leaves to the poor, the widows, and the foreigner what the reapers forget behind them. What the account calls chance is the hidden governance of God: Ruth comes to the field of Boaz, a kinsman of Elimelek, an upright and good man. Boaz notices her, orders his workers to let her glean in peace and even to drop ears of grain for her, has her eat at his table, and blesses her for the fidelity she has shown toward Naomi and for having taken refuge under the God of Israel. "…May your reward be full, from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!" Ruth 2:12 The law of gleaning, which seemed a mere detail, becomes the place where a whole salvation is played out; and Naomi, learning in whose field her daughter-in-law has gleaned, recognizes in Boaz a close kinsman, one of those who hold over the family a right of redemption.

The Redeemer

The heart of the book is the figure of the redeemer, the goel. The Law willed that a close kinsman be able to redeem the land of a dead man and raise up his name by marrying his widow, so that the family might not die out and the inheritance might remain in the line. On Naomi’s counsel, Ruth goes to Boaz by night, on the threshing floor where the barley is winnowed, and asks him to act as redeemer, with a word that takes up the very image of the blessing she had received. "Spread the corner of your cloak over your servant, for you have the right of redemption over us." Ruth 3:9 The shelter she had sought under the wings of God, she now asks under the cloak of the man God gives her. A nearer kinsman exists, to whom the right belongs first; but, called before the elders at the gate of the city, he draws back, for fear of compromising his own inheritance, and yields his right by the rite of the sandal. Boaz then redeems the land of Elimelek and takes Ruth as his wife, to raise up the name of the dead man on his estate. The elders and all the people bless the union, and bind the foreigner to the mothers of Israel. "May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your house like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel!" Ruth 4:11 Ruth, who came with nothing, is fully received into the people of God.

From Ruth to David, and to Christ

Ruth gives Boaz a son, Obed, and the women of Bethlehem bless God for having given back to Naomi a redeemer and a line of descendants; the bitter one finds herself filled. "Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you today without a redeemer!" Ruth 4:14 This son opens the line from which the king will come. "…Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David." Ruth 4:17 Thus the Moabite, the foreigner of an enemy people, becomes the great-grandmother of David, and enters the line from which Christ will be born; the Gospel will name her among his ancestors, with Rahab of Jericho and Tamar. Salvation comes from a stock where a Moabite and a Canaanite have their place: from the Old Testament onward, God shows that his promise overflows Israel and opens to all the nations. Boaz, the redeemer who buys back the land and raises up the name of the dead, announces from afar the true Redeemer, Christ, who redeems us at the price of himself and unites to himself a bride drawn from among the strangers, the Church. And above all, this little book tells how God saves: in the darkest time of the judges, without splendor, through the quiet fidelity of two women, he prepares the king and the salvation of the world.

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