Sunday’s Readings: Numbers 6:22-27; Psalms 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8; Galatians 4:4-7; Luke 2:16-21 THE BLESSING WE RECEIVE The blessing we experience in Christ Jesus is proclaimed in Numbers as the special blessing for the people of Israel. They and we are to be blessed by the invocation of God’s loving kind-ness, the shining glory of God’s…
Sunday Readings:Isaiah 7:10-14; Psalms 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 24:37-44 SUMMONED BY GOD As Christmas draws near, Advent’s scriptures lure us into a world of dreams, signs, wonders, and the miracle of the virgin birth. Too often we allow the great stories of our faith, the ones that are most familiar, simply to wash over us. Today’s Gospel account…
Sunday Readings: Isaiah 35:1-6A, 10; Psalms 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11 Gaudette Sunday – The Third Sunday of Advent is called Gaudete (Rejoice) Sunday. On this day we celebrate that our waiting for the birth of Jesus on Christmas day is almost over. Rose is a liturgical color that is used to signify joy, so…
Sundays Readings: Isaiah 11:1-10; Psalms 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17; Romans 15:4-9; Matthew 3:1-12 PREPARE THE WAY Saint John the Baptist appears on the scene today as Advent enters its second week. The mysterious consumer of locusts and wild honey, John echoes the words of the prophet Isaiah as he calls for repentance in the face of the nearness of the…
Sunday’s Readings: Malachi 3:19-20A; Psalms 98:5-6, 7-8, 9; 2 Thessalonians 3:7-12; Luke 21:5-19 Jubilee Year of Mercy November 13, 2016 Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time As this Jubilee Year of Mercy comes to an end, Jesus’ first disciples ask what every age seems to wonder about the end of the world: “Teacher, when will this happen? What sign will…
Sunday’s Readings: Wisdom 11:22-12:2; Psalms 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13, 14; 2 Thessalonians 1:11-2:2; Luke 19:1-10 Jubilee Year of Mercy October 30, 2016 Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time Last Sunday’s Gospel gave us a tax collector’s beautiful prayer to take with us from this Jubilee Year of Mercy. Today, another tax collector’s encounter with Jesus offers a comforting memory to…
Sunday’s Readings: Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18; Psalms 34:2-3, 17-18, 19, 23; 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18; Luke 18:9-14 Jubilee Year of Mercy October 23, 2016 Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Today’s Gospel graces us with a beautiful prayer that can make every day of our lives a jubilee of mercy: “O God, be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13). Religious Israelites…
Sunday’s Readings: Exodus 17:8-13; Psalms 121:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8; 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2; Luke 18:1-8 Jubilee Year of Mercy October 16, 2016 Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time Though Jesus told today’s parable more than two thousand years ago, human nature hasn’t changed: we recognize both characters instantly. The merciless judge represents the corruption that has shortcircuited justice throughout history; the distraught widow,…