Sunday’s Readings: Is 8:23—9:3; Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14; 1 Cor 1:10-13, 17; Mt 4:12-23 or 4:12-17 GOD’S LOVING CARE Two readings today refer to the northeast region of ancient Israel: “the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali.” Upon hearing these names, some of us might consult maps and determine exactly where these regions lie.…
Sunday’s Readings: Isaiah 49:3, 5-6; Psalms 40:2, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10; 1 Corinthians 1:1-3; John 1:29-34 OUR STRATEGIC GOAL As a Church, we now move into Ordinary Time. “Ordinary” comes from the Latin root for “order,” which is why we line the Sundays up on the calendar and count them—with “ordinal” numbers—one by one. The…
Sunday’s Readings: Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalms 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13; Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6; Matthew 2:1-12 ALL SHARE IN THE PROMISE Picture a nativity scene in your mind’s eye. The scene likely includes figures arriving on camels, some elaborately dressed, with jeweled boxes containing precious gifts. These magi arrived from distant lands to pay homage to the…
Sunday’s Readings: Is 9:1-6; Ps 96: 1-2, 2-3, 11-12, 13; Ti 2:11-14; Lk 2:1-14 WHAT ALL THE WAITING HAS BEEN FOR Today’s readings are as familiar to most of us as the carols we sing and the commercials that overwhelm this holiday season. Often Christmas finds us tired, struggling with preparations and expectations. What we…
Sunday’s Readings: Nm 6:22-27; Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8; Gal 4:4-7;Heb 1:1-2; Lk 2:16-21 BLESSINGS Today’s readings include another account of the story of Jesus’ birth. The reading from the book of Numbers reminds us that we are blessed. We are looked upon with kindness and grace. The psalm and Galatians remind us of the…
Sunday’s Readings: Micah 5:1-4; Psalms 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19; Hebrews 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-45 GOD WANTS TO BE ONE WITH USWhat great lengths God will go to in loving and saving us! Think of the most outlandish circumstance you might conceive. That seems to be what the Lord is saying to Ahaz in today’s first reading. “A…
Sunday’s Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121122.cfmIsaiah 35:1-6,10; Psalms 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11 THE ONE FOR WHOM OUR HEARTS LONG Put yourself in the scene of today’s Gospel passage. John the Baptist is in prison. He has heard stories of what Jesus is doing, and wants reassurance that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah. John’s disciples and…
Sunday’s Readings: Isaiah 11:1-10; Psalms 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17; Romans 15:4-9; Matthew 3:1-12 ARMONY Have you ever known a moment when, just for a brief instant, you felt that all was right with the world? It is just such a moment, stretched into eternity, that the writer of Isaiah describes in today’s first reading: the…