Genesis 12:1-4A2 Timothy 1:8B-10   Matthew 17:1-9 Encounter Reflecting on these readings brought to mind the word encounter. In the first reading, Abraham encounters God in a call to move to a new and unknown land. He places his trust in God and follows God’s command. That encounter changed his life and those who came after him….

Gn 2:7-9; 3:1-7Rom 5:12-19Mt 4:1-11 Prayer, Fasting, Almsgiving Ash Wednesday was the beginning of Lent. Every liturgical year the church sets aside forty days of preparation for the most important feast of the year – Easter. Reading scripture, the Word of God for this Sunday, tells us that Jesus, following his baptism goes into the…

Lv 19:1-2, 17-181 Cor 3:16-23Mt 5:38-48 Holiness Most of us are familiar with the primary command of scripture – to love God, neighbor and self. We also know that faithfully living that command is not always easy. In Sunday’s gospel, Jesus adds some additional injunctions that make the great command even more difficult to practice in…

Sir 15:15-201 Cor 2:6-10Mt 5:17-37 or 5:20-22a, 27-28, 33-34a, 37 Law and Virtue Picture a school hallway many years ago. Suddenly a small child starts running down the hall, trips and starts crying because she hurt herself. The next day there is a new rule: No running in the halls. Rules and law are most…

Is 58:7-101 Cor 2:1-5Mt 5:13-16 Salt and Light  Salt and light are important to life in many ways. In Jesus’ time, salt was used for cooking, as a preservative and a healing agent. Think how bland much of our food would be today without some salt as flavoring. Since the beginning of time, light has…

Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13.1 Corinthians 1:26-31.Matthew 5:1-12A. The Beatitudes Our vocation as Christians is not to be first in this world, but rather to be first in the eyes of God. In the Gospel of Matthew for Sunday’s liturgy, we find a description of people who strive to be first in the eyes of God. They…

Isaiah 8:23-9:31 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17Matthew 4:12-23 Committed Followers Today Matthew’s Gospel describes the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. After Jesus heard about John the Baptist’s arrest, he moves to the northern region of Galilee. “He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, that what…

Isaiah 49:3, 5-6First Corinthians 1:1-3John 1:29-34 Responding to the Call One clear theme found in the Sunday readings is that of call and what it means to respond to the call. Isaiah is told, “… you [are] to be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and restore the survivors of Israel; I…

Isaiah 42:1-9Acts 10:34-43Matthew 3:13-17 Revelation On this first Sunday of the New Year we celebrate the revelation of God incarnate as Jesus the Christ. It’s on this feast of the epiphany that we hear the story of the three magi bringing gifts to the new born child. Because the magi (representing the non-Jewish people of…

Numbers 6: 22-27Galatians 4: 4-7Luke 2: 16-21 Resolutions “The Lord bless you and keep you! The Lord let His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!” (Num 6:24-26). This blessing from the Hebrew Scriptures is a good way to greet all you readers…

Is 7:10-14Rom 1:1-7Mt 1:18-24 Joseph This last Sunday before Christmas is a time to reflect on the birth of Jesus. The readings take us in a different direction except for the gospel. The gospel tells us about Joseph who discovers that his future wife is pregnant. Imagine his situation since he is a good and…

Isaiah 35:1-6A, 10James 5:7-10Matthew 11:2-11 Persistence In the gospel for Sunday John the Baptist, who is in prison, asks a question of Jesus that many people ask in our own time. “Are you the one who is to come, or have we got to wait for someone else?” It has almost been two thousand years…

Is 11:1-10Rom 15:4-9Mt 3:1-12 Harmony Advent is a time of preparation and waiting. We wait once again for the coming of Jesus at our celebration of Christmas, the great reminder that Jesus became incarnate to share human life with us. Advent is the time we prepare or renew ourselves to be ready for Jesus’ coming….

Is 2:1-5Rom 13:11-14Mt 24:37-44 Advent Today is the first Sunday of Advent. Each liturgical year we set aside four Sundays before Christmas as a time of preparation for the birth of Jesus. This feast of remembrance is significant because it reminds us that Jesus became one of us and experienced all the human feelings we…