Neh 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-101 Cor 12:12-30Lk 1:1-4, 4:14-21 Inclusivity Paul begins the second reading for this Sunday with words that are important for the society we live in today. “Brothers and sisters: As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so…

Isaiah 62:1-51 Corinthians 12:4-11John 21-11 Giftedness In John’s gospel miracles are called signs. In the gospel for Sunday Jesus performs his first sign of his new ministry. There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. When the wine…

Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7Acts 10:34-38Luke 3:15-16, 21-22 Baptism This Sunday we celebrate the baptism of Jesus. The people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Christ. John answered them all, saying, “I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not…

Isaiah 60:1-6.Ephesians 3:1-12.Matthew 2:1-12. Shared Gifts On this first Sunday, we celebrate the revelation of God incarnate as Jesus the Christ. It is 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 the world)…

Sir 3:2-6, 12-14COL 3:12-17LK 2:22-40 The readings for the Feast of the Holy Family focus on the importance of family. The first reading tells us about honoring our fathers. The second reading tells us how to live together as families. In the gospel Joseph and Mary take the infant Jesus to Jerusalem for the ritual…

Micah 5:1-4Hebrews 10:5-10Luke 1:39-45 The Visitation This is the final week of Advent and in a few days we will celebrate Christmas, the birth of Jesus into our world. For the last two weeks we heard stories about John the Baptist preparing the way for the coming of Jesus. Today we switch gears and hear…

Zephaniah 3:14-18a Philippians 4:4-7 Luke 3:10-18  Peace and Joy This third Sunday of Advent is called Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete means ‘rejoice’ and certainly that it the mood of Paul’s Letter to the Philippians. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.  Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by…

Baruch 5:1-9Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11Luke 3:1-6 Preparedness In this second Sunday of Advent we are encouraged to make ourselves ready for the physical coming of Jesus into our world. It is not a somber time, but rather, a time of joyful preparation. Baruch tells us in the first reading that the Israelites should prepare themselves for…

Jeremiah 33:14-161 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2Luke 21:25-28, 34-36 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…

Dn 7:13-14Rv 1:5-8Jn 18:33b-37 As modern disciples of Jesus, we may struggle at times to recognize Jesus as king. Today’s Gospel invites us to see with eyes of faith that we might recognize that Jesus, through his crucifixion and death, is indeed king and Savior of all. The Responsorial Psalm Response points to the core…

Daniel 12:1-3Hebrews 10:11-14, 18Mark 13:24-32 The End Times “… Today the readings direct our attention to the end of time. We are promised that if we are faithful, we shall not be destroyed.  We are promised that the Archangel Michael will be there helping us. We are told that the one great sacrifice for sins has been…

1 Kings 17:10-16Hebrews 9:24-28Mark 12:38-44  Faith and Generosity There is a clear link between the widow of Zarephath in the first reading and the widow in the gospel story. The first widow and her son are close to starvation when Elijah asks her for food and water. She trusts Elijah when he tells her “The…

Deuteronomy 6:2-6Hebrews 7:23-28Mark 12:28B-34 Love God and Neighbor The reading from Deuteronomy gives us the famous command to love God above all else. This command is reiterated in the gospel story when one of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus replied, “The first is…

In January of 2020 I started writing Angela for Today. Over these past four years, I have published 248 blogs, have had 7,052 visitors to the site and 12, 027 views over that time. This month, we are going to take a look back at the most read blogs over the last four years. This week’s…

In January of 2020 I started writing Angela for Today. Over these past four years, I have published 248 blogs, have had 7,052 visitors to the site and 12, 027 views over that time. This month, we are going to take a look back at the most read blogs over the last four years. This week’s…