Dt 26:4-10Rom 10:8-13Lk 4:1-13 Lent This past Wednesday was Ash Wednesday, 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 the scripture, the Word of God for this Sunday, tells us that Jesus, following his baptism goes into…
Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sir 27:4-71 Cor 15:54-58Lk 6:39-45 Know Yourself To be a committed disciple of Christ we must really know ourselves. We must be aware of our gifts and our faults or weaknesses. This is important because as disciples we are to produce good deeds for others. In order to accomplish these good deeds, we have to…
Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
1 Samuel 26:2, 7-9,12-13,22-231 Corinthians 15:45-49Luke 6:27-38 Love in Action In the gospel for Sunday Jesus’ words challenge us to love as God loves. We are challenged to love with a depth beyond imagining. God loves us beyond anything we can possibly imagine. In response to God’s love, we are to love with every thought,…
Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Jer 17:5-81 Cor 15:12, 16-20Lk 6:17, 20-26 Trust in God Both the first and second readings remind us that it is foolish to place our trust in anyone or anything but God. “Thus says the LORD: Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings, who seeks his strength in flesh, whose heart turns away…
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Isaiah 6:1-2A, 3-81 Corinthians 15:1-11Luke 5:1-11 Responding to the Call The words of scripture remind us of our own personal call for a change of heart (metanoia) and our response to follow our call to discipleship. Paul states clearly in the second reading that, “I am reminding you, brothers and sisters, of the gospel I preached…
The Presentation of the Lord
Mal 3:1-4Heb 2:14-18Lk 2:22-40 or 2:22-32 A Listening Heart This Sunday the Church celebrates the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord that occurs forty days after the birth of Jesus. The gospel tells of Mary and Joseph bringing the infant Jesus to the temple to be presented to God according to Mosaic Law. It then introduces us…
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
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…
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
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…
Baptism of the Lord
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…
Feast of the Epiphany
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)…
Feast of the Holy Family
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…
Fourth Sunday of Advent
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…
Third Sunday of Advent
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…
Second Sunday of Advent
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…
First Sunday of Advent
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…
