Angela For Today

1 Kgs 19:4-8Eph 4:30—5:2Jn 6:41-51 Hopefulness Has there ever been a time in your life when you felt less confident or hopeful, a time when you lost your enthusiasm or zest for life? This is what depression or discouragement is and how it tends to bring darkness rather than light to our lives. In the…

Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15Ephesians 4:17, 20-24John 6:24-35 Hunger Hunger is a terrible thing. Every night all over the world untold numbers of people go to bed hungry. The pangs of hunger are feelings that some children know on a daily basis. Parents go without their own food to feed their children. Crimes are committed to somehow…

2 Ephesians 4:1-6Kings 4:42-44John 6:1-15 Generosity In the first reading the prophet Elisha foreshadows Jesus by feeding a hundred people with twenty barley loaves and then has some left over. In the gospel we find the famous story of Jesus feeding a huge crowd with five barley loaves and two fish. These readings encourage us…

Jer 23:1-6Eph 2:13-18Mk 6:30-34 Change of Plans The readings for Sunday are focused on Jesus as the one who loves and cares for us as a shepherd who cares for his flock. In the first reading God warns against those who lead his people astray and scatter his flock. In the gospel Jesus and his…

Am 7:12-15Eph 1:3-14 or 1:3-10Mk 6:7-13 Discipleship The readings for Sunday call us to spread the gospel in our communities. In the first reading Amos explains that he is a prophet because that is what God has called him to do, not to do something to benefit himself. In the gospel, Jesus sends his disciples…

Ez 2:2-52 Cor 12:7-10Mk 6:1-6 Acceptance The readings for this Sunday’s liturgy are a call to listen to God and respond to God even when those around us do not. In the first reading, the prophet Ezekiel is sent to prophesy but knows that his message may be ignored. In the second reading, Paul knows…

Wis 1:13-15; 2:23-242 Cor 8:7, 9, 13-15Mk 5:21-43 or 5:21-24, 35b-43 Why suffering? The first reading explains that God desires life for us, not death. The second reading tells us that God desires abundance for all of his children. Today’s Gospel reports two stories of healing. One story tells us about a father’s great love…

Jb 38:1, 8-112 Cor 5:14-17Mk 4:35-41 Fear vs Faith The readings for this Sunday show us that we must turn to God during the storms in our lives. In the first reading God tells Job that he is more powerful than natural events. In the gospel the apostles wake Jesus up during a violent storm…

Ez 17:22-242 Cor 5:6-10Mk 4:26-34 Growth The readings for this Sunday are filled with images of growth. The first reading tells of planting a shoot on a mountain, which then becomes a shelter for the birds. In the gospel, Jesus tells two parables, the first parable of a seed growing and the second parable of…

Gn 3:9-152 Cor 4:13—5:1Mk 3:20-35 Inner Development In the first reading for this Sunday, Adam and Eve are confronted by God because of their disobedience, but at the same time, promised victory through the offspring of a woman. In the second reading Paul reminds us, “Therefore, we are not discouraged; rather, although our outer self…

Ex 24:3-8Heb 9:11-15Mk 14:12-16, 22-26 Eucharist This Sunday we celebrate the feast of the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. In the Gospel Acclamation Jesus tells us, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever.” The Eucharist is at the core of all Catholic…

Dt 4:32-34, 39-40Rom 8:14-17Mt 28:16-20 Living the Mystery Each year we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Trinity. This feast is the greatest and most profound mystery of our faith. We are taught that there are three persons in one God. This is a mystery we cannot truly understand but believe as a matter of…

Acts 2:1-111 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13Jn 20:19-23 Pentecost Today we celebrate the birthday of the church. The formal beginning of the church has long been recognized as the time when the bestowal of the Holy Spirit was given by the Risen Christ to the disciples. In our liturgical year we have prayed through forty days of…

Acts 1:1-11Ephesians 1:17-23Mark 16:15-20 Seeing with the Eyes of Our Hearts This is the Seventh Sunday after Easter but most parishes are celebrating the Ascension of the Lord. The readings listed above are for the feast. The word “looking” is mentioned two times in the reading from Ephesians. We’re told there, “… the eyes of…

Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-41 Jn 4:7-10Jn 15:9-17 Love In the first reading for Sunday, we see the new community of Jesus expanding to include gentiles as Peter says, “In truth, I see that God shows no partiality. Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly is acceptable to him.” Cornelius, a gentile, and…