November 17, 2024 Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) Today’s readings are the type which are very difficult to interpret and understand. They are from a genre known as apocalyptic literature, named for the word “apocalypse,” which means “revelation.” They are concerned with the events of the future and last things such as death, resurrection, judgment, and the afterlife. At first the themes between the two readings today seem identical, but of course we find some extra words of…..
November 10, 2024 Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) It would be difficult to miss the similarities between the First Reading (1 Kgs. 17:10-16) and the Gospel (Mk. 12:38-44) for today. Two poor women subsisting on barely anything yet willing to give away the last of their livelihoods for the sake of the men of God they encounter. But much can also be said for what they receive in return for their generosity. We begin with a story about…..
November 3, 2024 Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) In today’s Gospel (Mk 12:28b-34) we find one of the many times that Jesus uses a direct quote from the Old Testament to teach his followers. This one in particular is from the book of Deuteronomy, which, other than the psalms, is the most quoted book from the Old Testament used in the New Testament. This fact serves to show just how important the Hebrew Scriptures are for understanding the…..
October 27, 2024 Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) Often, we hear about the way in which Jesus fulfills the prophecies of the Old Testament. For example, in last week’s readings, we saw the way that he fulfilled the role of the Suffering Servant of Isaiah (isa. 53:10-11) to redeem the people of Israel. He is also said to fulfill the prophecy that the messiah would come from the least of the clans of Judah, Bethlehem-Ephrathah, according to the…..
October 20, 2024 Twenty-Ninth in Ordinary Time (Year B) With last week’s Gospel and the story of the rich young man we learned how difficult it can be to follow the ways of the Lord. For even though he had kept all of the commandments the young man did not truly know what it meant to give up his earthly cares and love Jesus, and this made him very sad. This Sunday we see a continuation of this theme with…..
October 13, 2024 Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) Today’s Gospel (Mk 10:17-30) might be difficult to process for those who have all of their financial needs met and live relatively comfortable lives. But there is more than one way to look at its meaning in order to gain a better understanding and acceptance of its message. This can come from considering the words of Jesus and the different ways we can appreciate God in our lives as we…..
October 6, 2024 Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) Among the Church’s most controversial stances in our postmodern society is that on marriage and divorce. In fact, many people, even Catholics themselves, consider the Catholic Church to be somewhat of a relic because of its perceived teachings on this subject. There are, however, certain things we might gather from the readings for today which can help clarify the Church’s position on the sacrament and what it means for those…..
September 29, 2024 Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) As we have often seen in the past, the commonality between the First Reading (Num. 11:25-29) and the Gospel (Mk. 9:38-43, 45, 47-48) for this weekend seems quite straightforward. They are both about ostracizing people while performing the works of the Lord. However, as always, these readings with the words of Jesus go on to become a lesson on Christian living. In the book of Numbers, we find Moses in…..
September 22, 2024 Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time In today’s Gospel (Mk. 9:30-37), as Jesus continues to travel toward Jerusalem, he makes his Second Passion Prediction, but he also teaches us something about wisdom. However, this is not just the type of wisdom found in books, like Psalms, Proverbs, or Ecclesiastes. Rather, it is God’ s wisdom which is the living embodiment of Christ. We can detect this wisdom especially when it contrasts with the behavior of those with whom…..
September 8th (Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time) Year B Many times throughout the New Testament we see Jesus comparing himself to the Father, He uses phrases like: “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father,” and “The Father and I are one.” In today’s readings we see another, less obvious, comparison between the Father and the Son. In the First Reading from Isaiah (Isa. 35:4-7a), the basis for the passage comes from the time period when King Hezekiah of the…..