May 22, 2022, Sixth Sunday of Easter (Year C) After the period of the Reformation many of the Protestant denominations adapted a policy of sola scriptura, meaning if a particular practice was not found in scripture it should not be a custom of the Church. They even adjusted the sacramental rites down to two – Baptism and the Eucharist – because they believed that the remaining sacraments had no basis in scripture. The Catholic Church, on the other hand, did…..
May 15, 2022, Fifth Sunday of Easter (Year C) They say that a picture paints a thousand words. And although there may not be a thousand words behind the picture that Jesus paints with the Gospel for today, there is definitely more than what is presented in this short passage than one might expect. The scene depicted is the Last Supper in the Gospel of John (Jn. 13:31-33a, 34-35). Judas has just left the dinner so that he might turn…..
May 8, 2022, Fourth Sunday of Easter (Year C) Obviously, the Bible passages we read during the Easter season deal mainly with the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. These events of the Pascal Mystery are the basis for our Christian faith and the substance of our salvation. However, many of the narratives also emphasize the culpability of the Jewish people and the prospect of their salvation in light of the persecution of Jesus and his death. The question then becomes…..
May 1, 2022, Third Sunday of Easter (Year C) In today’s Gospel we see vestiges of the Last Supper that Jesus celebrated with his disciples. We know that the Last Supper was a Passover celebration by considering the following exchange between Jesus and his disciples. He sent out Peter and John, instructing them, “Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover. When you go into the city, a man will meet you. Follow him into the house that…..
April 24, 2022, Second Sunday of Easter, Sunday of Divine Mercy (Year C) It can be difficult to understand why the twelve men chosen by Jesus to be his closest followers are sometimes called disciples and sometimes called apostles. It might seem like the two titles are interchangeable. But they are not. In fact, the two titles are very different, almost opposite in meaning. A disciple is like a student, learning from a teacher or someone of authority. And an…..
April 17, 2022, Easter Sunday (Year C) In the readings for this Easter Sunday, we meet some of the most prominent people of the Bible, those who are the most well-known to us. These include Peter, Paul, Mary Magdalene, and the elusive “Beloved Disciple.” It is the witness account of these disciples, and others like them, which helped to form what we know as “Christianity” today. In the First Reading from the book of Acts (Acts 10:34a, 37-43), we hear…..
April 10, 2022, Palm Sunday (Year C) On this Palm Sunday of Lent, we hear about the triumphant entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem. While riding on a colt the people and disciples who are present applaud Jesus as he rides, laying their cloaks on the road and shouting words of praise. They proclaim him as king and offer glory to him in the name of the Lord. However, this Palm Sunday is also known as Passion Sunday. After hearing of…..
April 3, 2022, Fifth Sunday of Lent (Year C) One beautiful aspect of God’s word in scripture is that it is multivalent, that is to say it can be open to different meanings in different times and different situations. We can see this when we compare the message of the First Reading (Isa. 43:16-21) which is directed toward the people of Israel and how it compares to the woman caught in adultery in the Gospel (Jn. 8:1-11). The reading from…..
March 27, 2022, Fourth Sunday of Lent (Year C) Like the readings from last week, on this Fourth Sunday of Lent, we once again learn about reconciliation. There is a beautiful verse from Paul in the Second Reading which sheds light on this theme. He writes, “The old things have passed away. Behold new things have come. And all this is from God who has reconciled us to himself through Christ.” (2Cor. 5:17). Initially we find a passage in the…..
March 20, 2022, Third Sunday of Lent (Year C) Today’s readings stress one of the most important parts of Lent. It is the aspect of repentance. In them we see that no one is immune from the need to seek God’s forgiveness, but that God, in His mercy and compassion, is slow to judge and patient in waiting for sinners to repent. In the Gospel from Luke (Lk. 13:1-9) it comes to us in the form of a parable told…..