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…..
March 13, 2022, Second Sunday of Lent (Year C) Last week we read about the renowned theologian, Brant Pitre, and his thoughts on the themes of the readings for the Lenten season. He suggests that they are written to expose the catechumens and candidates preparing for Baptism and Confirmation during Lent to certain aspects of salvation history and that sometimes there is no common theme between the readings. But if we look closely at today’s passages, we can see that…..
March 6, 2022, First Sunday of Lent (Year C) According to Brant Pitre, renowned theologian and biblical scholar, the Lenten readings are not designed to follow the same format as those of Ordinary Time. These normally contain a common theme between the First Reading from the Old Testament and the Gospel. Rather the Lenten readings are intended to expose the catechumens and candidates preparing for Baptism and Confirmation during Lent to certain aspects of salvation history. Thus, Pitre suggests that…..
February 27, 2022, Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) The readings for this weekend are filled with fine words of wisdom. They were valuable to readers and listeners when they written two millennia ago and still hold value for us thousands of years later. Jesus calls them parables, but they are not really in the usual form of a parable which is a short story with a moral lesson. They are actually more like proverbs which are short sayings…..
February 20, 2022, Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) The Gospel for today (Lk. 6:27-38) picks up where we left off last week with the Sermon on the Plain and Luke’s version of the Beatitudes. This week it continues with what is probably one of the most difficult lessons mandated by Jesus, that is the love of one’s enemies. We get an example of this teaching in the First Reading from the book of 1Samuel (1Sam. 26:2,7-9,12-13, 22-23) in…..
February 13, 2022, Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) In today’s readings we learn a lot about blessings and curses. In the Gospel, which is from Luke (Lk. 6:17, 20-26), they come especially in his version of the Beatitudes. These blessings and curses can be quite perplexing and even hard to accept because they seem to imply that most of us hearing them who lead rather happy and fulfilling lives are doomed to be cursed. Matthew, of course, has…..
February 06, 2022, Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) All three readings for this weekend have a theme which is so meaningful for all Christians. It is one which concerns our response to God’s call when it comes in our life and how we react according to our own individual circumstances. In our First Reading (Isa. 6:1-2a, 3-8) we hear about Isaiah, one of the most prominent figures in scripture and our faith tradition. Isaiah lived in Jerusalem in…..
January 30, 2022, Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) Today’s Gospel (Lk. 4:21-30) is a passage which is a continuation from last week with Jesus reading from the scroll of Isaiah at the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth. It is a prophetic message which promises glad tidings to the poor, liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind, and freedom for the oppressed. Jesus tells them “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing,” (Lk. 4:21)……