October 24, 2021 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 17, 2021 Twenty-Ninth Sunday 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…..
October 10, 2021 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 3, 2021 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 26, 2021 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 19, 2021 Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) 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…..
September 12, 2021 Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) It would be difficult to miss the connection between the symbolism of the First Reading (Isa. 50:5-9a) and the narrative of the Gospel from Mark (8:27-35) for today. This is where we find one of the three passion predictions made by Jesus to his disciples. The reading from Isaiah paints a vivid picture of a victim, an Israelite often known as the Suffering Servant, who describes the suffering from his…..
September 5th (3rd 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…..
August 29, 2021 Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) The first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures, or what Christians call the Old Testament, are also known as the Torah. These contain the laws, or more appropriately, the teachings which God gave to Moses and the people of Israel after the Exodus from Egypt. The readings for today present what appears to be a dichotomy over certain aspects of the law which deserves a bit of explanation. The First…..
August 22, 2021 Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) After a brief interlude to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption and honor the Blessed Virgin Mary, we return to the final verses of the Bread of Life Discourse in John (Jn. 6:60-69). Coupled with the First Reading from the book of Joshua (Josh. 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b), we find a theme that centers around making choices. In the portion of Joshua that we read today, the Israelites, under the command…..