January 17, 2021 Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) This weekend we see a common theme among the readings consisting of the call of certain people to the service of God. This call or commissioning of a person for a particular task is a type of story which is commonly found in the Bible. For example, in the book of Exodus, Moses encounters God at the burning bush and is told he will lead the rescue of the Israelites…..
January 10, 2021 The Baptism of the Lord (Year B) As we begin Ordinary Time in the liturgical year of the Church, we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. This is a story which is found in all four gospels and today we have the version from Mark (Mk. 1:7-11). It is by far the simplest, having fewer details when compared to the other versions. Yet when we look at it in conjunction with the other readings,…..
January 3, 2021 The Epiphany of the Lord Today we celebrate the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord, the story of the visit of the Magi to the infant Jesus in Bethlehem as told by Matthew (Mt. 2:1-12). Whether frequent church-goes or not, this passage is probably familiar to most Christians due to the fact that home nativity scenes often include statues of the “Three Wise Men” among the other figurines found in the manger. However, if we take…..
December 27, 2020 The Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph This Sunday we commemorate the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. But there is another holy family which is celebrated today. It is the family of Abraham, first chosen by God to bring salvation to the broken world of Adam and Eve, the salvation which is completed by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The plan of salvation first begins when…..
December 20, 2020 Fourth Sunday of Advent (Year B) At first glance the link between the readings for this Fourth Sunday of Advent seems readily apparent. In the First Reading from 2Samuel (2 Sam. 7:1-5, 8B-12, 14a, 16) God promises King David that he will establish for him an everlasting dynasty which will give rise to a special heir who will become like a son to God. And in the Gospel from Luke (Lk. 1:26-38), we find the familiar scene…..
December 13, 2020 Third Sunday of Advent (Year B) On this Third Sunday of Advent, we a hear a Gospel from John (Jn. 1:6-8, 19-28) which is similar to the one from last week. It is the scene where John the Baptist is preaching repentance in the desert and announcing the imminent arrival of the Messiah. The writer of John’s Gospel describes him as the one who “came to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.”…..
December 6, 2020 Second Sunday of Advent (Year B) Today we celebrate the Second Sunday of Advent and it brings a continuation of the Advent themes considered last Sunday. These were the ideas of watchfulness and waiting for the coming of Jesus, as well as a new personal beginning we can make at the start of a new liturgical year. It is a time when we can adapt an interior disposition of repentance and prepare our hearts and minds for…..
November 29, 2020 First Sunday of Advent (Year B) Today we celebrate the First Sunday of Advent, the Latin word for “coming.” Advent is a time when we recall the birth of our Savior over two-thousand years ago in Bethlehem, as well as acknowledge our anticipation of the “Second Coming,” or return of Christ. This is the theme that we see in the Gospel for today where Jesus is describing his second coming to his disciples (Mk. 13:33-37). He tells…..
November 22, 2020 The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe Today we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. This is a title derived from Jesus’ announcement that the kingdom of God had arrived with his Galilean ministry (Mk. 1:15). It is also the title that Pontius Pilate ironically had placed above his head to mock Jesus as he was nailed to the cross (Jn. 19:19). With his ascension, Jesus would ultimately fulfill this role taking…..
November 15, 2020 Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) Like the passage from the book of Wisdom and the Parable of the Ten Virgins from last week, both the First Reading and the parable from Matthew today give us wise words on how to live faithfully according to the Gospel. The First Reading is taken from the book of Proverbs (Prov. 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31) which is another one of the wisdom books found in the Old Testament. Like the…..