July 21, 2024 Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) There are many symbolic images found in the prophetic books of Old Testament which quite frequently carry through to the New Testament, especially in the parables of Jesus. One of these is the image of God as a vine and Israel as the branches or a vineyard. Another is God as the Bridegroom and Israel as a bride. A third is one that we hear about today, the Good Shepherd…..
July 14, 2024 Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) Last Sunday we looked at the way in which Jesus functioned as a prophet in comparison to Ezekiel from the Old Testament and the ways in which they lacked recognition from people of Israel who refused to heed their messages. Today’s readings follow a similar pattern as we meet the prophet Amos in his prophetic role, as well as the disciples being sent on a journey by the Lord to…..
July 7, 2024 Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) In the Gospel for this Sunday (Mk. 6:1-6) Jesus refers to himself as a prophet. When we hear the word prophet we think of well-known names from the Old Testament, like Isaiah, Jeremiah, or Ezekiel. One might wonder what the ministry of Jesus, as the Son of God and Messiah, might have in common with the type of missions that we associate with the other prophets of the Bible. But…..
June 30, 2024 Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) The topic for today’s readings is not a pleasant one – death. It is a fact of life, something unavoidable. Every person experiences it one way or another, especially considering the fact that we are mortal beings. But, as always, even with such a bleak subject, the Author of life has the final say. The First Reading for today gives the explanation for this plight of humanity. It comes from…..
June 22, 2024 Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) When Jesus first began traveling with and preaching to his disciples, they knew there was something special about him. In fact, they had dropped everything they were doing without hesitation to follow him. But even with his authoritative teaching and many signs, the disciples were still unsure of his true nature. Although identified as the Son of God at his Baptism, they did not yet realize that he was, in…..
June 16, 2024 Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) The message from today’s readings may seem obscure at first glance. This is because both passages are filled with hidden meanings in the form of metaphors and parables. Nonetheless, if we look at the symbolism carefully, we find that they hold a deep message about God’s love for His people and the workings of His church in the world. In the First Reading (Ezek. 17:22-24) we hear the Lord speaking…..
June 2, 2024 The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Year B) After all the celebrations and feast days of this Easter season it may seem as if we are going backward in time with a Gospel reading about the Last Supper. But there is a very important reason for this as we celebrate the Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ and its meaning for the covenant established by Jesus for the…..
May 26, 2024 The Feast of the Holy Trinity Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Trinity, the central mystery of our faith. It is the belief that there are three distinct persons in one God, co-equal, co-divine, and fully united in will. This is a tradition which sets Christians apart from other faiths, like Judaism and Islam. These other religions sometimes accuse Christians of being polytheistic for this teaching, but the Catechism of the Catholic Church clarifies: “Christians…..
May 19, 2024 The Feast of Pentecost This Sunday we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost, the sending of the Holy Spirit to the disciples by God as promised by Jesus at the time of his Ascension. It is a story from Luke which is familiar to us because we hear it every year in the First Reading for this day (Acts 2:1-11). It takes place in Jerusalem at the time of the Jewish Feast of Pentecost where the disciples are…..
May 12, 2024 Seventh Sunday of Easter Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension of Jesus. Traditionally this feast is observed forty days after Easter on Ascension Thursday and is considered to be a Holy Day of Obligation. However, most provinces now celebrate the Ascension on the Seventh Sunday of Easter so that more of the faithful can fulfill the obligation on this most holy day. The importance of this feast for the Church is demonstrated by the fact…..