Category: Reflections

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT (2018)   Readings:   Zephaniah 3:14-18a Psalm 12:2-6 Philippians 4:4-7 Luke 3:10-18 A hallmark of Christian life is joy, and this Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday, is all about joy. The introit for today’s Mass sets the tone: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord… Continue reading The Third Sunday of Advent

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT (2018)   Readings:   Baruch 5:1-9 Psalm 126:1-6 Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11 Luke 3:1-6 There is a great deal of preparing that is meant to happen during the Advent season. We are meant to prepare for that day of celebration when we commemorate Christ’s birth on that first Christmas Day in Bethlehem.… Continue reading Second Sunday of Advent Refkection

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT (2018) Readings: Jeremiah 33:14-16 Psalm 35:4-5, 8-10, 14 1 Thessalonians 3:12-42 Luke 21:25-28, 34-36 Some sixty odd years ago I was watching the pre-dinner Early Show on television which was airing “A Night to Remember,” the 1958 movie based on Walter Lord’s classic novel on the Titanic disaster. This began my… Continue reading FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT (2018)

THIRTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME   Readings   Daniel 12:1-3 Psalm 16:5, 8-11 Hebrews 10:11-14, 18 Mark 13:24-32 Apocalyptic language, which we hear proclaimed in our first reading from the Book of Daniel and in our gospel passage from Mark, appears strange to us who are living in the twenty-first century, far removed from a… Continue reading Thirty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

THIRTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Readings: 1 Kings 17:10-16 Psalm 146:7-10 Hebrews 9:24-28 Mark 12:38-44 This thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time might aptly be named “Widow Sunday,” since it is the example of two widows in the Scriptures which is presented to us in order that we might reflect on generosity and true worship. In… Continue reading THIRTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

THIRTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Readings: Deuteronomy 6:2-6 Psalm 18:2-4, 47, 57 Hebrews 7:23-28 Mark 12:28-34 If there were a soundtrack for today’s gospel passage, one might hear the hauntingly familiar melody of the Beatles’ 1967 hit “All You Need Is Love” being sung softly behind the teaching of Jesus: “All you need is love,… Continue reading THIRTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

THIRTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (2018) Readings: Jeremiah 31:7-9 Psalm 126:1-6 Hebrews 5:1-6 Mark 10:46-52 As the captain of a British slave ship, John Newton regained his faith during a storm at sea, another place, like fox holes, where there are few atheists.  Newton eventually became an ordained minister who was very active in the abolitionist movement. He explains how… Continue reading THIRTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (2018)

TWENTY-NINTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Readings: Isaiah 53:10-11 Psalm 33:4-5, 18-20, 22 Hebrews 4:14-16 Mark 10:35-45 Ambition is best reserved for the desire to scale Mt. Everest, or to attain gold medals for swimming the fastest or jumping the highest. It is never made good by injecting it into religious aspirations for holiness, as James… Continue reading TWENTY-NINTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

TWENTY-EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (2018) Readings: Wisdom 7:7-11 Psalm 90:12-17 Hebrews 4:12-13 Mark 10:17-30 If we had the opportunity that the man in today’s gospel had, to speak to Jesus face-to-face and ask him a question, what might we ask the Lord? Would our primary concern be that of the anonymous individual in the… Continue reading TWENTY-EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (2018)

TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (2018) RESPECT LIFE SUNDAY As is the custom in all these United States, the first weekend in October is designated Respect Life Weekend. It is a time when priests everywhere are encouraged to speak about the dignity of human life, from “womb to tomb.” In his respect-life-month statement, Cardinal Timothy… Continue reading TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (2018) RESPECT LIFE SUNDAY