Category: Reflections

Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (2021) Readings: Numbers  11:25-29 Psalms  18:8, 10, 12-14 James  5:1-6 Mark 9:38-48 If any of us, at a certain preordained time, were told to go out and choose twelve people who you want to spend every waking moment with for the next three years, I think we would find our powers of insight… Continue reading Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (2021)

TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (2021) Readings:Isaiah 50:4-9Psalms 116:1-6, 8-9James 2:14-18Mark 8:27-35 The structure of Mark’s short gospel is important, and so the placing of Peter’s confession of faith at Caesarea Philippi in the very middle of his gospel is no accident. That any of the disciples given their obtuseness, let alone Peter, could get… Continue reading TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (2021)

TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (2021) Readings:Isaiah 35:4-7Psalms 146:7-10James 2:1-5Mark 7:31-37 For the past two weeks we were back to our regular reading of Mark’s gospel, after our month long diversion with the Bread of Life discourse from John, during this Year B of Ordinary time. All will recall that Mark’s gospel is the shortest… Continue reading TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (2021)

TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (2021) Readings:Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8Psalms 15:2-5James 1:17-18, 21-22, 27Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 Life everywhere is governed and conditioned by laws and precepts and traditions. It is obvious that these laws and precepts and traditions vary from place to place, something so clearly obvious as we watched the Taliban take over Afganistan… Continue reading TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (2021)

TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (2021) Readings:Joshua 24:2-3, 16-23Psalms 34:2-3, 16-23Ephesians 5:21-32John 6:60-69 The Solemnity of the Assumption gave us pause in a four week cycle from the grumbling that seems to surround Jesus’ Bread of Life discourse in the Gospel of John. John is honest in his assessment of what Jesus has been telling… Continue reading TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (2021)

Readings:Book of Revelation 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10abBook of Psalms 45:10, 11, 12, 16First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians 15:20-27Luke 1:39-56 It is rather infrequent when we get to celebrate Our Lady’s Assumption on a Sunday. Indeed, in spite of it being a Holy Day of Obligation, it is probably infrequent that most Catholics get to… Continue reading SOLEMNITY OF THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (2021)

NINETEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (2021) Readings: 1 Kings 19:4-8 Psalms 34:2-9Ephesians 4:30-5:2 John 6:41-51 If you have paid close attention over the last several weeks of readings, you might have noticed that there is a lot of murmuring/grumbling going on. The Israelites raised murmuring to a new high. It was understandable that they would… Continue reading NINETEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (2021)

EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (2021) Readings:Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15 Psalms 78:3-4, 23-25, 54 Ephesians 4:17, 20-24 John 6:24-35 Over the last few week’s worth of gospel readings we see crowds that are remarkably persistent, even robbing Jesus and His disciples of the quiet time they so desperately sought and needed. Today those same crowds, buoyed… Continue reading EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (2021)

Readings:2 Kings 4:42-44Psalms 145:10-11, 15-18Ephesians 4:1-6John 6:1-15 The large crowds in last week’s and today’s gospels were not following Jesus because they were hungry. You will recall that in our lectio continuum from Mark a similar “vast crowd” followed Jesus across the lake, arriving at the place of retreat even before Jesus arrives. They were… Continue reading SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME 2021

We offer our petitions to the Father knowing that the hand of the Lord feeds us, and he answers all our needs. That Pope Francis may be healthy in body, mind, and spirit as he prophetically leads the Church in search of unity and truth.  We pray to the Lord.That the leaders of nations and… Continue reading Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, July 25, 2021