Category: Reflections

                REFLECTIONS OF A SIMPLE CATHOLIC ON PALM SUNDAY I am just a simple Catholic, ordinarily content to let the priest do the heavy lifting in Church during this holiest week of the church’’s year. The readings are admittedly lengthy, and they were always surrounded with what I… Continue reading                 REFLECTIONS OF A SIMPLE CATHOLIC ON PALM SUNDAY

PALM SUNDAY (2020) Readings:   Processional Gospel - Matthew 21:1-11   Isaiah 50:4-7 Psalms 22:8-9, 17-20, 23-24 Philippians 2:6-11 Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ According to Matthew 26:14-27:66 We are poised to cross the threshold into the holiest week of the Church’s year, but this year is going to feel dramatically different given the… Continue reading PALM SUNDAY (2020)

FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT (2020) Readings: Exechiel 37:12-14 Psalms 130:1-8 Romans 8:8-11 John 11:1-45   The words that Martha (echoed by Mary a bit later in the gospel) speaks to Jesus in today’s gospel when Jesus finally shows up after Lazarus’ death might very easily come out of our own mouths: “Lord, if you had… Continue reading FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT (2020)

FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT (2020) Readings:   1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a Psalms 23:1-6 Ephesians 5:8-14 John 9:1-41 I encourage you to read the full gospel story from John. Once again, in Year A, we are treated to a beautiful example of John’s ability to tell a dramatic miracle story (called “Signs” by gospel scholars)… Continue reading FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT (2020)

THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT (2020) Readings:   Exodus 17:3-7 Psalms 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9 Romans 5:1-2, 5-8 John 4:5-42 Our lectionary cycle is Year A, and it gives us the great pleasure of being treated to some of the evangelist John’s premiere gospel stories. They are often noted by the faithful as being “too long,” and… Continue reading THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT (2020)

SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT (2020) Readings:   Genesis 12:1-4a Psalms 33:4-5, 19-19, 20, 22 2 Timothy 1:8b-10 Matthew 17:1-9 You will remember that in last week’s gospel story it was the devil who, in Jesus’ last temptation, took Jesus up “a very high mountain” in order that the devil might show Him “all the kingdoms… Continue reading SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT (2020)

FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT (2020) Readings:   Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7 Psalms 51:3-6, 12-14, 17 Romans 5:12-19 Matthew 4:1-11 We have entered into the season of Lent, a time given us by the Church to prepare for the great feast of our redemption, the Feast of Easter. It is not unlike the “forty days and forty… Continue reading FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT (2020)

Readings:   Leviticus 19:1-2,17-18 Psalms 103:1-4, 8, 10, 13 1 Corinthians 3:16-23 Matthew 5:38-48   If for a moment you were ever tempted to think that Christianity was a religion for wishy-washy people, today’s readings point to a thoroughly contrary conclusion. It isn’t as though the Jewish people who were listening to Jesus had never… Continue reading SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (2020)

SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (2020) Readings:   Sirach 15:15-20 Psalms 119:1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34 1 Corinthians 2:6-10 Matthew 5:17-37 A cartoon in a national magazine shows Moses with two tablets under his arm coming down a mountain. "I've got good news and bad news," he says. "The good news is I got Him down… Continue reading SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (2020)

FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (2020) Readings:   Isaiah 58:7-10 Psalms 112:4-9 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 Matthew 5:13-16 Genuine piety can very often be too closely identified with those things, some of them sacramental, that are most familiar and most regular for us - Mass attendance, the rosary, novenas, adoration, Church visits, and the like. Some… Continue reading FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (2020)