Aug. 14: 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

This provocative phrase, I learned, originated with a Quaker pamphlet published in 1955 titled “Speak Truth to Power: a Quaker Search for an Alternative to Violence.” It has been adopted by many different groups since then to characterize their public stance.

Aug. 7: 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Some claim that everything there is to say about the spiritual life has already been said by St. Augustine, the remarkable fourth-century bishop of Hippo in northern Africa. An “exhibit A” of his enduring wisdom is his famous quotation from his “Confessions,” the magnificent account of his own spiritual journey: “You have made us for yourself, Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”

July 31: 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The Scripture readings for this Sunday seem to gang up on us and insist on a truth that may not fit comfortably into our mid-summer leisure activities. The tone is set by the first reading from the Book of Ecclesiastes, also known by its Hebrew name, Qoheleth.

July 24: 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The readings for this Sunday give us a glimpse into the biblical understanding of God. A strong current that runs through all the Bible is a deep reverence for the utter majesty and transcendence of God. Genesis acclaims God as the creator of the universe, the one who set the boundaries of the seas and fashions human beings from the clay of the earth and fills them with divine life through God’s own life breath. God rules the turns and twists of history, fashioning a people for his own and giving them a land of promise.

July 17: 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Women play key yet somewhat enigmatic roles in both the Old Testament reading from Genesis and the selection from the Gospel of Luke.

July 10: 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

On this mid-July Sunday, Christians around the world will gather for their weekly observance. There are over 2 billion Christians in today’s population, more than half of them Catholics.

July 3: 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

This Sunday falls on the eve of the Fourth of July and what for most people is a treasured long weekend. A lot of families will gather for picnics and summer activities. And for the first time since the pandemic, Navy Pier in Chicago will once again be the site of a grand fireworks display.

June 26: 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

After a string of beautiful feasts — Pentecost, Ascension, Holy Trinity, Corpus Christi — the liturgical calendar settles down to “ordinary time.” As will be the case for the rest of the liturgical year, the Gospel selection is from the Gospel of Luke, which sets the tone for the readings this Sunday.

June 19: Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

This beautiful feast of “Corpus Christi” (“Body of Christ”) reminds us how central the Eucharist is to our Catholic faith and practice. Celebration of the Eucharist is the magnet that draws Catholics to come together. The consecrated hosts reverenced in the tabernacle are a focus of prayer and worship in every Catholic church.

June 12: Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

Theologians of every generation have pondered the mystery of the Trinity, trying to find a plausible way of explaining what we Christians proclaim as the one God in three persons.
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