Scripture

December 04, 2019

Dec. 15: Third Sunday of Advent

The fiery prophet John had challenged the ruler, Herod Antipas (the son of Herod the Great), a despot known for his cruelty and promiscuous lifestyle. As a result, John was arrested and imprisoned in the desert fortress of Machaerus, awaiting execution that would come later in the Gospel account. John knew of Jesus’ reputation and his mission, but perhaps his dire confinement triggered doubts and so he sends some of his disciples to question Jesus: “Are you the one? Or should we look for another?”

December 04, 2019

Dec. 8: Second Sunday of Advent

In his letter to the Romans cited in our second reading for this Sunday, Paul affirms that the Scriptures were written for our instruction, “that by endurance and by the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” In many ways, Paul defined the meaning of Advent. Endurance and hope are two virtues that stand at the heart of the Christian life and are essential for human thriving.

November 20, 2019

Dec. 1: First Sunday of Advent

This first Sunday of Advent is the beginning of a new liturgical year. It is also the year of Matthew’s Gospel when the worldwide church will hear passages each Sunday from this great Gospel.

November 20, 2019

Nov. 24: The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

With Advent beginning next week, this Sunday is the big finale to the church’s yearlong liturgical calendar, and it ends with a burst of sheer praise for Jesus, the “king of the universe.”

November 06, 2019

Nov. 17: 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Raging fires in California; chaos in Syria; anguish and confusion at our southern border; unrelenting political strife in our nation’s capital — this list of woes provides plenty of reasons to be anxious. No wonder opinion surveys report that many people have a sense of fear about the future.

November 06, 2019

Nov. 10: 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

As we edge up to the end of the liturgical year and the beginning of Advent, the readings for this Sunday take a deep dive into one of our faith’s most powerful convictions — the belief that there is life beyond death.

October 23, 2019

Nov. 3: 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

When speaking of the church’s mission to the world, Pope Francis likes to use the phrase, “the existential peripheries.” He says that the church should not be turned in on itself but should reach outward to the world it is called to serve, particularly to those who are suffering.

October 23, 2019

Oct. 27: 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

No other evangelist captures the tang of Jesus’ parables better than Luke. This Sunday we have one of his best — the story of the pharisee and the tax collector — addressed, as the Gospel notes, “to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else.”

October 09, 2019

Oct. 20: 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

St. Augustine, who already in the fourth century seems to have said everything worth saying, described prayer “as lifting your mind and heart to God.” The readings for this Sunday invite us to focus on the meaning of prayer.

October 09, 2019

Oct. 13: 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The Scriptures for this Sunday remind us how taboo leprosy was in the Bible. When reading the symptoms of leprosy described in detail in Leviticus 13, medical experts today suggest the disease was most likely a skin disease, perhaps an intense form of psoriasis, rather than Hanson’s disease or what is considered leprosy today.
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