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4th Sunday of Easter - Cycle B

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During Lent the focus of our readings was on our Salvation History, but during Easter we focus on the basic truths of our faith – those taught to us by Jesus, and then through the Apostles, who slowly realized these truths as they set out to spread the Gospel.  In the Acts of the Apostles, we witness the evolution of both their ministry and their understanding of Jesus’ teaching.  This week, we see the Trinity at work in our readings – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, all acting in concert to reveal to us God’s love and how we should live as his people. The Word for the 4th Sunday of Easter Acts 4:8-12 Psalms 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 29 1 John 3:1-2 John 10:11-18 We begin with Acts of the Apostles where Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, finds the courage to speak up to the people and the elders.  His message is simple; the one you rejected is the one who can save you.  While the story is powerful in its own right, the context of the events surrounding the story
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3rd Sunday of Easter - Cycle B

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When we hear the word evangelize we often imagine earnest preachers exhorting us (often very loudly) on the joy of Jesus and the perils of sin.  We think of people like John the Baptist shouting “repent!” or some boisterous televangelist preaching loudly on the evils of secular society.  This perception, however, is fatally flawed, because it causes us to forget that as Christians we all have the responsibility to evangelize.  This is not a job for just a select few.  And we’re called to accomplish this evangelization in whatever way our gifts allow. The Word for the 3rd Sunday of Easter Acts 3:13-15, 17-19 Psalms 4:2, 4, 7-8, 9 1 John 2:1-5a Luke 24:35-48 In our first reading from Acts of the Apostles, we see that Peter (through the grace of the Holy Spirit) has finally found his voice.  Our passage takes place shortly after the Pentecost, where for the first time we see Peter and the Apostles preaching in the Temple courtyard, speaking with a power and authority we have never seen f
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2nd Sunday of Easter - Sunday of Divine Mercy - Cycle B

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He is risen, Alleluia, Alleluia!  But before you start packing up the Easter decorations you need to understand that the party has just getting started.  Easter is not just one day but an entire Liturgical season!  Just as we spent 40 days in the desert with the season of Lent, we mirror that same 40 days in the light of Easter, reveling in the joy of the risen Lord until his Ascension to Heaven.  But wait there’s more!  We then spend 10 more days in the Easter season waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.  During Lent we reflected on the story of our salvation.  Now at Easter we reflect on how we became a Church. The Word for the 2nd Sunday of Easter (Sunday of Divine Mercy) Acts 4:32-35 Psalms 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24 1 John 5:1-6 John 20:19-31 Since our focus during Easter is on the beginnings of the Church, our first reading will be coming from the book of the Acts of the Apostles, that wonderful sequel to the Gospel of Luke.  Our passage for this Sunday gives us a pi
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Easter Sunday - Cycle B

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Growing up Catholic I was always taught that Easter was our most important holiday and for my family “Easter” meant Easter Sunday.  After all, that’s when the Easter Bunny left us treats.  As I grew into adulthood, however, with an ever-growing understanding into the depth and breadth of our faith, I learned that Easter Sunday wasn’t our most important Liturgical celebration.  Instead that distinction falls on the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday evening – the conclusion of our Paschal Triduum. The Word for the Resurrection of the Lord (Easter Day) Acts 10:34a, 37-43 Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23 Colossians 3:1-4, or 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8 John 20:1-9 While the readings for Easter Sunday are important, they are also just a very small piece of the story of our relationship with God.  It's like eating only one hors d'oeuvre at a banquet.  It gives you a foretaste of the great food to come but could hardly be considered nutritious or filling.  Unpacking the readings for this Sunday, like
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Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion - Cycle B

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This Sunday the Season of Lent nears its completion as we begin our preparations for Holy Week – Palm Sunday and the Sacred Triduum.  Our Mass on Palm Sunday is a liturgy of transition, starting with the joyful celebration with Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem only to experience the sadness and solemnity of his passion and death.  How quickly things can change!  The crowd that cheered his arrival into Jerusalem turns in a matter of a few days calling for his crucifixion… The Word for Palm Sunday Mark 11:1-10 or John 12:12-16 Isaiah 50:4-7 Psalms 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24 Philippians 2:8-9 Mark 14:1-15:47 or 15:1-39 The opening of the Palm Sunday Mass begins with the Gospel proclamation of Jesus’ triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem, with palms waving and crowds cheering.  But this triumph is short-lived once we settle into our seats for the Liturgy of the Word.   Our first reading is from second Isaiah where we hear his poetic lament of his prophetic calling.  The prophet
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5th Sunday of Lent - Cycle B

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Our Cycle B readings bring the theme of covenant to a close this week (as next week we celebrate Palm Sunday).  Through our readings this Lenten cycle we’ve been witness to key covenant moments that God had, first with Noah, then Abraham, then Moses, then David.  As we know, however, in all these covenants, the people fell eventually away… turned away from God.  Now it’s time for something new… what we Christians understand to be the New Covenant… The Word for the 5th Sunday of Lent Jeremiah 31:31-34 Psalms 51:3-4, 12-13, 14-15 Hebrews 5:7-9 John 12:20-33 First we hear from Jeremiah, who’s prophecy covers the final days of the Kingdom of Judah.  This week’s passage comes from a time of trouble, where the end for Jerusalem is near.  Yet in the face of certain doom, Jeremiah is able to preach of a restoration where we here the Lord's desire to make "a new covenant with the house Israel and the house of Judah."  This prophecy of the restoration is echoed in our Psalm, which
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4th Sunday of Lent - Cycle B

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This Sunday we continue our Lenten journey through Salvation History with a continued focus on covenant.  We’ve already given witness to the covenants with Noah, Abraham, and Moses.  This week we turn our attention to the Davidic Covenant (the covenant with King David), or more accurately, the covenant with the monarchy of Israel. The Word for the 4th Sunday of Lent 2 Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23 Psalms 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6 Ephesians 2:4-10 John 3:14-21 Our first reading comes from the end of the 2nd book of Chronicles.  Though our intent this Sunday is to remember the Davidic Covenant, our Lectionary has chosen an interesting approach.  Rather than give us a story about King David, we are presented with a story from the end of the Babylonian Exile.  Why approach the covenant with David from this tail-end view?   It’s an approach that actually fits very well with the Book of Chronicles, for you see, the Book of Chronicles is much more than a retelling of the story we heard in books of Samu
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