Adult Faith Formation & Initiation

We continue this week with part 2 of our two-part series on Social Justice.  What is Social Justice?  Our readings last week gave us a basic understanding, first with a warning about our fate based on how we treat others, especially the poor.  Not only will the Lord remember how we treat the poor, but in our Gospel he reminded us that we must be honest stewards, both of others and the message of the Gospel.  This week we our readings give us a warning of what will become of us should we not heed the needy’s cry for justice. The Word for the 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time:         Amos 6:1a, 4-7         Psalm 146:7, 8-9, 9-10         1 Timothy 6:11-16         Luke 16:19-31 We open with another passage from Amos, our fiery Southern prophet giving a warning to those who have become complacent.  The imagery Amos uses speaks of excessive wealth, and while taking a jab at David, foretells of what will happen (and did happen) if they don’t change their ways.  It is a stinging indictment

This week we begin our two-part study of Social Justice.  What does that have to do with becoming a Catholic, you ask?  Everything!  Jesus taught us that we needed to “love our neighbors,” but what exactly does that mean?  Our readings for this week should help us to understand this idea better… The Word for the 25th Sunday of Ordinary Time:         Amos 8:4-7         Psalm 113:1-2, 4-6, 7-8         1 Timothy 2:1-8         Luke 16:1-13 We open with a reading from the prophet Amos… and if there ever were an example of fiery prophetic rage and divine justice, it’s Amos.  A Southern prophet during the height of the Jewish kingdoms (some 150 years before the Exile), Amos, a shepherd by trade, was called to the life of a prophet to rail against the injustice and hypocrisy he saw all around him.  Our passage this week is thick with meaning, and if not read or proclaimed correctly, can cause us to mis-understand its meaning.  This is a classic rant he’s giving to the rich (…”you who t

For many of us our busy Fall schedules are in full swing, making it harder for us to pause for a moment of prayer and reflection... to give thanks to God... to ask God for assistance... or to just be in his presence for a moment.  It is in these busy days and weeks that we need to make that time... to attend Mass, to have a moment of daily prayer... even if that moment is the walk from the parking lot to your office or classroom.  Not only does this allow us to reconnect with God, but it provides us a moment of self-reflection (the basis of the Jesuit tradition of the Examen of Conscience) to make sure we're still on the right path and still moving forward. The Word for the 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time:         Exodus 32:7-11, 13-14         Psalm 51:3-4, 12-13, 17, 19         1 Timothy 1:12-17         Luke 15:1-32 (or 15:1-10) All of this week’s readings scream the message of forgiveness and reconciliation.  In Exodus, God is extremely angry at the Israelites turning their

The Word for the 23 rd   Sunday   of Ordinary Time : Wisdom   9:13 -18b Psalm 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14-17 Philemon 1:9-10, 12-17 Luke   14:25 -33 Our first reading comes from the book of Wisdom.  As the name of the book suggests, this work falls into the category of Wisdom literature.  Although the authors attribute this “wisdom” to King Solomon (970 BCE), the book, originally written in Greek, actually dates to some 50 years before Christ.  Like last week’s first reading from Sirach (dating about 200 years before Christ), the book of Wisdom not only acts as an early catechism for the Jewish people, but speaks very powerfully to the early Christian community, in part because it addresses a persecuted minority.  While the book of Wisdom is fairly clear in its teachings, there are times, as with this week’s passage, where we can get lost in the language of the text, and find it difficult to discern what it is trying to teach… so don’t get discouraged if you don’t “get it” after j