Adult Initiation & Sacrament Preparation

Through our Baptism we are called to be Prophets (because just like Jesus, as our baptism consecrates us as priests, prophets, and kings).  Being a prophet means speaking God’s truth, but when it comes to speaking that truth, especially to authority, we can find that our message is not always well received.  As our readings will show this week, being a prophet has its difficulties… The Word for the 4 th Sunday of Ordinary Time Jeremiah 1:4-5, 17-19 Psalm 71:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 15-17 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13 Luke 4:21-30 Our first reading comes from the book of the prophet Jeremiah with the passage that describes for us his calling to become a prophet.  Jeremiah began his mission under the much revered King Josiah, but was eventually witness to the fall of Jerusalem and the kingdom of Judah to the Babylonians.  Jeremiah understands the dangers that can befall a prophet, so in his calling the Lord reminds him that his foes will not prevail over him… that ...

Our readings this week: “In the beginning there was the Word…”  These are the dramatic opening lines from the Gospel according to John, and though we will not be reading from John’s Gospel this Sunday, these words ring true for our readings for this 3rd Sunday of Ordinary time.  The people are in the midst of something new… a new beginning that, as our readings will show, begin with The Word… The Word for the 3 rd Sunday of Ordinary Time Nehemiah 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10 Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 15 1 Corinthians 12:12-30 Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21 Our first reading is from the book of the Prophet Nehemiah.  Nehemiah, along with the priest/prophet Ezra, are the architects of the Restoration of Israel.  Their great Exile in Babylon is over, and through the grace of the Persian King Cyrus the Great, Israel is free to return to their land, to rebuild the Temple and to rebuild their lives as the people of God.  In an effort to guild them in this new beginning, Nehemiah...

New beginnings.  This is the promise of the New Year.  We bid farewell to the troubles of the previous year, and approach the new year in front of us fresh with enthusiasm and hope.  Our new year’s resolutions are a common expression of those new beginnings.  As we enter into Ordinary Time we appropriately focus on this idea of new beginnings with our readings for this Sunday… The Word for the 2 nd Sunday of Ordinary Time Isaiah 62:1-5 Psalm 96:1-2, 2-3, 7-8, 9-10 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 John 2:1-11 Our first reading is from Third, or Trito-Isaiah.  Here the followers of the original prophet Isaiah foretell of a new beginning for the people of Israel.  Their Exile in Babylon is over!  Israel’s sins have been expiated and her vindication will become a beacon to all the other nations.  Where God was once someone to be feared (as in the earlier Mosaic texts), He now seems giddy with delight over his people, so much so he refers to the...

What better way to bring Christmas to a close than with the celebration of the moment where Jesus was consecrated to his ministry… the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord.  Whereas Advent is a season of expectation and preparation, Christmas is the season where prophecy and expectation are fulfilled… the Christ we have been waiting for is here! The Word for the Baptism of the Lord Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11 Psalm 104:1b-2, 3-4, 24-25, 27-28, 29-30 Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7 Luke 3:15-16, 21-22 Our first reading, from Second Isaiah, is a prophecy of hope for the people of Israel held captive in Exile in Babylon.  To our Christian hears, however, it also sounds a lot like John the Baptist preaching the coming of the Lord!  In both its Hebrew and Christian perspective, it’s a message of hope…a prophecy of fulfillment.  Just as in the time of the Exodus, the Lord has heard the cry of his people and promises to set things right.  This is a momentous occasion, a...