Adult Initiation & Sacrament Preparation

“Vanity of vanities!  All things are vanity!”  These are the words that open our first reading this Sunday, and are a stark reminder of what should be important in our lives.  While we may be familiar with the saying, and may give credence to the sentiment, our modern lives are in fact often mired in vanity.  This Sunday’s readings serve as a sharp reminder as to what is really important: The Word for the 18th Sunday of Ordinary Time Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23 Psalm 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14, 17 Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11 Luke 12:13-21 Our first reading is from the Book of Ecclesiastes.  The word “Ecclesiastes” is a rough Greek translation of the Hebrew word qoheleth , to whom the book is attributed.  This is not so much a name of someone as it is a title, in this case the “assembler” or “collector” of wisdom.  Like all wisdom literature in the Bible, this book is a collection of sayings and parables intended to remind us of what is important.  Here the ...

“Ask and you shall receive.”  These are the words Jesus teaches us in this Sunday’s Gospel.  Yet far too often we let our “Catholic guilt” get in the way of this teaching.  We’re so attuned to serving God and others that we sometimes forget that God also owes a duty to us, as our readings this week will show: The Word for the 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time Genesis 18:20-32 Psalm 138:1-2, 2-3, 6-7, 7-8 Colossians 2:12-14 Luke 11:1-13 We open with a passage from the book of Genesis.  Here Abraham is on his way to the city of Sodom (most likely because his nephew Lot and his family are living there).  As God is walking with them he asks Abraham if he has heard of the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah.  He has heard and fears the Lord will “sweep away” the cities as punishment for their sins.  So he confronts the Lord, most humbly, if he will destroy the city if he can find 50 innocent people.  The Lord relents, saying the city will be spared.  So ...

Last week’s readings reminded us of the importance of loving our neighbor.  Out of this love of neighbor comes our long standing tradition of hospitality, which we see as a thread in this week’s readings: The Word for the 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time Genesis 18:1-10a Psalm 15:2-3, 3-4, 5 Colossians 1:24-28 Luke 10:38-42 Our first reading comes from the book of Genesis.  Here we meet up with Abraham (no longer Abram) as he has an encounter with the Lord.  Only this is no ordinary encounter.  Three men who have been traveling through the area have come to Abraham’s camp, and immediately Abraham insists that they stay, rest, and have some food.  This might sound unusual to us, but we need to remember that Abraham is living in a desolate area.  Travelers are not common, and when they are encountered, it is the long standing custom to be hospitable.  In fact, it wouldn’t be incorrect to connect this passage from our readings from last week about sho...

What does God want of us?  It sounds like a daunting question, but it’s really not.  All of the 10 Commandments, all of the Mosaic Law, all of the teachings of Jesus, come down to just two things:  Love God.  Love you neighbor.  But to quote the Lord from Exodus, we are a “stiff necked people.”  Our readings this week remind us that loving our neighbor is our ticket to salvation. The Word for the 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time Deuteronomy 30:10-14 Psalm 69:14, 17, 30-31, 33-34, 36, 37 or 19:8, 9, 10, 11 Colossians 1:15-20 Luke 10:25-37 Our first reading is from the book of Deuteronomy.  This is the book that most scholars believe was presented by King Josiah during the 7th century BCE in his attempts to reform the people back to the Lord.  In this passage, we hear Moses telling the people of Israel that God’s wishes for his people are not some remote or inaccessible dream, but are instead quite obvious… Love your neighbor.  Moses reminds us tha...

One of the final efforts of Pope Benedict XVI was the announcement of the “New Evangelization” back in 2013.  This was a multi-year effort to focus on our “Journey with Christ through Faith, Worship, and Witness."  Pope Francis continued this work through his calling for a Jubilee Year of Mercy in 2016, noting that a loving God is also a merciful God, and that the best way to evangelize was to mirror that mercy as Christ taught us.  Although this multi-year focus concluded in 2016, this revitalized focus on evangelization still holds a strong focus throughout the Church.  Our readings for this 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time help us to see what can be accomplished when we seek to spread God’s love… The Word for the 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time Isaiah 66:10-14c Psalm 66:1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20 Galatians 6:14-18 Luke 10:1-12, 17-20 or 10:1-9 Our first reading is from the closing chapter of the book of the prophet Isaiah.  The Babylonian exile is over and Jerusalem is a...