Adult Faith Formation & Initiation

“God will provide.”  It’s a common response by well meaning people of faith, especially when we’re struggling with a difficult situation or when we find ourselves in need.  Be these needs physical or spiritual or both, the phrase “God will provide” can be hard for us to accept, especially when our human and societal reasoning would seem to suggest otherwise.  Our readings for this 18th Sunday of Ordinary Time helps us to find faith that God will indeed answer our needs: The Word for the 18th Sunday of Ordinary Time Isaiah 55:1-3 Psalm: 145:8-9, 15-16, 17-18 Romans 8:35, 37-39 Matthew 14:13-21 Our first reading comes from the book of Isaiah, “Deutero” or “Second” Isaiah to be precise.  This part of Isaiah speaks of redemption for an Israel at that moment finds itself in Exile in Babylon.  The Babylonian’s destruction of Jerusalem and Israel’s subsequent Exile was a deeply transformative experience for the Hebrew people and much of that transformation is seen in our Scriptures.  Yet thro

What is the Kingdom of God?  We hear this term so often it can lose its meaning, assuming we had any clear understanding of this idea to begin with.  The “Kingdom” is what we’ve been promised.  The “Kingdom” is what we struggle to obtain.  The “Kingdom” is why we follow Christ.  But ask your average Catholic what the “Kingdom of God” is and you’re likely to get many different answers.  Our readings this week help us to wrap our minds around what the “Kingdom” really means: The Word for the 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time 1 Kings 3:5, 7-12 Psalm: 119:57, 72, 76-77, 127-128, 129-130 Romans 8:28-30 Matthew 13:44-52 (shorter version Matt 13:44-46) Our first reading comes from the 1st Book of Kings.  King David has died passing his crown to his son Solomon.  In this Sunday’s passage, the Lord appears to the young king in a dream and asks Solomon what he, the Lord, can give him.  Solomon responds humbly, addressing himself as the Lord’s servant, and asks for “an understanding heart.”  God, rec

One of the beauties of Ordinary Time is the opportunity to “play the long game” when it comes understanding Jesus and his teachings.  We literally journey with Jesus and the Apostles during his mission to spread the Word.  Because many of our readings pick up where we left off the previous week we have an opportunity to learn as we go, much like the Apostles themselves. The Word for the 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time Wisdom 12:13, 16-19 Psalm: 86:5-6, 9-10, 15-16 Romans 8:26-27 Matthew 13:24-43 (OR Matthew 13:24-30) Our first reading comes from the Book of Wisdom.  This book, coming about 50 years before Christ (most likely from the Jewish Community of Alexandria) served, like most of the wisdom books, as a kind of “catechism” for the faithful.  Our passage this week reminds us that God is both mighty and benevolent.  In fact, the text goes to great lengths to say that this might comes from his benevolence.  Not only has God taught us what is good (through The Law), he gives us the oppor

As Catholics we’re taught that we should read the Bible, but how many of us actually pick it up and read from it?  The Bible, after all, is not what you would call an “easy read.”  The Bible, a collection of Sacred Scriptures from the Hebrew and Christian traditions, forms an integral part of our faith.  This importance was noted in the Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on the Word of God:  Dei Verbum .  Here we are taught that both the Scriptures and our Apostolic Tradition flow “from the same divine wellspring,” and that both are needed for Church teaching.  Our readings this week remind us of the importance of the Scriptures: The Word for the 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time Isaiah 55:10-11 Psalm 65:10, 11, 12-13, 14 Romans 8:18-23 Matthew 13:1-23 Our first reading is from the master story teller of the Hebrew scriptures – Isaiah.  In a short poetic stanza from the time near the end of the Exile (from Deutero-Isaiah), the passage paints a picture of the rain and snow giving