Adult Initiation & Sacrament Preparation

Since the close of the Christmas season we’ve been following Jesus as he begins his ministry.  We’ve seen him Baptized by John (twice), we’ve seen him gathering his first Apostles (Andrew, Simon-Peter, James and John - twice), and this week we continue our journey as Jesus begins to preach, teach, and heal.  Jesus has many different titles, but this week we focus on three:  Prophet, Teacher, and Lord. The Word for the 4th Sunday of Ordinary Time Deuteronomy 18:15-20 Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 7-9 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 Mark 1:21-28 Our first reading from the book of Deuteronomy gives us a clear understanding of what it means to be a prophet.  Here Moses says to the people that a prophet is one like himself – someone chosen by God to speak for God.  Now hearing this you might ask why God can’t speak for himself?  Addressing that exact point Moses continues by reminding the people that it was they themselves who requested that God speak through an intermediary – throu...

Our readings this week focus on a core theme that runs through Jesus’ ministry – repentance.  There is no sin so grave that cannot be forgiven with true contrition and a return to God.  This was the message that John the Baptist proclaimed, and the message Jesus continued to proclaim as he took up his ministry.  This theme not only runs through the gospels but is one of the major theme that binds the entire Bible into a cohesive volume.   The Word for the 3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time Jonah 3:1-5, 10 Psalm 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 Mark 1:14-20 Our first reading comes from the book of Jonah.  The story of Jonah is well known in both Jewish and Christian circles, yet for all its popularity, we only hear it in the Sunday Liturgy this once.  For this reason, many Catholics only have a passing familiarity with Jonah’s story.  They know his name and that he was swallowed by a large fish (or whale), but that’s about it.  In our passage this w...

We Christians love the Christmas Season, because it allows us to dwell on the story of the Nativity and those first special moments in the life of Jesus and the Holy Family.  For as much as we love these stories, however, they’re not that important in the larger narrative.  Mark and John don’t even mention these moments in their Gospels because they didn’t find them relevant to their telling of the story.  The infancy narratives are like the hors d’oeuvres of Christian scripture – something to whet our appetites for the larger story to come, which begins now as we leave Christmastide behind and enter into Ordinary Time. The Word for the 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time 1 Samuel 3:3b-10, 19 Psalm 40:2, 7-8, 8-9, 10 1 Corinthians 6:13c-15a, 17-20 John 1:35-42 We ended the Christmas season with the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord, a moment that marks the beginning of Jesus’ ministry.  Jesus’ baptism by John is a passing of the torch, an acceptance of his divine missio...

With this Sunday’s celebration of the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the Church brings the Christmas Season to a close and transitions to a period of Ordinary Time.  Baptism marks a new beginning – a rebirth.  For Jesus, this marks the beginning of his ministry and serves as an excellent transition from the infancy narratives of the Christmas Season to the story of his life and ministry which we hear during Ordinary Time.  So this week we begin the journey of Jesus’ ministry anew with his baptism: The Word for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7 or Isaiah 55:1-11 Psalm 29:1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10 or Isaiah 12:2-3, 4bcd, 5-6 Acts 10:34-38 or 1 John 5:1-9 Mark 1:7-11 Our first reading from the prophet Isaiah tells us about “the servant of the Lord.”  This comes from one of the “servant songs” common in 2nd Isaiah.  In this passage we are told this servant will be chosen by God to save Israel – a prophecy that predicts the coming glory for Israel....

If Easter is our highest holy day, the Epiphany is rightly the second.  It is the celebration of the realization that through Jesus' birth, death, and resurrection that God's salvation is a gift for all people, everywhere.  It is this feast that defines us as Christians, revealing not only that this child, Jesus, is the Christ, but that the grace of reconciling the people to God is not exclusive – it is a universal invitation for all people. The Word for the Epiphany of the Lord Isaiah 60:1-6 Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13 Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6 Matthew 2:1-2 Our first reading comes from the later chapters of Isaiah (third or trito -Isaiah).  Here the prophet sees a glorious vision for Jerusalem:  The city shall be radiant and become a beacon for all the nations.  And that is the key point of this reading today – That all people, all kingdoms, will see Jerusalem, God's city and God's people, as the light and life, and be drawn to her and the glory of the Lord....