Adult Faith Formation & Initiation

Actions speak louder than words.  When Jesus railed against the Pharisees and the Scribes, this was one of the key elements he used to call attention to their hypocrisy.  While putting on the face of piety they consistently ignored the needs of the poor and more often than not, stood as a barrier, not a facilitator to building a relationship with God.  While our readings for this Sunday remind us that we must follow the Law set down by the Lord, neither should we ignore the spirit of that law. The Word for the 22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8 Psalm 15:2-3, 3-4, 4-5 James 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27 Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 Our first reading comes from the Book of Deuteronomy.  Here Moses is presenting the Law of God to the people of Israel.  Our passage is actually from two different sections – the first, from the opening of Chapter 4 where Moses enjoins them to her the law and not to add or subtract from it.  For the second part our text jumps over the actual precepts of th

Do you have what it takes to follow the Lord?  Our readings this week give us a challenge – do we follow society or do we follow the Lord.  Not everything God says is easy to follow.  Not everything Jesus said or taught was easy for his disciples to accept.   The Word for the 21st Sunday of Ordinary Time Joshua 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b Psalm 34:2-3, 16-17, 18-19, 20-21 Ephesians 5:21-32 or 5:2a, 25-32 John 6:60-69 Our first reading comes from the book of Joshua.  Joshua stood beside Moses and Aaron as they marched out of Egypt, from slavery to freedom, and now has taken over from Moses to lead the Israelites into the promised land.  Unfortunately, as the Israelites entered the land of Canaan, there were others already living there, forcing them into some military engagements.  After winning a series of successful struggles, Joshua has now gathered all the people together to give them a choice… to follow the gods of their ancestors, or to follow the Lord. Our Gospel from John offers a simila

Because August 15 is the feast of the Assumption of Mary, the readings of this 20th Sunday of Ordinary Time are put aside so that we can celebrate this most important solemnity: The Word for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Mass during the Day Revelation 11:19a, 12:1-6a, 10ab Psalm 45:10, 11, 12, 16 1 Corinthians 15:20-27 Luke 1:39-56 For this feast day dedicated to Mary, we put aside the Hebrew Scriptures and begin with a reading from the Book of Revelation.  Here in this passage we have an image of Mary that is not unlike many of the artistic representations we’ve seen in paintings, frescos, mosaics, and statues.  But then the vision turns darker as we learn that this woman is about to give birth with a dragon preparing to devour the child.  But God is looking out for them as the child is “caught up to God” and the woman flees to a safe place in the desert.  Then we hear the declaration from Heaven of salvation coming from this Anointed One.  As this passage

During last week’s readings we were introduced to Jesus as the bread of life.  Just as God provided manna in the desert for the Israelites, God gave us his son so that we may live.  This week we continue with this theme of bread as we dive deeper into our understanding of bread bringing life. The Word for the 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time 1 Kings 19:4-8 Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9 Ephesians 4:30-5:2 John 6:41-51 We open with a reading from the 1st Book of Kings.  As we enter the narrative the great prophet Elijah is on the run (as Jezebel has falsely accused him of killing all the other prophets).  He’s traveling South, out of Israel, through Judah, on his way to Mt. Horab, the mountain of the Lord.  Halfway through his journey he’s ready to give up.  As he sleeps, however, an angel of the Lord brings him a hearth cake and a jug of water.  Strengthened by this food, he is able to continue his journey of forty days and forty nights (yes, that well known biblical number indicating a momen