Adult Faith Formation & Initiation

Why is there evil in the world?  Why does God let bad things happen to good people?  These are common questions we hear in society, and yet even as believers in God, as followers of Christ, we often feel inadequate to address these types of questions.  The fact is that we, humanity, have been struggling with these questions since the beginning of time and much has been written on the subject through the millennia.  Our readings this Sunday can give us some guidance: The Word for the 5th Sunday of Ordinary Time Job 7:1-4, 6-7 Psalm 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6 1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23 Mark 1:29-39 We open with a passage from the Book of Job (pronounced with a long “o”).  The story of Job is fairly well known in Biblical circles, yet we Catholics only hear from the Book of Job twice during our Sunday Liturgy, both times this year in Cycle B.  It’s difficult to get a good understanding of this book with so little exposure to it, yet it is one of the best didactic (teaching) tools we have to exam

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 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 – through a prophet.  It was at Mt. Horab where God ini

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 own ministry.  This theme not only runs through the gospels but is one of the major themes 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 week, God asks Jonah to go through

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 of Jesus’ life.  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 (which this year was the Monday after this past Sunday’s celebration of the Epiphany).  This is where John is passing the torch – ending his own

If Easter is our highest holy day, the Epiphany is rightly the second (not Christmas or the Nativity as many people might think).  The importance of this holy day is noted by its change in the Western Calendar to the First Sunday after the New Year (as opposed to its traditional date of January 6 – following the 12th Day of Christmas).  The Epiphany 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

The first Sunday after the Nativity of the Lord is always celebrated as the Christmas Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.  Since the Christmas season is a celebration of the Nativity, it seems only appropriate that we focus on the family in which Jesus was born.  It should be no surprise then that our readings focus on parental and family themes… The Word for the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14 or Genesis 15:1-6; 21:1-3 Psalm 128:1-2, 3, 4-5 or Psalm 105:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9 Colossians 3:12-21 or Colossians 3:12-17 or Hebrews 11:8, 11-12, 17-19 Luke 2:22-40 or Luke 2:22, 39-40 Our readings for this Sunday offer quite a variety of options from which the presider may select, so those of us in the assembly will want to listen carefully.  Since most presiders select the first of the options, that is what I will unpack for us here: Our first reading comes from the Wisdom of Ben Sira, which we also know as the Book of Sirach.  This ancient catechism c

This 4th Sunday of Advent we focus on the Incarnation:  God made manifest through the birth of Jesus.  Nothing captures this moment better than our Gospel, but as we will see, our other readings would suggest that this meeting between God and his people has been coming for some time… The Word for the 4th Sunday of Advent 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16 Psalm 89:2-3, 4-5, 27-29 Romans 16:25-27 Luke 1:26-38 To better understand our readings for this week, I think we should first look at our Gospel.  In a story that is unique to Luke’s Gospel, we hear the angel Gabriel coming to Mary to announce God’s plan for the birth of his Son.  It’s not hard for us to imagine Mary’s amazement in this moment.  Not only is this humble girl from Nazareth (already likely anxious over her betrothal to Joseph) being approached by an angel, a messenger for the Lord, but the angel’s message is almost unbelievable:  God has chosen her to bear his Son.  But Mary isn’t naive and challenges Gabriel about this pla