Adult Initiation & Sacrament Preparation

The celebration of the fifty days of Easter may be over, but as is often the case the church isn’t quite ready to leave the party.  As we begin this long period of Ordinary Time the church takes these next two Sundays after Easter to reflect on two of her most sacred mysteries.  This Sunday, with the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, and next Sunday with the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. The Word for Trinity Sunday Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40 Psalm 33:4-5, 6, 9, 18-19, 20, 22 Romans 8:14-17 Mathew 28:16-20 We open with a reading from the book of Deuteronomy – the 5th and final book of the Pentateuch (the first 5 books of the Bible – the Torah).  Our passage has Moses speaking to the people of the wonders of the Lord; of a God who chose them, Israel, a captive nation under Egypt, for his own.  The continuation of this special relationship, however, has a performance clause for the people of God:  In order to receive the grace of the Lord, ...

This Sunday we bring the Easter Season to a close with the celebration of Pentecost – commemorating the moment the Holy Spirit came to the Apostles and whose gifts allowed them to leave the upper room and spread the Gospel to Jerusalem, all of Judea and Samaria, and throughout the world.  It’s the birthday of the Church! The Word for Pentecost Sunday (Mass during the day) Acts 2-1-11 Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13 or Galatians 5:16-25 John 20:19-23 or John 15:26-27, 16:12-15 Our Sunday readings open fittingly with the Pentecost story in Acts of the Apostles.  This is the story from which our traditions of this moment originate.  It is after the Jesus’ ascension and the Apostles are gathered again in the upper room.  Our passage has two distinct parts.  First is the actual descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles (and those others in the room) followed by the experience of the people in the street after the Apostles leave the upp...

This Sunday the Church in the USA celebrates the Ascension of the Lord, the moment Jesus, after the resurrection, left us to join his Father in Heaven.  Traditionally the Ascension is celebrated on the Thursday before the 7th Sunday of Easter, 40 days after the resurrection, and 10 days before Pentecost.  The US bishops, however, have opted to celebrate this important Solemnity on Sunday because its message and meaning are important aspects of our faith and should not be missed. The Word for the Ascension of the Lord Acts 1:1-11 Psalm 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9 Ephesians 1:17-23, or 4:1-13, or 4:1-7, 11-13 Mark 16:15-20 We open with the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles.  This book, the sequel to Luke's Gospel, begins like all great sequels, with a recapping of the story thus far.  Like any good writer, Luke takes this time to give us some additional details that were not included in his gospel.  This is the story we hear today in our first reading, and this is the st...