Adult Initiation & Sacrament Preparation

You may be aware of our Church’s stance of the right to life (from conception to natural death) but where does that “pro-life” stance come from?  Today’s readings give us a starting point to better understanding this often politically charged issue with some much needed perspective… The Word for the 13th Sunday of Ordinary Time Wisdom 1:13-15, 2:23-24 Psalm 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12, 13 2 Corinthians 8:7, 9, 13-15 Mark 5:21-43 or 5:21-24, 35b-43 Our first reading comes from the Book of Wisdom, a book we Catholics turn to often in the Liturgy.  For Jesus and the Apostles, the Book of Wisdom would have been considered contemporary.  Having come from the Jewish community in Alexandria about 50 years before Christ, it served as a kind of updated catechism, pulling its basic teaching and wisdom from the Exodus story and other earlier wisdom books like Sirach, while focusing its message on the special concerns faced by Jewish people of that era, especially of those Jews in Alexandri...

Sometimes we need to be reminded who’s really in charge.  For as much as we would like to think it’s us, it’s not.  It’s God.  Our readings this week serve as a reminder that our sense of control is often within our own imaginations.  There are greater forces at work.  We are reminded that it is God who created us and our abilities, and that for all our own hubris, all the wonders of creation are of His hand, not ours.  This is the power of God – so far beyond our own that we can only sit with a sense of wonder and awe in His presence and the glow of His love. The Word for the 12th Sunday of Ordinary Time Job 38:1, 8-11 Psalm 107:23-24, 25-26, 28-29, 30-31 2 Corinthians 5:14-17 Mark 4:35-41 Our first reading comes from the book of Job.  At this point in the narrative Job has been through a lot of suffering, so he decides to confront God, blaming him for his condition and looking for an answer as to why he has been made to suffer.  Our passage this...

This week, as we continue our journey with Jesus, he gives us two parables as he teaches us about the Kingdom of God. The Word for the 11th Sunday of Ordinary Time Ezekiel 17:22-24 Psalm 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 Mark 4:26-34 We open with a reading from the book of the prophet Ezekiel.  Our passage speaks of God bringing life, taking a tender shoot of a cedar and planting it on the highest mountain.  There the tree will thrive and gather life around it.  It is an uplifting message for a people who find themselves in exile.  Remember that Ezekiel is our priest and prophet from the period of the Exile.  Although he sees that the sins of the people have brought them to Babylon, he also sees the hope of a nation that will gather all nations to the Lord.  The joy of this gathering is reflected in our Psalm as we sing, “Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.” We continue with the tree metaphor in our Gospel from Mark.  Here we get two parabl...

With the Easter season finished and our special feast days behind us, our Sunday Mass jumps back into the regular schedule for Ordinary time.  This is actually a very special time for the Church.  The long lazy days of Summer are perfect for the unfolding the story of Jesus’ ministry as he travels from place to place.  Generally during this time our Gospel for the current week picks up where we left off last week.  We literally walk with Jesus and his disciples as his message and teaching unfolds during the journey. The Word for the 10th Sunday of Ordinary Time Genesis 3:9-15 Psalm 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1 Mark 3:20-35 Our first reading is from the story of the expulsion from the Garden of Eden in Genesis.  As we begin our regular celebration of Ordinary Time, this reading seems most appropriate.  Here is the beginning of the human race on its own.  No longer do Adam and Eve have the protection of the garden.  Put another way,...

During the Easter Season the Church celebrates our faith’s greatest mystery – the Resurrection.  As we transition to Ordinary Time the Church likes to take a moment to reflect on our other great mysteries.  Last Sunday was the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.  This Sunday we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (what we used to call Corpus Christi ).  It is a recognition of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. The Word for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) Exodus 24:3-8 Psalm 116:12-13, 15-16, 17-18 Hebrews 9:11-15 Mark 14:12-16, 22-26 Our first reading is from the book of Exodus.  Prior to this passage the people of Israel have arrived at Mount Sinai and Moses has received the 10 Commandments (and the entirety of the Law code) from God.  Moses presents this to the people, and as our passage opens, Moses is asking for their acceptance of the Law.  With the approval of the p...