Adult Faith Formation & Initiation

God’s ways are not our ways.  This is one of the points Jesus was trying to make with his Apostles in last week’s gospel, and that theme continues be examined in our readings for this week: The Word for the 25tth Sunday of Ordinary Time Wisdom 2:12, 17-20 Psalm 54:3-4, 5, 6, 8 James 3:16-4:3 Mark 9:30-37 Our first reading comes from the Book of Wisdom.  By way of reminder, the Book of Wisdom was written about fifty years before Christ.  For Jesus and his followers, this was a contemporary work, and like most wisdom literature it served as a sort of catechism for the Jewish community.  In this case the community wasn’t from Jerusalem but from Alexandria, and it was written in Greek (not Hebrew) while patterned on a style used in Hebrew verse.  For most Christians reading this passage it sounds very much like how Jesus was treated.  It can be hard for us to remember that this verse comes to us a couple generations before Jesus was even born.  Still, the theme of “the suffering servant,”

What is the cost of discipleship?  Let’s be honest, Christianity can be a tough sell.  In order to follow Jesus, it means making sacrifices – changing and forming our lives to model what Jesus taught us; to what God wants of us.  For many this is a difficult path to follow and even harder to explain to others. The Word for the 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time Isaiah 50:5-9a Psalm 114:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9 James 2:14-18 Mark 8:27-35 Our first reading is an elegant poem from second Isaiah.  Coming from one of his well-known “servant songs,” this first reading is a lament of sorts, as Isaiah bemoans the trials he must endure in his mission as a prophet.  For all his complaints, however, he knows his mission is just.  With the Lord God behind him, who could prove him wrong?  Our Psalm reflects this idea of God standing behind us, both in this life and the next, as we sing, “I walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.”  We are the Lord’s hands, feet, and voice here on Earth. Our first readi

Ephphatha .  Translated from the original Aramaic, it means “be open.”  For those who have been through the RCIA/OCIA process, this word is familiar as it is used in the minor rite just ahead of the Easter Vigil.  It’s meant to be a calming meditation prior to the celebration of the Easter Sacraments, intended to remind us to “be open” to the moment.  Open to the Spirit moving within and around us.  Open to the possibilities ahead.  Open to receiving Christ and the support of this community.  This word, and our gospel for this week, is a great way to resume our regular catechetical sessions, hoping that our souls will be “be open” to hearing the Holy Spirit.  To be open to the process and be open to the Word to see what God is offering us. The Word for the 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time Isaiah 35:4-7a Psalm 146:7, 8-9, 9-10 James 2:1-5 Mark 7:31-37 Our first reading comes from the Prophet Isaiah.  It is a time of fear for the people of Judah.  The Northern Kingdom of Israel has fallen to