Adult Initiation & Sacrament Preparation

February 2nd is the date chosen by the Church to celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord.  When a significant feast day falls on a Sunday, the Church sets aside the readings for that normal week to celebrate the feast with these special readings: The Word for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord Malachi 3:1-43 Psalm 24: 7, 8, 9, 10 Hebrews 2:14-18 Luke 2:22-40 or 2:22-32 While the Catholic Church today refers to this day as the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, traditionally it has also been called the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple, Candlemas, the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin, and the Meeting of the Lord .  Prior to the Second Vatican Council, Candlemas was a time where beeswax candles were blessed for use throughout the year, a tradition still followed in some parish communities.  Today the celebration focuses more on the prophecy of Simeon, and Pope John Paul II chose it as a time for renewal of religious vows (not to be confused...

“In the beginning there was the Word…”  These are the dramatic opening lines from the Gospel according to John, and though we will not be reading from John’s Gospel this Sunday, these words ring true for our readings for this 3rd Sunday of Ordinary time.  The people are in the midst of something new, a new beginning that, as our readings will show, begin with The Word… The Word for the 3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time Nehemiah 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10 Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 15 1 Corinthians 12:12-30 (or 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 27) Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21 Our first reading is from the book of the Prophet Nehemiah.  Nehemiah, along with the priest/prophet Ezra, are the architects of the Restoration of Israel.  Their great Exile in Babylon is over and through the grace of the Persian King, Cyrus the Great, Israel is free to return to their land, to rebuild the Temple and to rebuild their lives as the people of God.  In an effort to guild them in this new beginning, Nehemiah and Ezra g...

New beginnings.  This is the promise of the New Year.  We bid farewell to the troubles of the previous year and approach the new year in front of us fresh with enthusiasm and hope.  Our new year’s resolutions are a common expression of those new beginnings.  As we enter into Ordinary Time we appropriately focus on this idea of new beginnings with our readings for this Sunday… The Word for the 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time Isaiah 62:1-5 Psalm 96:1-2, 2-3, 7-8, 9-10 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 John 2:1-11 Our first reading is from Third, or Trito -Isaiah.  Here the followers of the original prophet Isaiah foretell of a new beginning for the people of Israel.  Their Exile in Babylon is over!  Israel’s sins have been expiated and her vindication will become a beacon to all the other nations.  Where God was once someone to be feared (as in the earlier Mosaic texts), He now seems giddy with delight over his people, so much so he refers to the people as his brid...

What better way to bring the Christmas season to a close than with the celebration of the moment where Jesus was consecrated to his ministry – the celebration of The Baptism of the Lord.  Whereas Advent is a season of expectation and preparation, Christmas is the season where prophecy and expectation are fulfilled – born to us is the Christ, the one we have been waiting for is here! The Word for The Baptism of the Lord Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7 (or Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11) Psalm 29:1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10 (or Psalm 104:1b-2, 3-4, 24-25, 27-28, 29-30) Acts 10:34-38 (or Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7) Luke 3:15-16, 21-22 This Sunday’s celebration offers us two possible sets of readings, so I have chosen the alternate readings for this commentary since these are the ones we have used recently most often. Our first reading, from Second Isaiah, is a prophecy of hope for the people of Israel held captive in Exile in Babylon.  To our Christian ears, however, it also sounds a lot like John the Baptist preaching...

If Easter is our highest holy day, the Epiphany is rightly the second.  It 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 shall be radiant and become a beacon for all the nations.  And that is the key point of this reading today – That all people, all kingdoms, will see Jerusalem, God's city and God's people, as the light and life, and be drawn to her and the glory of the Lord....