Adult Initiation & Sacrament Preparation

Answering the call.  The Lord calls us to be with him, to follow him, but what is our response?  Our readings for this Third Sunday of Easter all show us how others have answered that call: The Word for the 3rd Sunday of Easter Acts 5:27-32, 40b-41 Psalm 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-12, 13 Revelation 5:11-14 John 21:1-19 Our first reading, from Acts of the Apostles, takes place shortly after our reading from last Sunday.  After preaching and healing in Jesus’ name outside the Temple, the Sanhedrin had the Apostles arrested and put into jail.  That night, however, an angel of the Lord opened the jail and let them out, whereupon the Apostles returned to preaching and healing.  This takes us to our passage today where they are brought before the Court and told that they are forbidden to teach in Jesus’ name.  Here Peter, who only a few weeks ago was so afraid of the Sanhedrin that he denied his connection to Jesus, now speaks passionately in his defense, proud of the fact...

Living in “Hollywood” we are very familiar with sequels.  When you have great characters involved in a great story, you almost naturally want to continue the journey to see what happens next.  The same was true for Luke’s gospel.  After giving us the story of Jesus, perhaps the greatest story ever told, the people wanted to hear more.  So what does every author do when he knows he’s got a hit?  He gives us a sequel:  The Acts of the Apostles.  And one of the beauties of the Easter season is the opportunity we have to explore this story in place of the usual Hebrew Scriptures for our first reading. The Word for the 2nd Sunday of Easter (Sunday of Divine Mercy) Acts 5:12-16 Psalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24 Revelation 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19 John 20:19-31 In our first reading from Acts, we see Peter and the Apostles gathering in the Temple area (Solomon’s Portico).  None of the religious establishment dared to be present but the people held them in great es...

Growing up Catholic I was always taught that Easter was our most important holiday and for my family “Easter” meant Easter Sunday.  After all, that’s when the Easter Bunny left us treats.  As I grew into adulthood, however, with an ever-growing understanding into the depth and breadth of our faith, I learned that Easter Sunday wasn’t our most important Liturgical celebration.  Instead that distinction falls on the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday evening – the conclusion of our Paschal Triduum. The Word for the Resurrection of the Lord (Easter Day) Acts 10:34a, 37-43 Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23 Colossians 3:1-4, or 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8 John 20:1-9 While the readings for Easter Sunday are important, they are also just a very small piece of the story of our relationship with God.  It's like eating only one hors d'oeuvre at a banquet.  It gives you a foretaste of the great food to come but could hardly be considered nutritious or filling.  Unpacking the readings ...

How quickly things can change.  One moment we are celebrating, and the next we are brought to shock and grief.  This is Palm Sunday.  The same crowd that cheered as Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem is the same crowd that only a few days later is shouting for his execution.  How can this be?  Our own recent history has similar moments – The stay-at-home orders for the COVID-19 pandemic, the September 11th terror attacks, the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger, and for those who are older, the assassination of John F. Kennedy or the December 7th attack on Pearl Harbor.  History defining moments that, for those who lived through them become emblazoned in their memories and can move an entire society to say, “everything is different now.”  This is Palm Sunday: The Word for Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion Luke 19:28-40 Isaiah 50:4-7 Psalm 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24 Philippians 2:6-11 Luke 22:14-23:56 As is our tradition, our gospel readings for...

If you are attending a Mass where they are not celebrating the Scrutinies, these are the readings you will hear: Practice what you preach.  Pope Francis, when declaring the Jubilee Year of Mercy for 2016, he stressed the importance of doing just that – being a living example of God’s mercy and love.  In our readings this week we learn that righteousness without mercy is nothing short of being a bully, beating up on others without consideration for the humanity of another and the context of their situation.  What would Jesus do? The Word for the 5th Sunday of Lent Isaiah 43:16-21 Psalm 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6 Philippians 3:8-14 John 8:1-11 Our first reading is from Deutero or Second-Isaiah.  Israel is sitting in Exile in Babylon, and here the prophet is telling us that God sees the events of the past as just that, the past.  In other words, whatever sin the people of Israel may have committed in the past should be put aside.  God, who can make all things happen...

Last week, the 4th Sunday of Lent, marked the halfway point of the season – Laetare Sunday – one of only two times during the year where the presiding priest wears rose colored vestments instead of the seasonal purple.  This week we begin to sense the end of Lent is near.  In horse racing terms we’re rounding the final turn heading into the stretch.  This is the last Sunday before Palm Sunday.  For many people, the end of our lives here on earth means death – the end of our existence, but as our readings teach us this week, death is not an end, but a transition: The Word for the 5th Sunday of Lent Ezekiel 37:12-14 Psalm 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 Romans 8:8-11 John 11:1-45 We open with a reading from the prophet Ezekiel.  While not often read during the Liturgical cycle, Ezekiel is considered one of the major prophets and his message is as unique as his calling.  Ezekiel, having been born into the priestly class, received his call to prophecy 10 years into the ...