Adult Initiation & Sacrament Preparation

Patience.  It’s a quality that many people have lost in our world of instant gratification.  Items can be purchased on Amazon and delivered the same day.  Not only have we eliminated that whole strolling through the mall way of shopping, but we’re even eliminating that bothersome next day delivery, because waiting even a day would be just too long.  Studies show that even our minds are impatient!  With ready access to the instantaneous knowledge available through our mobile devices our own minds have developed a kind of “input anxiety” when we don’t have that ready access to that information.  Not only that, science has shown that our memories have gotten worse because of it.  Our readings this week, however, tell us a different story - that good things will come but not as soon as we would like: The Word for the 27th Sunday of Ordinary Time Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4  Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14 Luke 17:5-10 Our first reading is from...

What is Social Justice?  Our readings last week gave us a basic understanding, giving us a warning about how our eternal fate is based on how we treat others, especially the poor.  Not only will the Lord remember how we treat the poor, but our Gospel last week reminded us that we must be honest stewards, both of others and the message of the Gospel.  This week our readings give us a warning of what will become of us should we not heed the cry of those in need: The Word for the 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time Amos 6:1a, 4-7 Psalm 146:7, 8-9, 9-10 1 Timothy 6:11-16 Luke 16:19-31 We open with another passage from Amos, our fiery Southern prophet giving a warning to those who have become complacent.  The imagery Amos uses speaks of excessive wealth, and while taking a jab at David, foretells of what will happen (and did happen) if they don’t change their ways.  It is a stinging indictment that is very much relevant today as we see an increasing disparity between rich a...

First, my apologies for taking this past summer off.  I will post my backlog of readings reviews for those missed Sundays later this week.  But for now:  The 25th Sunday of Ordinary time - Cycle C <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< At the heart of the Mosaic Law is this idea that we, the people of God, need to protect those who are in need:  The poor, the widow, the orphan, and the foreigner.  These were those individuals who traditionally have no rights under the Law because they have no property (since inheritance of the land was reserved for the patriarchy).  God not only taught that we needed to love our neighbor, but that we need to go out of our way to make sure even those who have the least are loved and protected. The Word for the 25th Sunday of Ordinary Time Amos 8:4-7 Psalm 113:1-2, 4-6, 7-8 1 Timothy 2:1-8 Luke 16:1-13 (or 16:10-13) We open with a reading from the prophet Amos ...