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29th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Cycle B

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For some time now Jesus has been trying to explain to his disciples that he is going to be put to death, but the Apostles either can’t see this or they refuse to see it.  Jesus, however, a student of Isaiah’s “servant songs,” understands this all too well, that speaking the word of God will often lead to personal suffering: The Word for the 29th Sunday of Ordinary Time Isaiah 53:10-11 Psalm 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22 Hebrews 4:14-16 Mark 10:35-45 Our first reading comes from the book of the Prophet Isaiah.  In a passage from late Second Isaiah, he tells us that God’s servant will suffer.  This is the fourth of Isaiah’s “servant songs” which foretells of a redeemer sent by God to save humanity, but that redemption comes at a cost – the death of his servant.  While the opening hook is troubling for us to hear ( The Lord was pleased to crush him in infirmity ), as if God takes delight in his servant’s suffering, we need to continue with the passage to see that God’s being pleased comes not f
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28th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Cycle B

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What is truly valuable?  As a species humanity seems constantly preoccupied with this question, starting from our individual perspective and building up to our families, our parish, our community, all the way up to the entire world view.  Whole industries have grown around this idea of value, from the advertising industry that tries to convince you of the value of what they’re selling, to insurance companies that can set a monetary value on everything, including your own life.  Our faith tradition also has some thoughts on this question, as addressed by our readings this week: The Word for the 28tth Sunday of Ordinary Time Wisdom 7:7-11 Psalm 90:12-13, 14-15, 16-17 Hebrews 4:12-13 Mark 10:17-30 Our first reading is from the Book of Wisdom.  You may recall that we had a passage from this book three weeks ago, but by way of reminder, the Book of Wisdom comes to us from the Jewish community in Alexandria some 50 years before Christ.  Typical of wisdom literature in the Bible, it’s meant t
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27th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Cycle B

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Our readings for this week focus on the topic of marriage.  These passages will likely sound very familiar because they are often quoted, but unfortunately, never truly understood and almost never viewed in their full context.  Yet these ideas do form the Catholic understanding of marriage and help establish the Church’s position on divorce and annulment, so some careful examination is needed: The Word for the 27tth Sunday of Ordinary Time Genesis 2:18-24 Psalm 128:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6 Hebrews 2:9-11 Mark 10:2-16 Our first reading is from the second creation story in the Book of Genesis.  Wait, second creation story?  Most Catholics are aware that Genesis is the first book of the Bible, and most are aware that it begins with the story of creation, but unless they’ve engaged in any critical Bible reading or study, any details beyond that tend to get a little fuzzy.  So let me explain: The first chapter of Genesis does in fact give us the story of creation, starting with “In the beginning,” an
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26th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Cycle B

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Who speaks for the Lord?  Do you have to be a prophet?  A priest?  A bishop?  The Pope?  What about you?  The answer, according to our readings this week, is “whomever God calls,” and that could be you. The Word for the 26tth Sunday of Ordinary Time Numbers 11:25-29 Psalm 19:8, 10, 12-13, 14 James 5:1-6 Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48 Our first reading comes from the Book of Numbers.  This book is a continuation of the Exodus story, from the point where they leave the Sinai (after receiving the Law) to the point where they are ready to enter the Promised Land.  The book gives us some history of these years interspersed with sections of legal codes.  This Sunday’s passage deals with the commissioning the elders, those 70 individuals chosen by Moses to receive some of the Spirit so that they may prophesy (preach) among the people.  But during this time there were two men, Eldad and Medad, who were not with the group at the tent, but who also received the Spirit.  Joshua heard of this and out of
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25th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Cycle B

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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,”
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24th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Cycle B

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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
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23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time - Cycle B

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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
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