Adult Initiation & Sacrament Preparation

When you think of the season of Lent, what do you think of?  When you ask most Catholics, they will usually say that it’s a season where we’re supposed give something up.  Others may say that it is for prayer and for giving alms.  These are all right, of course, but not entirely.  According to  The Constitution of the Sacred Liturgy promulgated from the Second Vatican Council, “The season of Lent has a twofold character: primarily by recalling or preparing for baptism and by penance, it disposes the faithful, who more diligently hear the word of God and devote themselves to prayer, to celebrate the paschal mystery.”   While those who are preparing for Baptism use this season of Lent as a period of “Purification and Enlightenment,” all of us Catholics are called to remember our own Baptisms as a primary focus for Lent in addition to penance.  With that emphasis in mind, let us see how baptism plays into our readings for this first week of Lent: The Wor...

Right is right, and wrong is wrong.  But is the world really that black and white?  While some might argue that it is just that simple, our Catholic tradition recognizes that it is not.  The extremes of darkness and light are easy to see, but much of our everyday life operates somewhere in-between.  The time we spend studying scripture and Church tradition are not so much to point out the obvious light and dark, but in learning how to “navigate the gray areas” of our lives.  Put another way, finding the right balance between the letter of the law and the spirit of the law.  On the surface, our Gospel this week takes a fairly strong, even harsh line with regard to the Law, but to view this passage literally is to miss the deeper meaning that Jesus is trying to teach: The Word for the 6th Sunday of Ordinary Time Sirach 15:15-20 Psalm 119:1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34 1 Corinthians 2:6-10 Matthew 5:17-37 or Matthew 5:20-22a, 27-28, 33-34a, 37 Our first reading comes ...

We Catholics sometimes have a tendency to make things more complicated than they need to be.  Take for instance our use of certain words, like catechesis or liturgy to describe certain regular activities of Catholic life (to teach and to pray).  Their meaning gets lost because they’re just not part of most people’s everyday lives.  Take for example the phrase Social Justice.  Within Catholic leadership circles this has certain meaning for a wide array of Church activity, but if you were to ask the rest of us what “Catholic social justice” means, you might be hard pressed to explain.  Perhaps this Sunday’s readings can help: The Word for the 5th Sunday of Ordinary Time Isaiah 58:7-10 Psalm 112:4-5, 6-7, 8-9 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 Matthew 5:13-16 Our first reading comes from later Isaiah, where we are reminded of what it is that God really wants to see of his people.  Not festivals but works of mercy.  This passage comes from a period after the Exile – the ...

“Blessed are the poor…”  When we Christians hear this phrase we immediately think of the Beatitudes as Jesus taught them to us from his Sermon on the Mount.  But while we may easily recognize these words, what do they really mean?  Perhaps a deeper study of our readings for this week will help us understand: The Word for the 4th Sunday of Ordinary Time Zephaniah 2:3, 3:12-13 Psalm 146:67, 8-9, 9-10 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 Mathew 5:1-12a Our first reading comes from the book of the prophet Zephaniah.  If you’re looking for hope in the scriptures, I would avoid Zephaniah.  Although Zephaniah’s prophecy takes place during a time of great reform under King Josiah, his message is a dire warning to the people of Judah.  The Lord is angry and there will be fierce retribution for the people of Judah.  Does Zephaniah offer any hope?  Today’s passage offers only this:  for “all you humble of the earth, who have followed his law… perhaps you may be shelte...

Discernment.  It’s a word we use when we need to carefully and prayerfully come to a life-altering decision.  Often this term is used by those contemplating a vocation to the priesthood or the religious life, but the truth is that we as the laity are faced with all kinds of discernments of our own.  We are regularly faced with decisions about schools, majors, job opportunities and relationships that can alter the course of our lives.  This week’s readings focus on our need for discernment, especially when it comes to whom we follow: The Word for the 3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time Isaiah 8:23-9:3-1 Psalm 27-1, 4, 13-14 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17 Mathew 4:12-23 Our first reading comes from early Isaiah.  The Northern Kingdom of Israel has fallen to the Assyrians, and the people of the Southern Kingdom of Judah fear they are next.  But over some time a new regime has taken has hold in the former lands of Israel, and Isaiah sees this as a useful example of God’s me...

With the Christmas season now behind us we enter a period of Ordinary Time.  Ordinary Time gets its name from the fact that we are counting the days (Latin: ordinals ) between the major Liturgical Seasons.  The white and gold vestments and décor are put away as green now becomes the color of the season.  Throughout Advent and Christmas we’ve heard the prophecy of the Messiah, witnessed his birth, and have come to recognize him as the chosen one.  As we enter this first period of Ordinary Time, we start our journey following Jesus step by step through his ministry. The Word for the 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time Isaiah 49:3, 5-6 Psalm 40:2, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10 1 Corinthians 1:1-3 John 1:29-34 Our first reading comes from the book of the prophet Isaiah.  This passage from second or “deutero” Isaiah comes to us from a time toward the end of the Babylonian Exile.  During this time we learn of God’s plan for Israel’s redemption by sending us his “servant” – someone ded...