Adult Initiation & Sacrament Preparation

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3rd Sunday of Lent - Cycle A

We are now deep into our Lenten season of reflection, and from this Sunday through to Palm Sunday, our readings take on much deeper meaning as we continue our journey through Salvation History. In fact, the Church has found this cycle of readings to be so important she has chosen them to be used specifically for the Scrutiny Rites every year in the OCIA. As we are in Cycle A this year, the entire Church gets to have an encounter with these powerful readings: The Word for the 3rd Sunday of Lent Exodus 17:3-7 Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9 Romans 5:1-2, 5-8 John 4:5-42 We open a reading from the book of Exodus. At this point the Israelites have escaped Pharaoh and his army having crossed the Red Sea. They are now free but have yet to reach Mount Sinai. They are traveling through the “wilderness,” a barren stretch of land between the sea and the Sinai. Their food was running out so the Lord gave them manna. Now the water is running out and there is none to...

2nd Sundy of Lent - Cycle A

On this second Sunday of Lent we continue our journey through Salvation History, focusing on those people and their lives who revealed God’s loving and saving grace. Lent is also a time to prepare for or remember our baptism, so with that in mind, let us turn to our readings: The Word for the 2nd Sunday of Lent Genesis 12:1-4a Psalm 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22 2 Timothy 1:8b-10 Matthew 17:1-9 We open with a story from the book of Genesis where we are introduced to the first great patriarch, Abraham. Of course, he hasn’t yet received this new name. At this point in the story, he is introduced as Abram, son of Terah, and is called by God to go forth from his land and from his relatives to a land that God will show him. All this with the promise that the Lord will make of him a great nation. God is essentially asking Abram to give up everything based on a promise of great blessings. This reflects a great deal of trust that Abram must have in God’s promis...

1st Sunday of Lent - Cycle A

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...

6th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Cycle A

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 ...

5th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Cycle A

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 ...

4th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Cycle A

“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...