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 ...
Comments on our weekly readings for Sunday Mass and other topics of interest for those who are going through the initiation process or want to learn more about the Catholic Faith