Adult Initiation & Sacrament Preparation

Last week our readings spoke of a conversion of heart, learning that we not only must love one another but that we have a duty to each other – a duty that demands that we speak out when we see injustice, personally at first, and publicly as needed.  But in order for love to survive, take root, and grow, we also need to learn to forgive. The Word for the 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time Sirach 27:30-28:7 Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12 Romans 14:7-9 Mathew 18:21-35 We open with a reading from the book of Sirach, also referred to as the “Wisdom of Ben Sira” in honor of its author (Yeshua [Jesus or Joshua = chosen of God], son of Elezar, son of Sira).  The prophet wrote during the post Exilic period, completing his work around 175 BCE, with his grandson preparing the Greek translation around 117 BCE.  The book is also referred to as “Ecclesiasticus”, which translates to “Church Book” because it was commonly used in the preparation of catechumens, like an early catechism for post...

One of the most difficult tenants of our Christian faith is the Law that Jesus himself gave us – “to love one another.”  But that love needs to extend beyond just helping others when they are in need, it means reaching out and taking action when we see things going wrong.  Our readings this week teach that we’re not responsible just for the salvation of our own souls but for the salvation of everyone’s souls. The Word for the 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time Ezekiel 33:7-9 Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9 Romans 13:8-10 Mathew 18:15-20 We open with a reading from the book of the prophet Ezekiel, who tells us that we are not only responsible for our own actions but for the actions of others as well, and we are dutybound to speak out.  Ezekiel is teaching us that the sins of others, if left unchecked, become our sins as well.  This teaching is at the heart of issues that revolve around the idea of “social sin.”  In other words, if we know what is right, we can’t just turn out b...

If you want to have some fun, ask a Catholic (or any Christian) about the Holy Spirit.  The answers you get will likely be as varied as the people you ask.  Our faith is based on a “Trinitarian” view of God:  God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.  As a Church we do quite well teaching about God the Father, and we do an excellent job teaching about God the Son (Jesus), but when it comes to the Holy Spirit we tend to treat the subject like a “third wheel” or “odd man out.”  We spend so much time learning about God the Father and God the Son that we end up with little time to spend on the Holy Spirit.  Perhaps our readings for this week can help us to better understand the Spirit: The Word for the 6th Sunday of Easter Acts 8:5-8, 14-17 Psalm 66:1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20 1 Peter 3:15-18 John 14:15-21 For this 6th Sunday of Easter we open with a story from Acts of the Apostles where we hear how Philip has had great success in bringing the Gospel to the p...

What happens when you have too much of a good thing?  When a business wins that lucrative new contract or expands into a new location?  Or taking that same idea a bit closer to home, what happens when two families merge through marriage, or when a family welcomes a new child?  We consider this kind of growth to be a good thing, but as with all things, these successes also come with their own baggage.  Our readings for this 5th Sunday of Easter have our Apostles facing similar challenges in the face of their growing successes. The Word for the 5th Sunday of Easter Acts 6:1-7 Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19 1 Peter 2:4-9 John 14:1-12 Our reading from Acts of the Apostles learning the hard way about the challenges that grow out of their continued success when their number of followers continues to grow.  Up to this point the Apostles have been doing their best to address the needs of the community, both spiritual and physical, but the community has grown so large now that...

Shepherd imagery and references are found throughout scripture.  Moses was following a lost sheep when he first encountered God in the burning bush.  David was out tending the sheep when Samuel came looking for a new king for Israel.  Even Jesus made references to shepherds and sheep in his teachings and parables because it allowed him to connect with his audience.  This imagery is so rooted in our societal DNA that it still resonates through our modern urban cultural experience.  This coming 4th Sunday of Easter is better known as “Good Shepherd Sunday” because we hear the very popular and beloved story of “the Good Shepherd” from John’s Gospel. The Word for the 4th Sunday of Easter Acts 2:14a, 36-41 Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6 1 Peter 2:20b-25 John 10-1-10 Our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles picks up shortly after where we left off last week.  As we remember, Peter was speaking to the crowd in Jerusalem about Jesus and the events that are still ...

Easter is all about revelation!  On Easter Sunday we revealed that the tomb was found empty.  Last week Jesus revealed himself to the Apostles in the upper room, reminding us that “Blessed are those who have not seen, but still believe.”  This Third Sunday of Easter, Jesus is revealed through the breaking of the Bread. The Word for the 3rd Sunday of Easter Acts 2:14, 22-33 Psalm 16:2, 5, 7-11 1 Peter 1:17-21 Luke 24:13-35 In our first reading from Acts of the Apostles we have Peter discovering his voice and standing before all of Jerusalem giving witness about who Jesus was and what happened there.  It’s both a reminder to those present who also witnessed these events, and a much needed explanation for those who (like us) were not there (especially Luke’s primarily Gentile audience).  The heart of Peter’s message reminds us that this messiah was killed by his own people, but through that act, as prophesied by their greatest king (David), has been raised by God a...

He is risen, Alleluia, Alleluia!  Contrary to popular opinion, the joy of Easter didn’t end with this last Sunday, it’s only just beginning!  After spending 40 days in reflection of our Baptism through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, we’ve only just begun the 50 day celebration that is the Season of Easter.  During Lent the focus of our readings was remembering our Salvation History – how we became a chosen people by God.  Now, during the Easter Season, our focus shifts from the past to the future – how do we live out the Gospel message: The Word for the 2nd Sunday of Easter Acts 2:42-47 Psalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24 1 Peter 1:3-9 John 20:19-31 Normally our first reading comes from the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament), but during the Easter Season our first reading comes from The Acts of the Apostles.  Why the change?  Because this book tells us the story of how we became Church.  Acts is the sequel to the “Greatest Story Ever Told.”  After St...

Growing up Catholic I was always told that Easter was our most important holiday, and for my family “Easter” meant Easter Sunday.  After all, that’s when the Easter Bunny left us treats.  As I grew into adulthood, however, with an ever-growing understanding into the depth and breadth of our faith, I learned that Easter Sunday wasn’t our most important Liturgical celebration.  Instead that distinction falls on the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday evening – the conclusion of our Paschal Triduum. The Word for the Resurrection of the Lord (Easter Day) Acts 10:34a, 37-43 Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23 Colossians 3:1-4, or 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8 John 20:1-9 or Matthew 28:1-10 While the readings for Easter Sunday are important, they are also just a very small piece of the story of our relationship with God.  It's like eating only one hors d'oeuvre and skipping the banquet.  It gives you a foretaste of the great food to come but could hardly be considered nutritious or filling....

During our celebration of Palm Sunday there is no other time in the Liturgical Cycle where the readings wreak such havoc on our emotions, where we are taken from a growing state of pure joy to utter despair within the course of just one Mass.  For weeks now we’ve been celebrating Jesus’ triumphs:  His gaining new followers in Samaria with the woman at the well, his curing of the man born blind, and last week, his raising of his friend Lazarus from the dead.  With joy and revelry the people welcome Jesus into Jerusalem cheering and waving palms, but the dark undercurrents that have been following us all along are now coming to fruition: The Word for Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion Matthew 21:1-11 Isaiah 50:4-7 Psalm 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24 Philippians 2:6-11 Matthew 26:14-27:66 We begin our Mass outside in front of the church as we relive the moment of Jesus’ triumphal entry into the City of Jerusalem.  With our opening reading from the Gospel of Matthew, we see...

Last week, the 4th Sunday of Lent, marked the halfway point of the season – Laetare Sunday – one of only two times during the year where the presiding priest wears rose colored vestments instead of the seasonal purple (the rose color being a mix of Lent’s purple and Easter’s white).  This week we begin to sense the end of Lent is near.  In horse racing terms we’re rounding the final turn heading into the stretch.  This is the last Sunday before Palm Sunday.  For many people, the end of our lives here on earth means death – the end of our existence, but as our readings teach us this week, death is not an end, but a transition: The Word for the 5th Sunday of Lent Ezekiel 37:12-14 Psalm 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 Romans 8:8-11 John 11:1-45 We open with a reading from the prophet Ezekiel.  While not often read during the Liturgical cycle, Ezekiel is considered one of the major prophets and his message is as unique as his calling.  Ezekiel, having been born into the...

Our journey through Salvation History continues as we enter the 4th week of Lent.  Not only are we exposed to some pivotal moments in our journey of faith, but in remembering our Baptism we continue to reflect on the symbols and meanings of this sacrament: The Word for the 4th Sunday of Lent 1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6 Ephesians 5:8-14 John 9:1-41 Our first reading is from 1st Book of Samuel.  Samuel, as you may remember, was the last of the Judges, and the person to whom the people of Israel came to ask for a king.  This was not what God wanted, but he granted their request, and Saul is appointed as the first King of Israel.  At this point in the narrative, Saul is getting on in years, and the people need a successor.  None of Saul’s sons are suited to the task, so God points Samuel to David, whom he anoints as the chosen one.  But how does this story fit with our Psalm in which we sing, “The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing ...

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...

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...

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...

With this Sunday’s celebration of the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the Church brings the Christmas Season to a close and transitions to a period of Ordinary Time.  Baptism marks a new beginning – a rebirth.  For Jesus, this marks the beginning of his ministry and serves as an excellent transition from the infancy narratives of the Christmas Season to the story of his life and ministry which we hear during Ordinary Time.  So this week we begin the journey of Jesus’ ministry anew with his baptism: The Word for the Baptism of the Lord Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7 Psalm 29:1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10 Acts 10:34-38 Matthew 3:13-17 Our first reading from the prophet Isaiah tells us about “the servant of the Lord.”  This comes from one of the “servant songs” common in 2nd Isaiah.  In this passage we are told this servant will be chosen by God to save Israel – a prophecy that predicts the coming glory for Israel.  Not only will God raise it up in gleaming splendor but through his...