Adult Initiation & Sacrament Preparation

This 4th Sunday of Lent we continue with our journey through Salvation History, and like last week, the themes and symbols revealed in these passages hold special meaning for us in the RCIA.  Last week our theme was trust – trust in the Lord, and our symbol was water – life giving and life sustaining. water – the primary symbol of Baptism.  This week our theme is redemption, and our symbols are anointing and light 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 We open with our first reading from the 1st Book of Samuel.  To put us in the proper context, Samuel was the last of the Judges, and it was he whom the Israelites cried out to 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 ...

This Sunday marks the end of our Church year with the Feast of Christ the King.  By church timelines, this feast day is very much born in the modern era.  In response to the growing nationalism and secularism of the early 20th century, Pope Pius XI instituted this feast in his 1925 encyclical letter Quas Primas.  At the time the world was still recovering from the Great War (World War I), but as we all know, the turmoil that followed created the economic and social instability that would eventually bring on the Great Depression and World War II.  Revolutions in Russia, China, and Spain were sparking unrest worldwide, and calling into question the their models of governance and economics.  It is in this chaos that Pope Pius understood the need to refocus our attention on who it is that we must serve. The Word for the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe         2 Samuel 5:1-3     ...

For those attending the 2nd Scrutiny, we will be hearing the story of the man born blind from John's gospel... a story that uses the blindness of others to see that Jesus is the light: The Word for the 2nd Scrutiny (4th Sunday of Lent Cycle A):         1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a         Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6         Ephesians 5:8-14         John 9:1-41 For those attending one of the regular Masses, we will be reading the story of the Prodigal Son... a parable unique to Luke's gospel. This popularity of this parable stands the test of time because the characters and their motivations ring true for so many of us, and yet we find it difficult to accept the conclusion: The Word for the 4th Sunday of Lent:         Joshua 5:9a, 10-12         Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7   ...