Adult Initiation & Sacrament Preparation

With last week’s celebration of Pentecost, we officially put the Easter season behind us.  But in typical Catholic style, we’re not quite ready to bring the party to an end.  We open this period of Ordinary Time with two very important Solemnities:  This week, the Most Holy Trinity (Trinity Sunday) and next week, the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi). The Word for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity Proverbs 8:22-31 Psalm 8:4-5, 6-7, 8-9 Romans 5:1-5 John 16:12-15 Now that we are in Ordinary Time, our first reading returns to the Hebrew scriptures.  We open this Solemnity with a reading from the Book of Proverbs.  One of the early wisdom books, a large portion of this book is considered to be a collection of the sayings from King Solomon.  While portions of the text do date to the early monarchy, scholars also believe the book continued to be edited and developed through to the post-exilic period.  One of the trademarks of wisdom l...

This Sunday the Easter Season comes to a close with the celebration of Pentecost, that moment when the Holy Spirit came upon the Disciples and whose gifts allowed them to leave the upper room and spread the Gospel to Jerusalem, all of Judea and Samaria, and throughout the world.  It’s the birthday of the Church! The Word for Pentecost Sunday Acts 2:1-11 Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34 1st Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13 or Romans 8:8-17 John 20:19-23 or John 14:15-16, 23b-26 The readings for Sunday open with the Pentecost story from the Acts of the Apostles.  It is after the Ascension and the Apostles have gathered again in the upper room, along with Mary and some of the other women.  The remaining 11 Apostles have just selected Matthias to take the place of Judas and now with everyone present, our passage describes the moment of the descent of the Holy Spirit. From the upper room our scene then jumps to the busy street below, busy because there is a lot of activity this time o...

Following the traditional calendar, the Solemnity of the Ascension falls on a Thursday, 40 days after the Resurrection, and 10 days before Pentecost.  But since the Ascension is such an important moment for us as Church, many dioceses, including our own, have moved this celebration to this coming Sunday (in place of the 7th Sunday of Easter).  But regardless of when we celebrate it the readings for this Cycle are the same: The Word for the Ascension of the Lord Acts 1:1-11 Psalm 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9 Ephesians 1:17-23 or Hebrews 9:24-28, 10:19-23 Luke 24:46-53 Our first reading is from the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles.  While it might be more appropriate that this reading should follow our Gospel reading for today (as it naturally follows after Luke’s Gospel), the book-end effect of these two readings remains intact, reminding us how this was a pivotal moment for the Church.  Like most sequels, our reading opens with a recap of where we left off at the end of Luk...

As I like to do this time of year, I wanted to share with you some inspirational and thought provoking words from Mr. Tom Moran, principal of my alma mater, St. Francis High School in La Canada, CA.  He always touches something within me with these addresses, and this year is no different.  His message to the graduates - perseverance.  Boy, did he nail it!  I was no genius when I was at SFHS.  I wasn't athletic, I wasn't an academic wiz-kid.  The highlight of my high school career was making the cutoff for the upper 50% of the 148 members of the class of 1980.  But somewhere, somehow, that lesson of perseverance sunk in and has driven me ever since. When I earned Eagle Scout later that year, it was through pure perseverance.  That same perseverance would get me through the next 10 years in college.  It was perseverance that kept me going through losing my job in the recession of the early 1990's. It was perseverance that helped me build a lov...

Peace be with you.  These were the first words Jesus spoke to the Apostles when he appeared to them in the upper room after his resurrection.  They are also the same words used by the Bishop during Confirmation after having been “sealed with the Holy Spirit.” But what does this “peace” mean?  As our readings will show, it means allowing space for the Holy Spirit to work around us, within us, and through us… The Word for the 6th Sunday of Easter Acts 15:1-2, 22-29 Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8 Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23 John 14:23-29 How does the Church handle a problem?  This is the challenge faced in our first reading from Acts of the Apostles, which gives us a summary of the Council of Jerusalem.  The question they need to address:  Do Gentile converts need to be circumcised?  Circumcision was established under the covenant with Abraham, and codified in the Mosaic Law.  Though circumcision was traditionally done during infancy, it was also a requiremen...

“Behold, I make all things new.”  These were God’s words to the prophet Isaiah.  These were the words spoken by Jesus to his disciples.  These were the words that drove the disciples onto the street to spread the good news.  This is also how Jesus presents God’s Law to his disciples.  How fitting that we consider this “newness” in the Easter Season – Spring – which has us all looking at something new: The Word for the 5th Sunday of Easter Acts 14:21-27 Psalm 145:8-9, 10-11, 12-13 Revelation 21:1-5a John 13:31-33a, 34-35 Our first reading from Acts of the Apostles has us continuing our journey with Paul and Barnabas as they spread the good news.  But not all has gone well.  While they continue to gather followers, they also find themselves literally being dragged out of some towns.  After a successful stay in Derbe, we rejoin Paul and Barnabas as they are now heading home returning through the cities they had visited earlier.  As they return t...

The image of Jesus as “the good shepherd” is a popular and beloved representation of Christ.  Even for those of us who are long separated from this type of agrarian life, the image of a shepherd as someone who is both leader and caretaker is one that we can easily understand.  Though it’s an image for our Lord that’s often used by the prophets, none have done it better than John’s gospel, and leading us to refer to this day as “Good Shepherd Sunday.” The Word for the 4th Sunday of Easter Acts 13:14, 43-52 Psalm 100:1-2, 3, 5 Revelation 7:9, 14b-17 John 10:27-30 Our first reading from Acts of the Apostles has us traveling with Paul and Barnabas on their first journey to Antioch.  Their first visit to the Synagogue went so well they are invited to come back the following week.  Our narrative opens with their next visit, only this time their reception is mixed.  This rejection by some of the Jews drives Paul to take their message to the Gentiles in Antioch, where i...