Adult Initiation & Sacrament Preparation

The battle between good and evil is real, yet today’s society has, to a certain extent, marginalized evil in a way that makes it seem it doesn’t really exist.  Yes, there are those events that are truly horrendous and though we may recognize them as evil, even for those we’ve grown somewhat complacent (yet another mass shooting, yet another high profile person charged with sexual misconduct).  Our numbness to these larger events has also dulled our judgements to lesser evils, those that can lead one in the wrong direction.  Our readings this week try to stir things up to point us in the right direction: The Word for the 20th Sunday of Ordinary Time Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10 Psalm 40:2, 3, 4, 18 Hebrews 12:1-4 Luke 12:49-53 Our first reading is from the book of the prophet Jeremiah.  Jeremiah, as we may remember, is that great prophet who foresaw and witnessed the beginning of the end for Jerusalem.  Our passage this Sunday takes place shortly before the fall.  ...

Faithful servants.  This is what we are called to be as Christians, but do we fully understand what this means?  Our readings for this 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time explores both what it means to be faithful, and what it means to be a servant: The Word for the 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time Wisdom 18:6-9 Psalm 33, 1, 12, 18-19, 20-22 Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19 or 11:1-2, 8-12 Luke 12:32-48 or 12:35-40 Our first reading is a short passage from the book of Wisdom.  As always when we read from the book of Wisdom, it’s helpful to remember that for Jesus and the Apostles, this was a contemporary work, having been written only some 50 years before Christ.  It was also popular because it comes from a people who were being persecuted – the Jews of Alexandria in the final throws of the Seleucid Empire – expressing feelings that the Jews of Jerusalem likely felt under the Romans.  In our short passage this week we are reminded of the Exodus story, how those who trusted in the Lord...

“Vanity of vanities!  All things are vanity!”  These are the words that open our first reading this Sunday and are a stark reminder of what should be important in our lives.  While we may be familiar with the saying, and while we may give credence to the sentiment, our modern lives are in fact often mired in vanity.  This Sunday’s readings serve as a sharp reminder as to what is really is important: The Word for the 18th Sunday of Ordinary Time Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23 Psalm 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14, 17 Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11 Luke 12:13-21 Our first reading is from the Book of Ecclesiastes.  The word “Ecclesiastes” is a rough Greek translation of the Hebrew word Qoheleth , to whom the book is attributed.  This is not so much a name of someone as it is a title, in this case the “assembler” or “collector” of wisdom.  Like all wisdom literature in the Bible, this book is a collection of sayings and parables intended to remind us of what is important. ...

“Ask and you shall receive.”  These are the words Jesus teaches us in this Sunday’s Gospel.  Yet far too often we let our “Catholic guilt” get in the way of this teaching.  We’re so attuned to serving God and others that we sometimes forget that God also owes a duty to us, as our readings this week will show: The Word for the 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time Genesis 18:20-32 Psalm 138:1-2, 2-3, 6-7, 7-8 Colossians 2:12-14 Luke 11:1-13 We open with a passage from the book of Genesis.  Here Abraham is on his way to the city of Sodom (because his nephew Lot and his family are living there).  As God is walking with him, he asks Abraham if he has heard of the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah.  He has heard and fears the Lord will “sweep away” the cities as punishment for their sins.  So he confronts the Lord, most humbly, if he will destroy the city if he can find 50 innocent people.  The Lord relents, saying the city will be spared.  So Abraham pres...

Last week’s readings reminded us of the importance of loving our neighbor.  Out of this love of neighbor comes our long-standing Catholic tradition of hospitality, which we see as a common thread in this week’s readings: The Word for the 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time Genesis 18:1-10a Psalm 15:2-3, 3-4, 5 Colossians 1:24-28 Luke 10:38-42 Our first reading comes from the book of Genesis.  Here we meet up with Abraham (no longer Abram) as he has an encounter with the Lord.  Only this is no ordinary encounter.  Three men who have been traveling through the area have come to Abraham’s camp, and immediately Abraham insists that they stay, rest, and have some food.  This might sound unusual to us, but we need to remember that Abraham is living in a desolate area.  Travelers are not common, and when they are encountered, it is the long-standing custom in that society to be hospitable (a practice that carries through to some of our modern-day laws, like how a boater ...

What does God want of us?  It sounds like a daunting question, but it’s really not.  All of the 10 Commandments, all of the Mosaic Law, all of the teachings of Jesus, come down to just two things:  Love God.  Love you neighbor.  But to quote the Lord from Exodus, we are a “stiff necked people.”  Our readings this week remind us that loving our neighbor is our ticket to salvation. The Word for the 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time Deuteronomy 30:10-14 Psalm 69:14, 17, 30-31, 33-34, 36, 37 or 19:8, 9, 10, 11 Colossians 1:15-20 Luke 10:25-37 Our first reading is from the book of Deuteronomy.  This is the book that most scholars believe was presented by King Josiah during the 7th century BCE in his attempts to reform the people back to the Lord.  In this passage, we hear Moses telling the people of Israel that God’s wishes for his people are not some remote or inaccessible dream but are instead something quite obvious: Love your neighbor.  Moses remin...

One of the final efforts of Pope Benedict XVI was the announcement of the “New Evangelization” back in 2013.  This was a multi-year effort to focus on our “Journey with Christ through Faith, Worship, and Witness.”  Pope Francis continued this work through his calling for a Jubilee Year of Mercy in 2016, noting that a loving God is also a merciful God, and that the best way to evangelize was to mirror that mercy as Christ taught us.  Although this multi-year focus concluded in 2016, this revitalized focus on evangelization still holds a strong focus throughout the Church.  In fact, many important documents, including our newly revised Directory for Catechesis, maintains a primary focus on evangelization – the announcement of the Good News of Christ.  Our readings for this 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time help us to see what can be accomplished when we seek to spread God’s love: The Word for the 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time Isaiah 66:10-14c Psalm 66:1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16,...