Adult Initiation & Sacrament Preparation

Who speaks for the Lord?  Do you have to be a prophet?  A priest?  A bishop?  The Pope?  What about you?  The answer, according to our readings this week, is “whomever God calls,” and that could be you. The Word for the 26tth Sunday of Ordinary Time Numbers 11:25-29 Psalm 19:8, 10, 12-13, 14 James 5:1-6 Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48 Our first reading comes from the Book of Numbers.  This book is a continuation of the Exodus story, from the point where they leave the Sinai (after receiving the Law) to the point where they are ready to enter the Promised Land.  The book gives us some history of these years interspersed with sections of legal codes.  This Sunday’s passage deals with the commissioning the elders, those 70 individuals chosen by Moses to receive some of the Spirit so that they may prophesy (preach) among the people.  But during this time there were two men, Eldad and Medad, who were not with the group at the tent, but who also recei...

God’s ways are not our ways.  This is one of the points Jesus was trying to make with his Apostles in last week’s gospel, and that theme continues be examined in our readings for this week: The Word for the 25tth Sunday of Ordinary Time Wisdom 2:12, 17-20 Psalm 54:3-4, 5, 6, 8 James 3:16-4:3 Mark 9:30-37 Our first reading comes from the Book of Wisdom.  By way of reminder, the Book of Wisdom was written about fifty years before Christ.  For Jesus and his followers, this was a contemporary work, and like most wisdom literature it served as a sort of catechism for the Jewish community.  In this case the community wasn’t from Jerusalem but from Alexandria, and it was written in Greek (not Hebrew) while patterned on a style used in Hebrew verse.  For most Christians reading this passage it sounds very much like how Jesus was treated.  It can be hard for us to remember that this verse comes to us a couple generations before Jesus was even born.  Still, the ...

What is the cost of discipleship?  Let’s be honest, Christianity can be a tough sell.  In order to follow Jesus, it means making sacrifices – changing and forming our lives to model what Jesus taught us; to what God wants of us.  For many this is a difficult path to follow and even harder to explain to others. The Word for the 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time Isaiah 50:5-9a Psalm 114:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9 James 2:14-18 Mark 8:27-35 Our first reading is an elegant poem from second Isaiah.  Coming from one of his well-known “servant songs,” this first reading is a lament of sorts, as Isaiah bemoans the trials he must endure in his mission as a prophet.  For all his complaints, however, he knows his mission is just.  With the Lord God behind him, who could prove him wrong?  Our Psalm reflects this idea of God standing behind us, both in this life and the next, as we sing, “I walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.”  We are the Lord’s hands, feet, a...

Ephphatha .  Translated from the original Aramaic, it means “be open.”  For those who have been through the RCIA/OCIA process, this word is familiar as it is used in the minor rite just ahead of the Easter Vigil.  It’s meant to be a calming meditation prior to the celebration of the Easter Sacraments, intended to remind us to “be open” to the moment.  Open to the Spirit moving within and around us.  Open to the possibilities ahead.  Open to receiving Christ and the support of this community.  This word, and our gospel for this week, is a great way to resume our regular catechetical sessions, hoping that our souls will be “be open” to hearing the Holy Spirit.  To be open to the process and be open to the Word to see what God is offering us. The Word for the 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time Isaiah 35:4-7a Psalm 146:7, 8-9, 9-10 James 2:1-5 Mark 7:31-37 Our first reading comes from the Prophet Isaiah.  It is a time of fear for the people of Judah....

The Lord will provide.  It’s a phrase we hear often, especially when we find ourselves in situations of need.  But for as often as we may hear it, how often do we honestly, sincerely, believe it?  Or when we find ourselves in need, how many of us find the strength to turn those needs over to God?  Our readings this week show us how faith in the Lord can lead to his answering of our needs: The Word for the 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time 2 Kings 4:42-44 Psalm 145:10-11, 15-16, 17-18 Ephesians 4:1-6 John 6:1-15 Our first reading is a story of the Prophet Elisha from the Second Book of Kings.  Elisha, as we remember, was apprenticed to the great prophet Elijah, and served in the Northern Kingdom of Israel during the period of the monarchy.  He is known for his many works of wonder, including this week’s passage about the barley loaves.  A man from some distance away came to Elisha to give him twenty barley loaves made from his first harvest as an offering to...

The Church is defined as the "People of God" – that is, all of us.  But as with any large group of people, there would be utter chaos if we didn’t have anyone to guide us, a shepherd to literally show us the way. The Word for the 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time Jeremiah 23:1-6 Psalm 23:1-3, 3-4, 5, 6 Ephesians 2:13-18 Mark 6:30-34 Our first reading is from the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah.  Jeremiah, as you may recall, was witness to the final days of the Kingdom of Judah.  Jeremiah was called to prophecy in support of the reform minded King Josiah.  But that support of the monarchy was short-lived with Josiah’s premature death, and Jeremiah was forced to watch the eventual downturn and first fall of Jerusalem in 568.  While he tried to council King Zedekiah (placed on the throne by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar), he eventually failed, and with that came the destruction of Jerusalem in 587.  Jeremiah fled to Egypt while the rest of Israel was taken into E...

This is the time of year where many parishes receive new priests or pastors or administrators.  By way of trying to get to know these priests, we will often ask how they came by their calling.  We like to imagine some kind of Heavenly voice calling out to them like God calling Moses from the burning bush.  But that’s not always the case.  Nor is it the case that only these special people are being called.  We too are called by God to be a part of his church, yet we too easily assume our calling is not anything special.  We so easily say “I’m no saint” without recognizing that many of our most beloved saints have past experiences far worse than anything we may have done in our lives.  Our readings this week give us some stories about their calling by God: The Word for the 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time Amos 7:12-15 Psalm 85:9-10, 11-12, 13-14 Ephesians 1:3-14 or 1:3-10 Mark 6:7-13 Our first reading is from the Book of Amos.  Amos is that fiery prophe...