Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Here are the readings for the Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, July 3, 2011:

Zechariah 9: 9-10
Psalm: 145: 1-2, 8-11, 13-14
Romans 8: 9, 11-13
Matthew 11: 25-30

Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Here are the readings for the Solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Sunday June 26, 2011:

Deuteronomy 8: 2-3, 14b-16a
Psalm: 147: 12-15, 19-20
1 Corinthians 10: 16-17
John 6: 51-58

I'm not sure that I could really blame those people who heard Jesus' words in the Gospel for shaking their heads and walking away.... his proclamation was pretty shocking and audacious! Eat my flesh, drink my blood...Was he espousing some type of cannibalism? And the word that he used for 'flesh' is NOT the one you'd use to describe Miss Universe contestants... but more of the broken and diseased bodies Mother Teresa ministered to in the streets of Calcutta. So, what DID he mean, how could ingesting  THAT be life-giving?

We recall that God became human in Jesus not because of our perfection, but out of love and compassion for us in our frailty. And while Jesus gives us the perfect model of humanity, imperfection remains as a reality in our world, in our lives, sadly even in our Church. Here's the Good News: God doesn't reject us in our weakness. Members of the Body of Christ, through the indescribable gift of the Eucharist we are nourished by the Body of Christ, in order that we might carry his compassion, love, patience and healing forgiveness wherever there is pain or dis-ease. We may not get it right all the time, and that's why the Eucharist is offered daily as both reminder and sustenance for us.

As Ronald Rolheiser writes in his beautiful book, "The Holy Longing", "My task is not to walk to God as an individual but to be within a community that is worshiping God.  ... in this life, whenever I meet the presence of God within community I will not meet it in its pure form. ...To be a member of the church is to carry the mantle of both the worst sin and the finest heroism of soul... because the church always looks exactly as it looked at the original crucifixion, God hung among thieves."

This link takes you to last year's blog post reflection, for YOUR continued reflection!

There is no RCIA gathering this Sunday. There will be an Inquiry Session on Tuesday, June 28.

St. Aloysius Gonzaga

Most of us know the name "Gonzaga" as a small Catholic college with a basketball team that usually does well in the NCAAs. Today is the feast of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, an Italian Jesuit who died at age 23.
This article does a nice job of getting beyond the over-pious images that often dominate his story. I invite you to take a few minutes to read through it and learn a bit about one of our older brothers in Christ!
St. Aloysius Gonzaga, pray for us!

Trinity Sunday

Here are the readings for the Solemnity of The Most Holy Trinity, Sunday June 19, 2011:

Exodus 34: 4b-6, 8-9
Psalm: Daniel 3: 52-56
2 Corinthians 13: 11-13
John 3: 16-18

We most directly know about God as Trinity through the revelation of Jesus. At his baptism in the Jordan, there is the voice from heaven and the descent of the spirit 'like a dove'. At his return to the Father, Jesus promised his Spirit would be with us always. In his Last Supper Discourses, Jesus repeatedly emphasized the unity inherent in God.  We know our God to be one who has created all, whose love and mercy is offered for our salvation and who lives with us to empower and guide, comfort and sustain us. 

While we rightly speak of the Triune God as a "Mystery" (a reality beyond our ability to fully comprehend) today's scripture passages all reveal important aspects of the nature of God. I invite you to take these scriptural words and phrases describing God to prayer, in preparation for this Sunday's Mass:

• merciful
• gracious
• slow to anger
• rich in kindness
• faithful
• love
• peace
• so loved the world
• not.. to condemn... be saved

This is one of those rare Sundays when the Responsorial Psalm is not from the book of Psalms, but a hymn attributed to the 3 faithful Jews as they walked unscathed through a fiery furnace (put there for refusal to worship idols), and based on Psalm 148-- an all-encompassing song of praise to God who created and sustains all!

If you'd like to do a little further reading about this mystery of the Triune God, click here for a helpful article.

No RCIA groups are meeting this Sunday or this week. The next Mystagogia date is July 17.

and: Happy Father's Day!!

Pentecost Sunday

Here are the readings for the Solemnity of Pentecost, Sunday June 12, 2011:

Acts 2: 1-11
Psalm 104: 1, 24, 29-31, 34
1 Corinthians 12: 3b-7, 12-13
John 20: 19-23

Where to begin? All of the readings hold such rich imagery, and speak of many and varied ways that God's Holy Spirit is present and effective in the Church and the world!

• What words from these readings hold the most meaning for you today? 
• Which gifts or fruits of the Holy Spirit resonate in your life right now? (peace, wisdom, being sent, renewal, unity)
• How is your life changed by the gift of the Holy Spirit?

Mystagogia meets this Sunday from 10:45-11:30am.
We celebrate with Laurie and Michael as they are received into full communion with the Catholic Church and are confirmed this Sunday at the 11:30am mass.
The next Inquiry session will be June 14.

Oh - and one nice tradition for Pentecost is for everyone to wear red, in honor of the Holy Spirit. (Even Tar Heel fans... it's for the Spirit, not the Wolfpack!)

Ascension of the Lord

Here are the readings for the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, Sunday June 5, 2011:

Acts 1: 1-11
Psalm 47: 2-3, 6-9
Ephesians 1: 17-23
Matthew 28: 16-20

• What images and feelings do these readings hold for you?
• Knowing that Christ is no longer bound by time and physical constraints, what does this mean for us as his followers?
• What are the signs of Christ's presence now in our world, our communities, and our families?

Mystagogia meets in the Living Room at 10:45-11:30 this Sunday.