Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Here are the readings for the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time, January 30, 2011:
Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13
Psalm 146: 6-10
1 Corinthians 1: 26-31
Matthew 5: 1-12

Recall that Matthew was writing to a Jewish audience, and he was concerned with demonstrating to them that Jesus was the promised Messiah, in the line of Abraham, Moses, Isaiah and David. In this Gospel passage, Matthew places Jesus on a mountain to proclaim the Beatitudes (while Luke has him on a level plain)...  what parallel to an old testament figure do you think his readers would have recognized?

How do you make choices about your values and actions as a family member, worker or citizen?

The topic for the Catechumenate session this Sunday will be Foundations of Christian Morality.

Third Sunday of Ordinary Time

Here are the readings for the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, January 23, 2011:
Isaiah 8:23- 9:3
Psalm 27: 1,4, 13-14
1 Corinithians 1: 10-13, 17
Matthew 4: 12-23

Let's take a look at that second reading this week, where Paul urges the Corinthian community to shun divisions, to quit wasting their energy by focusing on asserting loyalties to the various leaders... except to the One who really matters: Jesus Christ. Being a Christian is not about impressing others by how much we know or how much we give or how holy we look while praying. In the Contemporary English Version translation of the Bible, approved for use in the Lectionary for Masses with Children, the reading ends this way:

Was I nailed to a cross for you? Were you baptized in my name?

Christ did not send me to baptize.

He sent me to tell the good news without using big words

that would make the cross of Christ lose its power.

• In what ways, by how we live, the tone of our words, or to whom we assume superiority, do we make it harder for others to understand the redeeming power of Christ's cross?
• Jesus came to relieve us of the burden of sin and conflict. How might you 'follow Jesus' by reaching out to a person you've quarreled with recently? 

The topic for the Catechumenate Session this Sunday is Ecumenism. 

Inquiry will meet on Tuesday January 25.

Today in Scripture

As Jesus was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath, his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain.
At this the Pharisees said to him,
“Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?”
He said to them,
“Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry? How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could lawfully eat, and shared it with his companions?”
Then he said to them,
“The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.
That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”
Mark 2: 23-28

Rules are important for keeping good order in a family or community. Most rules reflect the wisdom gained from multiple instances of trial and error.

Some rules however, have lost their authority through irrelevance or a lack of wise origin: "You can't do that." "Why not?" "We don't do that that way." "Why not?" "We've never done it that way." "Why not?" -silence-

In this Gospel, Jesus isn't counseling blatant disregard for authority and tradition, but he is reminding the Pharisees (and us) that the welfare of the person/community supersedes a law that is not life-giving or love-giving in that circumstance. Far from shouting, "hey, anything goes, as long as you're happy!", the point here is to use your God-given gift of conscience, grounded in love, tempered by prudence, and oriented toward the good of others rather than selfish concerns, to live out your faith by the choices you make.

St. Augustine famously said, "Love, and do what you will." That's not the syrupy hearts and flowers sort of love that's invaded our local drug stores in anticipation of St. Valentine's day. If you are a person grounded in love, grounded in God who IS Love, your choices (your will) can't help but be focused in the right direction.

Sometimes we adults pine for the relative clarity of childhood: do this and you get a gold star; do that and you get a time-out. Old-time Catholics might translate that to: follow the rules and you'll get points toward heaven; sin and you'd better get to confession ASAP!  Taking responsibility for our moral choices and actions is a recognition that we are adult Christians, not children. Sometimes that leads to a holy freedom; sometimes that leads to a humbling need for reconciliation with those who have been offended in whatever way. Fear not! Jesus encourages us to remember the point of it all: Love.

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Here are the readings for the 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, January 16, 2011:

Isaiah 49: 3, 5-6
Psalm 40: 2, 4, 7-10
1 Corinthians 1: 1-3
John 1: 29-34

The readings last week for the baptism of Jesus relate how God dramatically revealed Jesus' divine origin after the baptism in the Jordan River by John. In the Gospel this week, John is moved to proclaim the Good News he has heard, to share with others what he himself was so recently privileged to learn.

• As you hear and ponder the Good News of Scripture each week, in what ways are you moved to share what you have learned?
• The refrain of the Psalm this week makes a beautiful prayer in itself: "Here am I, Lord, I come to do your will." Consider making this your daily prayer this week.

In observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday weekend, there is no RCIA session (for adults, teens or children) this Sunday.

No Inquiry this Tuesday

Just in case anyone who was thinking about coming to Inquiry is reading.... we will NOT meet this Tuesday, January 11.  Please be in touch with Cathy Rusin if you have questions. Peace.

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

Here are the readings for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, January 9, 2011:

Isaiah 42: 1-4, 6-7
Psalm 29: 1-4, 9-10
Acts 10: 34-38
Matthew 3: 13-17

• For catechumens: in what way might your baptism change you?
• For candidates and sponsors: do you remember your baptism? Do you know the date, and celebrate it each year?
• For all: how will/does your baptism prepare you to carry on Jesus' mission?

The topic for the Catechumenate this Sunday is "Baptism and Mission" .
Mystagogia will meet this Sunday, in the small Chapel.

Solemnity of the Ephiphany of the Lord

Here are the readings for Sunday, January 2, 2011, the Epiphany of the Lord.

• The readings today speak of universality: God's invitation to, welcome of, and love for all people. In what ways do we narrow our definition of who is welcome?
• As this new calendar year begins, in what ways might you expand your heart in order to offer the best gifts of your life to Jesus Christ?

The Catechumenate session for adults meets this Sunday with dismissal from the 9:30 mass. There is no catechumenate for children and teens this Sunday.