Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Here are the readings for the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 28, 2012:


Jeremiah 31: 7-9
Psalm 126: 1-6
Hebrews 5: 1-6
Mark 10: 46-52

"What do you want me to do for you?"

Doesn't it seem that it would obvious to Jesus that a blind man was standing before him? And yet he asks that question. In this case, the obvious WAS the answer to the question, but sometimes what we want, what we NEED from Jesus is not so clear. Was it the man's physical blindness that needed healing only, or perhaps also the isolation from his community, the inability to meaningfully contribute to society?

"What do you want me to do for you?"
Where do you long for healing in your life?

The topic for this Sunday's Catechumenate session is the Sacrament of Holy Orders.

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Here are the readings for the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 21, 2012:

Isaiah 53: 10-11

Psalm 33:4-5, 18-20, 22

Hebrews 4: 14-16
Mark 10: 35-45

Again and again over this past month, Jesus is trying to teach his followers that true leadership, true discipleship, comes through humble, simple service. And as James and John demonstrate in this Gospel, that's a hard message to truly learn!  While it may be simpler to believe in a God who will swoop in and fix everything (as we define 'fix", of course), the truth is that our God loves us so deeply as to absorb all of our hurts and challenges; transforming them, in God's time, through the power of his cross and resurrection.
The mystery of the humility of the One who has no reason to be humble leads us to evaluate how well we serve this God through our service of one another.

RCIA participants will be attending the Catholic Convocation this Saturday; there is no RCIA session this Sunday.

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Here are the readings for the Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 14, 2012:

Wisdom 7: 7-11

Psalm 90: 12-17

Hebrews 4: 12-13
Mark 10: 17-30

Indeed the word of God is living and effective,
sharper than any two-edged sword,
penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow,
and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.
-Hebrews 4: 12

 In other words, God's word challenges us to get our priorities in order! In the Gospels, what is expected is often turned upside down and inside out. For Jews of that time, prosperity was seen as evidence of God's blessing and favor (sounds like today's 'prosperity Gospel' doesn't it?), while Jesus consistently warns against letting wealth be your goal or motivation in life.  Many of us (unfortunately!) don't have that particular 'problem', but what in your lifestyle IS challenged by the word of God?

The topic for the Catechumenate this Sunday is Scripture.

Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Here are the readings for the Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 7, 2012:

Genesis 2: 18-24

Psalm 128: 1-6

Hebrews 2: 9-11
Mark 10: 2-16

The readings today speak of relationships:

• Our connectedness with all of creation. 
• Jesus becoming one with us, regarding us as brothers and sisters. 
• How a marriage relationship is a visible expression of the fidelity and everlasting love of God.
• How every person, no matter how young, poor, or otherwise usually ignored, is worthy of respect and is beloved by God.

In what ways do you recognize the grace of God present in our world: in nature, family, strangers?

The topic for the Catechumenate session this Sunday is the Sacrament of Marriage.