Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Here are the readings for the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 5, 2014:

Ezekiel 18: 25-28
Psalm 25: 4-5, 8-10, 14
Philippians 2: 1-11
Matthew 21:28-32


The topic for the Catechumenate this Sunday will be Catholic Morality.

Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Here are the readings for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, September 28, 2014:

Ezekiel 18: 25-28
Psalm 25: 4-5, 8-10, 14
Philippians 2: 1-11
Matthew 21:28-32

This is one of those times when it is helpful to read more than just the Gospel selection. Earlier in this chapter of Matthew's Gospel, and the day before Jesus proposed this parable, he had triumphantly entered Jerusalem (think Palm Sunday) and drove the money-changers out of the temple. Now, the leaders of the Jews were questioning who gave him the authority to act and speak that way. So Jesus- in this week's Gospel and next, tells them parables to illustrate the dangers of being too proud or stubborn to respond to God, to change to repent, to admit that they just might not have all the answers.

For us today, it's a call to examine how well we are living as Catholic Christians, not just calling ourselves by that name.

There is no Catechumenate this Sunday.

Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Here are the readings for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, September 21, 2014:

Isaiah 55: 6-9
Psalm 145: 2-3, 8-9, 17-18
Philippians 1: 20c-24, 27a
Matthew 20: 1-16a

Does this parable say more to you about the all-encompassing mercy of God, or of the human tendency to compare, measure and begrudge others' good fortune? Or maybe, both!

Whenever God does call, are we willing to follow?
The topic for the Catechumenate this weekend is the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Here are the readings for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, September 14, 2014:

Numbers 21: 4b-9
Psalm 78: 1b-2, 34-38
Philippians 2: 6-11
John 3: 13-17

How is it that an instrument of execution has become a central symbol of our faith?
Because it is the means through which God basically took everything we had to throw at him, embraced all the evil of the world and overcame the power of sin though the power of infinite love. In a similar way to God's power directed through the bronze serpent of the first reading healing those bitten by real serpents, God's power through Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross offers us healing for the wounds of our sin.

Why celebrate this on September 14? It is the date on which the basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem was dedicated in the fifth century. Given the deep wounds being inflicted and suffered today in the Holy Land, let us pray for the  overwhelming power of God's love and healing to effect reconciliation there.

The topic for the Catechumenate this Sunday is Jesus the Redeemer.
Mystagogia meets this Sunday at 10:45am.

Twenty-third Sunday of Ordinary Time

Here are the readings for the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, September 7, 2014:

Ezekiel 33: 7-9
Psalm 95: 1-2, 6-9
Romans 13: 8-10
Matthew 18: 15-20

What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus? He's made it quite clear to Peter, and to all of us in last week's Gospel: you have to take up your cross and follow him. For most of us, the hardest crosses to acknowledge are of our own making. We hold onto grudges, thirst for revenge, and resist being the one to take the first step toward reconciliation.

But Scripture clearly says that "God is Love"- and in perfect love, there is no room for any of that. Our baptism makes us a member of Christ's Body, and within that Body, division and discord can only cause pain. Rather, the sacrament of baptism effectively brings us into new life- the life of Jesus Christ, and causes us to die to our old, self-centered way of living. But that's a process that takes a life time of practice: learning to live, in Love, for others. We call that practice 'conversion'- and it begins with honesty, gentleness and patience.

• How do you react when someone wrongs you?
• Have you considered the presence of Christ among you and your offender?

The topic for the Catechumenate this Sunday is Conversion and Discipleship.

Twenty-second Sunday of Ordinary Time

Here are the readings for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, August 31, 2014:

Jeremiah 20: 7-9
Psalm 63: 2-6, 8-9
Romans 12: 1-2
Matthew 16: 21-27

A reflection from "Living the Word for Year A" (2010-11):

The cost of drawing near to the living God can take us down a path we would rather not go. Peter saw this coming when Jesus began to speak of the suffering that lay ahead, instead of being the powerful Messiah people had been waiting for, who would cast down their enemies and restore Israel to the glory days of King David.  Instead, Jesus spoke about taking up the cross, losing one's life, or, in Paul's words to the Romans, becoming "a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God."

God's plan for us is the transformation and renewal of our minds according to the pattern of God's son Jesus. This transformation comes about when we "offer [our] bodies as a living sacrifice," seeking to discern and do God's will as Jesus did. Such self-offering may lead us to follow Jesus on the way: finding life by losing it for the sake of others, and coming to know the living God as purifying fire, life-giving water, and nourishing food for our spirit. 

There is no Catechumenate this Sunday.

Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

Here are the readings for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, August 24, 2014:

Isaiah 22: 19-23
Psalm 138: 1-3, 6, 8
Romans 11: 33-36
Matthew 16: 13-20

Some truths seem so obvious, retrospectively.
Often though, right in the moment we fall back on the safe and predictable, whether or not they are accurate.

So when Jesus asks his disciples for the 'word on the street' about him, it's not so surprising that the feedback falls into positive but safe answers. The crowds recognize him as someone special, but don't regard him by their definition of 'Messiah': the one who will overthrow the Roman occupation.

Jesus then asks his disciples for their own description of him. Titles and labels are helpful in many circumstances to give us insight into where things stand.  When a customer needs an exception to a policy: "May I speak with the manager?"  The trust in taking a medication because the doctor said it would help. We go to a tax preparer for one set of problems and a licensed counselor for another.  Each title denotes a particular area of power, ability, and authority. And so- perhaps holding his breath in anticipation- Jesus asks, "who do you say that I am?"

Simon Peter, his feet perhaps still damp from that walk on the lake (the Gospel from two weeks ago), is moved by God to recognize and speak the truth. Of course he's the Messiah! All those healings, the way he taught, just that way about him.  And because of this grace of perception, Jesus calls him Rock- the foundation on which the community of Jesus' followers will find stability.  The authority symbolized by a conferral of keys is a power given for service and protection of others, not self-glorification.

What is the truth of your relationship with Jesus? Who do you say Jesus is?

The topic for the Catechumenate this Sunday is Church Structure and Hierarchy.