Third Sunday of Lent
The gospel reading of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well in Samaria is the first of three readings the liturgy of Year A (Matthew) imports from the Gospel of John. These readings, narrating major episodes from Jesus’ life, are particularly suitable for instruction of catechumens prepar...Read full story »
Thursday, March 16, 2017
Second Sunday of Lent
MATTHEW 17:1-9 (Genesis 12:1-4a; Psalm 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22; 2 Timothy 1:8b-10) One of three versions of the transfiguration of Jesus, from Mark or Matthew or Luke, is always the gospel reading for the Second Sunday of Advent. This year is Matthew’s turn. Matthew begins, “Jesus took as...Read full story »
Thursday, March 09, 2017
First Sunday of Lent
The Liturgy of the First Sunday of Lent annually presents us with the story of the temptation of Jesus. This year – Matthew’s version. The original version is found in Mark 1:12-13, a very brief note that “The Spirit immediately (after Jesus’ baptism) expelled him out into t...Read full story »
Thursday, March 02, 2017
Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
This gospel reading completes the series of six Sunday readings taken from the Sermon on the Mountain for this year. The gospel for the Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time is also taken from the Sermon on the Mountain, but the 9th, 10th, and 11th Sundays in Ordinary Time are omitted this year. Next Sunda...Read full story »
Thursday, February 23, 2017
Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
The Sunday gospel readings taken from the Sermon on the Mountain continue with the fifth and sixth theses and their antitheses. A thesis is introduced with these or similar words, “You have heard that it was said…,” indicating a quote from Scripture. The antithesis follows with Je...Read full story »
Thursday, February 16, 2017
Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Today’s gospel reading is the third in a series of selections from the Sermon on the Mountain. Reading between the lines of Matthew’s gospel it is clear that one of his purposes was to bring about unity in his Christian Community between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians. O...Read full story »
Wednesday, February 08, 2017
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
The Sermon on the Mountain was introduced in last Sunday’s gospel reading by a kind of preamble enumerating the beatitudes attributed to Jesus in Matthew’s gospel. Luke also enumerates beatitudes attributed to Jesus, but only four. Then rather strangely he appends to the beatitudes four...Read full story »
Thursday, February 02, 2017
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
This Sunday’s gospel reading begins a series of five Sundays of selections from Matthew’s composition called the Sermon on the Mountain. The Sermon on the Mountain is the first of five major sermons the author of Mathew’s gospel constructs from current traditions about Jesus in th...Read full story »
Thursday, January 26, 2017
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
There are two parts to this gospel reading. The first part places Jesus in Galilee in northern Palestine. Galilee was his homeland and the major location of his ministry in the Gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke. Jesus had been down south, probably in the same area in which John the Baptizer was wo...Read full story »
Thursday, January 19, 2017
Epiphany of the Lord
The Christian scribe whom tradition calls Matthew seems to have been commissioned by the Christian Community of Antioch in Syria to compose a document to bring about unity between Christian Jews and Christian Gentiles in that already well known Christian Church. We know from the New Testament, and...Read full story »
Thursday, January 05, 2017
