Birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ
Last Sunday, the Fourth Sunday of Advent, we experienced the first of two “Birth Stories” in the Gospel of Matthew. Today, on the feast of the birth of the Messiah and Lord, (titles bestowed on him by the angel of the shepherds), we experience a very different story of the birth of Jesu...Read full story »
Thursday, December 22, 2016
Fourth Sunday of Advent
Characteristic of Matthew’s gospel is a two-pronged approach. What led him in that direction? To call his gospel a compromise document is not off the wall. A valid hypothesis is this: Matthew writes for the Christian Community of Antioch in Syria about 85 A.D. It is clear from Acts of Apostle...Read full story »
Thursday, December 15, 2016
Third Sunday of Advent
The gospel readings of the second and third Sundays of Advent annually remind us of the importance of John the Baptizer’s witness to Jesus and his God-given ministry. The context of today’s gospel: at the instigation of the ruling family of Herods, John is in prison. The prison was prob...Read full story »
Thursday, December 08, 2016
Second Sunday of Advent
Today’s gospel reading centers on the ministry of John the Baptizer and his first public witness to “One mightier than I, whose sandals I am unworthy to carry.” Unlike Luke, Matthew gives his readers no background about the origin of the Baptizer. At his first appearance in Matthe...Read full story »
Thursday, December 01, 2016
First Sunday of Advent
The gospel reading for the first Sunday of Advent in any of the three Cycles of Readings is always taken from the last discourse of Jesus in Matthew, or Mark, or Luke. The readings for the current liturgical year, YEAR A, are taken from the final sermon of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. The select...Read full story »
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
SOLEMNITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST THE KING
The feast of Christ the King was established by Pope Pius XI in 1925. According to Pius XI, people of his time "...thrust Jesus Christ and his holy law out of their lives," so that "these have no place in public affairs and politics." Pius continues,"...as long as individuals and states refuse to s...Read full story »
Friday, November 18, 2016
Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
The setting of this Sunday's gospel reading is Jerusalem. Jesus is sitting in an outer court of the temple. He and those with him were watching people drop contributions in chests set up to receive them. Some of those around Jesus made comments about the offerings of faithful Jews, and also of the...Read full story »
Wednesday, November 09, 2016
Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
After Jesus' encounter with Zacchaeus (last Sunday's gospel reading) in the city of Jericho, Luke points out that the end of the Journey to Jerusalem is almost at hand. Then he inserts the parable of the talents as a final teaching before Jesus enters Jerusalem. Luke writes, "He proceeded to speak...Read full story »
Thursday, November 03, 2016
Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
The longest section of Luke's gospel, called "The Journey to Jerusalem," is almost ended. The journey began at Luke 9:51, where Jesus "set his face to go to Jerusalem." The journey became a framework for Luke's catechesis - including difficult material for his Christian Community to absorb. Even th...Read full story »
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Another parable - this one aimed at a fault common to many, and not just in the time of Jesus or the time of Luke. The parable addresses "those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised others." The probable meaning of "their own righteousness" in this context: reliance on one's ow...Read full story »
Thursday, October 20, 2016
