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Commentary on this Sunday’s Lectionary Readings by Sr. Mary McGlone, Fr. Clement Thibodeau, and Fr. Eamon Tobin; tips for lectors by Paul J. Schlachter and Greg Warnusz; exegesis and bible study with Richard Niell Donavan and Michal E. Hunt; and more.
Commentary on this Sunday’s Lectionary Readings by Sr. Mary McGlone, Fr. Clement Thibodeau, and Fr. Eamon Tobin; tips for lectors by Paul J. Schlachter and Greg Warnusz; exegesis and bible study with Richard Niell Donavan and Michal E. Hunt; and more.
The common theme of today’s readings is Divine authority, as exercised in this world by the prophets of the Old Testament in their messages, by the apostles (including St. Paul), in their writings and teaching in the New Testament, and by Jesus in his teaching and healing ministry.
Commentary on this Sunday’s Lectionary Readings by Sr. Mary McGlone, Fr. Clement Thibodeau, and Fr. Eamon Tobin; tips for lectors by Paul J. Schlachter and Greg Warnusz; exegesis and bible study with Richard Niell Donavan and Michal E. Hunt; and more.
The three readings today underline our absolute need of repentance and our immediate need for a prompt response to God’s call.
Sometimes it’s easy to want to know what will happen next. It helps us feel in control. The readings this weekend invite us to a different path, however, one where we are invited to say “yes” to the One who loves us, even if we don’t know all the answers. — Angie Windnagle (LPi Connect)
The Christian theology of the human body as temple of the Holy Spirit is one of the best kept secrets in the Church.
Today’s Gospel describes the call or vocation of the first apostles and challenges us to invite others to Christ by our Christian witnessing.
Andrew’s willingness to evangelize brought Peter to become a disciple of the Lord. Andrew’s love for Peter moved him to share the truth and joy he had found. How blessed to have someone care enough to step out in faith and share the life found only in Jesus. — Allison Gingras (LPi Connect)
The Baptism of Jesus was a moment of identification with us sinners. Sinless, Jesus received the baptism of repentance to identify himself with his people. It was also a moment of conviction about his identity and mission.
Baptism introduces us into the fellowship of God’s people that is the Church by shaping our inner selves into the likeness of Jesus Christ. Just as the Spirit hovered over the waters at Creation and brought forth life, so now,the same Spirit hovers over the waters of baptism and brings forth the life of Christ in us, a new creation.
It is through our baptisms that we are gifted with the direction and purpose we need to be productive stewards and faithful Christians. It is not only about eternal salvation. In baptism, we receive what we need to fulfill our purpose and labor for the kingdom of God. — Rev. Mark Suslenko (LPi Connect)
Based on Henry van Dyke’s classic, The Story of the Other Wise Man, this fictional story set in Biblical times is told in gently comic terms. A Magi named Artaban (Martin Sheen) sees a sign in the heavens that he hopes will lead him and his faithful servant to the Messiah.
God takes the initiative in leading us to religious faith. It is our personal experience that God is always the initiator when it comes to salvation. We do not have to go chasing after God as if God were hidden and avoiding detection.
While the visit of the magi, representing the nations of the world, is a sign that the salvation offered by the newborn King is for all times and peoples, theologians also saw the magi’s journey as a symbol of conversion and the journey of faith that each of us is traveling. —Bro. Silas Henderson, S.D.S. (LPi Connect)
Today’s readings focus on the circumstances leading up to the first coming of Jesus, the event which sets the pattern for his coming to us now and at the end of time. The Gospel stresses the key role of Mary in the work of our salvation. In addition, today’s Scripture texts describe God’s promise to David and its fulfillment in Jesus, the Son of David. They also tell us that God’s preparation for the coming of Jesus was full of surprises.
A healthy family life also includes education and formation in spiritual and religious values and principles. Mothers and fathers who themselves possess a healthy spirituality and practice positive religious expressions will pass these on to their children primarily by the example and witness of their lives.
The Holy Family is the model for a Christian family. It was in this simple home that Jesus, our Savior, grew into the man who would save the world. It was in the humble surroundings of his home life that this great man spent most of his life on earth. —Douglas Sousa (LPi Connect)
The Hail Mary (Latin: Ave Maria) is a traditional Scripture-based Christian prayer of praise for and petition to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Since the sixteenth century, the Roman Catholic version of the prayer closes with an appeal for her intercession. In Catholic Latin Church, the prayer forms the basis of the Rosary and the Angelus prayers.
Today’s readings focus on the circumstances leading up to the first coming of Jesus, the event which sets the pattern for his coming to us now and at the end of time. The Gospel stresses the key role of Mary in the work of our salvation. In addition, today’s Scripture texts describe God’s promise to David and its fulfillment in Jesus, the Son of David. They also tell us that God’s preparation for the coming of Jesus was full of surprises.
Today our readings remind us that we are on the verge of celebrating the coming of God enfleshed to live as a man among the human children of the Divine Father.
2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14c-16;
Psalm 89:2-5, 26, 28;
Romans 16:25-27;
Luke 1:26-38
The Church has always seen the festal dress of a bride and groom as something more than a device to please the eyes of the marrying couple. It is rather a symbol of the beauty of the souls of those who take each other in marriage.
Fr. Tony’s homily for Sunday including illustrations, life messages, scripture commentary, and jokes.
Can anyone, Church or state, coerce me into doing something I believe to be wrong? Who is to decide what is right and what is wrong? In the 20th century, we saw the Nuremberg Trials in the late 1940s, where German leaders from the Nazi era were convicted of war crimes even though they claimed they were just following orders….
Just as visitors to the cathedral of Our Lady of Aparecidal in Brasilia enter through a dark tunnel and emerge in a bright space, this Advent Christ can break into our lives and drive away the darkness.Â
The 3rd Sunday in Advent is Gaudete [gow-DAY-tay] Sunday, from the Latin word that means “rejoice.” The title for the 3rd Sunday in Advent comes from the first Latin word in the entrance antiphon, which begins: “Rejoice in the Lord always.”
Isaiah 61:1-2, 10-11;
Luke 1:46-50, 53-54;
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24;
John 1:6-8, 19-28;
Homecoming is the central theme of the Scripture readings for the Second Sunday of Advent. All three readings focus on the absolute necessity of our getting ready for Christ’s “Homecoming” into our hearts and lives by true repentance, reparation, prayer and the renewal of our lives.
Fr. Tony’s homily for Sunday including illustrations, life messages, scripture commentary, and jokes.
Today’s readings focus on release from captivity and restoration. In the second week of Advent, we continue to turn our thoughts to the “comings” of God the Son in the past and the future.
Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11;
Psalm 85:9-14;
2 Peter 3:8-14;
Mark 1:1-8
The “end times”have fascinated the Christian faithful from the very beginning. The Church has developed a multiplicity of traditions concerning “the end.”
Mr. Bean falls asleep in church. How do we fight boredom at Mass? To the sleeper lurking in each of us, Jesus now speaks in rousing terms, on the First Sunday of Advent: “stay awake… if he comes unexpectedly, he must not find you asleep…Stay awake!”
Just as Pygmalion fell in love with his sculpture of the woman, God the creator, the divine sculptor, shaped each one of us, and fell in love with those whom he had made.
Fr. Tony’s homily for Sunday including illustrations, life messages, scripture commentary, and jokes.
The Body of Christ begins the new liturgical year with a plea for God’s visitation from the Book of Isaiah. As Christians, we believe that Jesus “will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead” Every generation of Christians anticipates that day.
Isaiah 63:16b-17, 19b; 64:2-7;
Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19;
1 Corinthians 1:3-9;
Mark 13:33-37
The Feast of Christ the King provides an occasion for a reflection on the dignity of human persons. If the fullness of majesty and power has been conferred on Jesus of Nazareth because of his obedience to the heavenly Father, then surely those persons who share in the same humanity within which Christ lived are doubly blessed with dignity and sacredness.
The Cristero War (also known as Guerra de los Cristeros or Cristiada) in Mexico was an armed conflict that lasted from 1926 to 1929 between the government of Plutarco ElĂas Calles and militias of lay people, priests and Catholic religious who resisted the application of legislation and anticlerical public policies aimed at restricting the autonomy of the Catholic Church.
Today, as we celebrate the feast of Jesus, the King of kings, and as his Calvary sacrifice is re-presented on our altar, let us approach our Lord with repentant hearts and trusting Faith in his promise of eternal life.
Commentary for the Solemnity of Christ, King of the Universe (Year A)
Commentary for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)
One of the most cherished events in our history was the landing of the Mayflower on these shores. It is difficult to imagine, however, a group of people more ill-suited to a life in the wilderness.
The plaster casts of Pompeii illustrate in a dramatic way the two themes of today’s readings. The first theme is that of the suddenness with which the end of the world and the second coming of Jesus will take place.
Most fundamentalist teach their belief in the rapture, where those who are to be saved are taken silently up to the heavens to be with Christ before the great tribulation. This teaching is based on a bad interpretation of St. Paul.
Commentary for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)
Six months before he was assassinated, King spoke to a group of students at Barratt Junior High School in Philadelphia on October 26, 1967.
 Just as we clean up the pumpkin, God cleans us up as well.  Once the pumpkin is finished, the light glowing out from within reminds us of the light of God radiating out from within us for the world to see.
The Church has always maintained a dialogue with the inhabitants of another world — the saints – that is both possible and profitable. That is what we proclaim when we say the Creed, “I believe in … the Communion of Saints” and when we celebrate All Saints Day.
Commentary and homily preparation resource on the Solemnity of All Saints Sunday Readings for November 1, 2020.
Isidor Isaac Rabi’s mother made him a scientist without ever intending to. Every day when he came home from school, she asked him, “Did you ask a good question today?”
In Calcutta, India, there is a children’s home named Shishu Bhavan (Children’s Home), founded by Mother Teresa. The home continues to be operated by her community, the Missionaries of Charity. A sign hangs on the wall of the home…
The communion of saints proclaims one of the most ancient beliefs of the Christian people. From the Apostles’ Creed, we claim that we believe in the communion of saints. This does not mean that the saints are lined up to receive Communion from the Lord in heaven! Communion here means fellowship or sharing in the gifts given by God to those whom God has chosen.
Commentary for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)
In 1987, after winning the state championship coach Cleveland Stroud reported an error to the league and his team, the Bulldogs, forfeited its trophy.
Just a few weeks from now, we will have the responsibility of going to the polls and casting our votes in federal, state,and local elections. We will be rendering “to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.
Today’s Gospel reminds us of our dual citizenship. We are citizens of the world and citizens of Heaven. We have an allegiance and an obligation to each. We hope the obligations will never clash. But if they ever do, we must resolve them as Thomas More did, without compromise to our God or to our conscience.
Commentary for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)