Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

The Lectionary and Scripture Interpretation for Feast Days Click here for more information. Overview and Connections This feast is always on February 2, forty days after Christmas. In the Easter Orthodox church, it’s known as the Feast of the Encounter, and in other countries, it’s known as Candlemas. We know this feast was celebrated very READ MORE

3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C

The Lectionary and Scripture Interpretation for Ordinary Time Click here for more information. Overview and Connections Today we hear an Old Testament story of a people hearing God’s law as for the first time. In the Gospel, Jesus reads a passage familiar to his audience, but then makes a startling new declaration about it. Each READ MORE

2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C

The Lectionary and Scripture Interpretation for Ordinary Time Click here for more information. Overview and Connections Welcome to Ordinary Time! A bit of liturgical trivia: there is actually no “First Sunday of Ordinary Time,” as that Sunday is always superseded by the Baptism of the Lord. Liturgical seasons are no more abrupt changes than our READ MORE

The Baptism of the Lord

The Lectionary and Scripture Interpretation for Feasts Click here for more information. Overview and Connections Although not titled a Feast, today is, in fact, a feast day. It both closes the Christmas season and opens the season of Ordinary Time. It is very much a liturgical hinge and transition. It’s also a time of transition READ MORE

4th Sunday of Advent

The Lectionary and Scripture Interpretation for the Season of Advent Click here for more information. Overview and Connections The first week of Advent always looks forward to Christ’s second coming. The 2nd and 3rd Sundays focus on John the Baptist, announcing Christ’s first coming as he began his earthly ministry. This fourth Sunday is always READ MORE

3rd Sunday of Advent

The Lectionary and Scripture Interpretation for the Season of Advent Click here for more information. Overview and Connections Last week we heard from the fiery character of John in the desert, calling us to a complete turn, a total transformation of life. Such deep-rooted change can feel overwhelming, so we are balanced this week by READ MORE

2nd Sunday of Advent

The Lectionary and Scripture Interpretation for the Season of Advent Click here for more information. Overview and Connections Last Sunday focused on Christ’s future second coming. Today we shift to the past, when John the Baptist heralded Christ’s first coming. And this first coming is not limited to the nativity, as the season might suggest, READ MORE

1st Sunday of Advent

The Lectionary and Scripture Interpretation for the Season of Advent Click here for more information. Overview and Connections Today, the authors of the Jeremiah passage and Luke have inherited prophecies of something coming, something that once felt urgent, but now seems blunted by the passage of time. These readings speak of promises made but not READ MORE

33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time

The Lectionary and Scripture Interpretation for Ordinary Time Click here for more information. Daniel 12:1-3 Background of the book V1 begins with “at that time,” so let’s situate this in the larger historical context. Chps 10-12 recount a vision of the Hellenistic wars. Alexander the Great died in 323 BC with no heir. A 30-year READ MORE