Moving from Lent into Holy Week Although we are still technically in the season of Lent, Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion shifts us into the unique liturgical time of Holy Week. Holy Thursday is traditionally the Chrism Mass, held by the local bishop to consecrate all the sacramental oils used in the diocese in READ MORE
Tag: Matthew
Second Sunday of Lent
The Season of Lent Lent is intended to be a joyful walk toward Easter, a progression of the Church toward the summit of the liturgical year. The focus is on uncovering and rejecting everything that tarnishes or warps Christ’s image within us, all that keeps us from being closer to Christ. In this time, we READ MORE
First Sunday of Lent
The Season of Lent More information here Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7 Book background In this reading, we have a story that grapples with the origins of sin and death. The genre of this reading is “myth.” Myth can mean “a widely held but false belief or idea.” While this may be the current cultural use of READ MORE
6th Sunday of Ordinary Time Year A
The Lectionary and Scripture Interpretation for Ordinary Time More information can be found here. Sirach 15:15-20 Book background The reading today comes from a section on Free Will and Responsibility covering 15:11 – 16:23. Because we have free will, we can’t blame our sin on God. That’s Sirach’s message: our sin is our own. But READ MORE
5th Sunday of Ordinary Time Year A
The Lectionary and Scripture Interpretation for Ordinary Time More information can be found here. Isaiah 58:7-10 Book background The gospel reading this week will tell us to be salt for the world and to let our light shine before others. Because this is Ordinary Time, we interpret the Old Testament reading through the lens of READ MORE
4th Sunday of Ordinary Time Year A
The Lectionary and Scripture Interpretation for Ordinary Time More information can be found here. Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13 Book background We only hear from this minor prophet twice in the Sunday liturgy cycle, probably because he is one of those fire and brimstone sort of prophets. But there are some passages, like today’s, that are more READ MORE
3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time Year A
The Lectionary and Scripture Interpretation for Ordinary Time More information can be found here. Isaiah 8:23 – 9:3 Book background These verses are part of a hymn that would be sung on the accession of a new king. Later, they were applied to a long-awaited king that might save the Israelites from the Persians and READ MORE
The Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord
The Lectionary and Scripture Interpretation during Christmas More information can be found here. Today’s Readings and Feast January 6 is the Feast of the Epiphany, but most dioceses in the United States transfer it to the Sunday between January 2 and 8. The Baptism of the Lord is usually on the Sunday after Epiphany. But READ MORE
Fourth Sunday of Advent Year A
The Lectionary and Scripture Interpretation during Advent More information can be found here. Isaiah 7:10-14 Book background The story of Ahaz can be found in 2 Kings 16. Ahaz was actively preparing for a siege of Jerusalem by Damascus and Samaria. He chose to rely on the intervention of an Assyrian king to protect his READ MORE
Third Sunday of Advent Year A
The Lectionary and Scripture Interpretation during Advent More information can be found here. Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10 Book background Chapter 35 is a reflection on deliverance from the enemy and what that will look like. It’s a beautiful picture full of unexpected images. Last week the Isaiah reading was about a tree blooming from a bare READ MORE