Sirach 27:30 – 28:9

This Sunday, we will hear from the Book of Sirach, one of the very last books of the Old Testament.  It was written between 200 and 175BC by a man who identifies himself as Jesus, son of Eleazar, son of Sira (cf. 50:27).  Some of your Bibles identify the book as The Wisdom of Ben Sira.  This is actually the earliest title of the book; the “ch” was added when the book was translated into Greek.  It is an excellent example of Wisdom literature, filled with moral […]

On Pentecost Sunday, you will see that different readings are prescribed for the Vigil Mass than for the Mass on Sunday.  I will reflect on the readings for the Sunday Masses, so don’t be surprised if you attend the Vigil Mass and hear different readings.

John 20:19-23

If this reading sounds familiar to you, it is because you heard it just a few weeks ago.  On the Second Sunday of Easter, the Gospel reading is the same in all three years of the Liturgical Cycle – John 20:19 – 31.  On that […]

John 14:15 – 21

This Sunday, we hear a continuation from last week of Jesus’ address to the apostles at the Last Supper as presented in John’s Gospel.  As you will remember from your footnotes, most scholars consider the section of 13:31 – 17:26 to be Johannine compositions, modeled on farewell discourses found in Greek and Hebrew literature of that time. As we quickly approach Pentecost – it’s only two weeks away – we hear Jesus speak of the coming of the Holy Spirit.  I invite you to put yourselves in […]

John 14:1 – 12

This Sunday, we hear a portion of Jesus’ address to the apostles during the Last Supper as presented in John’s Gospel.  In this Gospel, it is presented as our Lord’s farewell discourse to his disciples in anticipation of his death.  Most scripture scholars consider this section (chapters 14 – 18) to be a Johannine composition, modeled on farewell discourses found in contemporary Greek and Hebrew literature.  You will notice that the only action in John’s account of the Last Supper is the washing of the feet and […]

We begin on Sunday the week that we appropriately call Holy Week, when our Lord Jesus, the Holy Son of God, comes to Jerusalem where he is first hailed as the Son of David, and the Prophet and then is tried as a criminal in a sham trial orchestrated by the Jewish leaders, only to be scourged and crucified.  For the Jewish leaders of his time, it was just to get rid of a trouble maker.  But, as I hope you have come to learn, this was all part of […]

1 Samuel 16:1b, 6 – 7, 10 – 13a

This Sunday, we hear the very interesting account of the selection of David to replace Saul as king of Israel.  First of all, we remember that 1 Sam is part of the Historical Books of the Bible, presented in its final edited form probably at the end of the 7^th century BC.  It is called Samuel because it focuses on Samuel, the last judge of Israel, who was called by God to anoint both the first and second kings of Israel.  The […]

Sirach 15:15 – 20 

We don’t often hear from the Book of Sirach.  It is always the first reading on the Feast of the Holy Family but, other than that, we only hear from this book two or three times over the course of the year.  It is one of the very last books of the Old Testament.  If you look in your Bible’s Table of Contents, you will find it listed under The Wisdom Books.  It is, in fact, an excellent example of Wisdom literature, filled with moral teachings. It […]

Isaiah 49:3, 5 – 6

As we return to Ordinary Time, this Sunday we will hear the second of the four “Servant-of-the-Lord” oracles  (over the years, we have heard the First Song – 42:1-4; Second – 49:1-7; Third – 50:4-12; Fourth – 52:13-53:12).  Since it is found in chapter 49 of the Book of Isaiah, we know that it is from Deutero-Isaiah which dates to the time of the Babylonian Captivity.  As I have explained in the past, these servant songs never name the servant and, as we will see in […]