Episodes
Saturday Nov 27, 2021
November 28 - First Sunday of Advent, Year C
Saturday Nov 27, 2021
Saturday Nov 27, 2021
First Reading Jeremiah 33:14-16
The Lord will fulfill his promises to Israel and Judah.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 25:4-5,8-9,10,14
The Lord will teach us his paths.
Second Reading 1 Thessalonians 3:12—4:2
Paul encourages the Thessalonians to be holy and to please God.
Gospel Reading
Luke 21:25-28,34-36
Jesus teaches his disciples to be vigilant so that they will be ready when the Son of Man comes in glory.
Background on the Gospel Reading
Today is the first Sunday of Advent, which is also the first Sunday of the new liturgical year. The Advent season includes the four Sundays that precede Christmas. Advent is a time of preparation for the coming of the Lord. In this season, we recall two central elements of our faith: the final coming of the Lord in glory and the incarnation of the Lord in the birth of Jesus. The key themes of the Advent season are watchful waiting, preparation, and justice.
In this new liturgical year, the Gospel of Luke will be the primary Gospel proclaimed (Lectionary Cycle C). Today's Gospel is taken from the last chapter before the passion narrative in which Jesus is teaching in the Temple. We hear Jesus speak to his disciples about the need for vigilance and prayer as they wait for the coming of the Son of Man in glory. This passage marks the conclusion of a lengthy dialogue in which Jesus predicts the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, warns about the persecution and tribulations to follow, and identifies the signs that will signal the coming of the Son of Man in glory.
The community for whom Luke wrote his Gospel may have believed that they were already experiencing some of the events Jesus described. Most scholars believe that Luke's Gospel was written after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 A.D. At the time, many Christians interpreted this event as an indication that Jesus' second coming was near.
Though Jesus predicts a time of destruction and fear, Jesus indicates that others will be frightened; Jesus' disciples are not to fear, but are to stand tall. Yet Jesus does not promise deliverance from anxiety or tribulations. He encourages his disciples to pray for strength. The early Christian communities did not find consolation in the promise of a utopia, nor should we. Instead, we find in our Christian faith the means by which we witness to God's unfailing love for us in all circumstances.
Jesus' predictions about the end times may sound dire, but in the next paragraph Luke tells us that people woke early to listen to Jesus' teaching in the Temple area. In his person and in his message, those who heard Jesus found strength and consolation. Like the first Christians, we may encounter events and circumstances that could lead us to despair. Through prayer, however, we find strength and consolation in Jesus' words and in his continuing presence with us to endure all things and to witness to the action of God in our world
Friday Nov 19, 2021
Friday Nov 19, 2021
First Reading Daniel 7:13-14
Daniel prophesies about the coming of the Son of Man.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 93:1,1-2,5
A prayer of praise to God our king
Second Reading Revelation 1:5-8
Jesus is the firstborn of the dead and the ruler of all.
Gospel Reading
John 18:33b-37
Jesus is questioned by Pilate about the charge brought against him that he is “King of the Jews.”
Background on the Gospel Reading
This Sunday is the last Sunday of the Church’s liturgical year. On this Sunday we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King. Each year we set aside this Sunday to reflect upon this title that we have given to Jesus. In Lectionary Cycle C, we read a portion of the passion from the Gospel of John, which is also part of the Gospel reading proclaimed each year on Good Friday.
In John’s Gospel, Pilate is shown in a more favorable light than in the other Gospels. In today’s reading, we hear one of two dialogues between Jesus and Pilate that are reported in John’s Gospel. Pilate questions Jesus about the charges brought against him. Caiaphas and the high priests have charged Jesus with a political crime, one that would require a punishment of death. Pilate distances himself from the Jewish leaders who accuse Jesus; he is not a Jew, and he seems to want little to do with this Jewish affair.
In his responses to Pilate’s questions, Jesus distinguishes his kingdom from the political powers of this world. King and kingdom may be appropriate terms for Jesus’ mission and promise, but only by analogy. Jesus is king, but not the kind of king we imagine or expect. He was certainly not the kind of king Pilate feared he might be.
Jesus refers to a kingdom that does not belong to this world. This has been mentioned earlier in John’s Gospel. Recall that in his prayer during the Last Supper discourse (see John 17:6-18), Jesus prayed for his disciples who are in the world but do not belong to the world. Yet like Jesus, they are sent into the world for the world’s salvation. In today’s reading, we see Jesus identify the final proof that his kingdom is not of this world: If his kingdom were of this world, then there would be people fighting to save him. Again we hear echoes of John’s theme—salvation is worked out through a cosmic battle. It is helpful to return to the first chapter of John’s Gospel to understand the context for Jesus’ words to Pilate. Jesus came into the world, but the world did not know him. In John’s language, the world prefers the darkness, and yet the light will not be overcome by the darkness.
Truth has been another important theme in John’s Gospel. We see it emphasized in the conclusion of the dialogue between Jesus and Pilate. Those who know the truth will recognize Jesus as king and will know how to interpret this insight. Yet Jesus’ kingship was hidden from many of his contemporaries. Only those chosen, those who have the eyes of faith, are able to see. As modern disciples of Jesus, we also struggle at times to recognize Jesus as king. Today’s Gospel invites us to see with eyes of faith that we might recognize that Jesus, through his crucifixion and death, is indeed king and Savior of all.
Friday Nov 12, 2021
November 14 - Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
Friday Nov 12, 2021
Friday Nov 12, 2021
First Reading Daniel 12:1-3
Daniel prophesies about the judgment of the last days.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 16:5,8,9-10,11
God protects us and shows us the path of life.
Second Reading Hebrews 10:11-14,18
Jesus’ offering for sin has made all to be consecrated perfect forever.
Gospel Reading
Mark 13:24-32
Jesus teaches about the signs of the coming of the Son of Man.
Background on the Gospel Reading
This Sunday is the second to last Sunday of our liturgical year. As we approach the end of the Church year, our Gospel invites us to consider Jesus’ predictions and teaching about the end of the world. In the context of Mark’s Gospel, Jesus’ words about this are spoken to his disciples as he prepares them for his passion and death.
Before we consider Jesus’ words, it is important to note the political backdrop against which many think Mark’s Gospel was written. Most scholars concur that Mark wrote his Gospel for Christians living in or near Rome about 30 to 40 years after the death of Jesus. This was a time of political turmoil in Rome. Some Christians experienced persecution by the Romans during the reign of the emperor Nero (about 64 A.D.). Jewish revolutionaries rebelled against the Romans, which led the Romans to destroy the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 A.D. In this time of political turmoil and persecution, many in Mark’s community might have wondered if the end times predicted by Jesus were in fact quite near.
Last Sunday we heard Jesus’ observation about the contributions being made to the temple treasury and the example of sacrificial giving that he saw in the poor widow’s offering. If we had been reading Mark’s Gospel continuously, we would have heard Jesus predict the destruction of the Temple, his teaching about the costs of discipleship, and the woes that will accompany the end times. Finally, we would have heard Jesus instruct his disciples about the need for watchfulness so that they will not be caught unprepared for this final day of judgment.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus continues this teaching by offering his disciples signs to look for that will indicate that the coming of the Son of Man is near. His words and images draw upon Old Testament imagery, especially images found in the Book of Daniel. Next, Jesus offers the lesson of the fig tree, a parable that teaches that if one knows how to read the signs, one can be prepared for the end times. Jesus also teaches, however, that no one knows when the end time will come, except the Father. In the verses that follow this reading in Mark’s Gospel, Jesus continues to warn his disciples to be on watch for this end time.
Jesus’ words are not spoken to frighten his disciples, nor should they frighten us. Rather, they are offered to prepare us for the changes we will experience during our lifetimes and at the end times. Our consolation and hope is found in the lasting nature of Jesus’ words and God’s never-ending love for us.
Friday Nov 05, 2021
November 7 - Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
Friday Nov 05, 2021
Friday Nov 05, 2021
First Reading 1 Kings 17:10-16
Through Elijah, a widow and her son are blest with enough flour and oil to supply them for a year.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 146:7,8-9 9-10
A prayer of praise to God who raises up the lowly
Second Reading Hebrews 9:24-28
Christ died once to take away sin; he will return again to bring salvation.
Gospel Reading
Mark 12:38-44 (shorter form, Mark 12:41-44)
Jesus notices a poor widow’s offering and commends her great sacrifice.
Background on the Gospel Reading
The context for today’s Gospel continues to be mounting tension between Jesus and the Jewish authorities. Mark reports some of Jesus’ teaching in the Temple area in today’s reading and in the preceding verses not included in our Lectionary sequence. In the first part of today’s Gospel, we hear Jesus warn the crowds not to follow the example of the scribes in seeking honor and attention from others. It is important to recall that Mark indicates that Jesus taught these things while in the vicinity of the Temple in Jerusalem. Mark is setting the stage for Jesus’ passion.
Jesus then observes how Jewish pilgrims are making their contributions to the temple treasury. The Temple in Jerusalem was the center of Jewish worship in the time of Jesus. It was expected that observant Jews would make pilgrimages to the Temple to offer prayer and sacrifices. Pilgrims were also expected to make a financial contribution to the temple treasury.
As we would expect to be the case, Jesus observes that those who were rich contributed large sums to the treasury. Those with less means made smaller contributions. A similar situation exists in most of our parishes as well. Jesus calls attention, however, to a poor widow who makes the smallest of contributions—two coins of little value. Jesus upholds the poor widow’s offering for his disciples’ consideration, commending her because her small offering was an act of profound generosity, giving from her livelihood rather than her surplus.
To give from our livelihood is not only an act of generosity, it is also an act of trust in God. We can only give from our need if we trust that God will provide for us. Jesus himself demonstrates the ultimate act of generosity and trust in God as he gives his life for us on the cross.