The word mystery among its several meanings may refer to a religious truth that is known by revelation and is not fully understood by reason alone The readings for the Second Sunday of Lent highlight Jesus rsquo identity as God rsquo s beloved Son and confront us with the mystery of his death on

The Lectionary texts for the Sundays of Lent follow a somewhat different pattern from that of Ordinary Time The series of Old Testament readings develops the history of our salvation with reference to the theme of God rsquo s covenant with his people Israel The various Epistle texts help us reflec

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent a period of 40 days of prayer and penance which reaches its climax and goal in the solemn celebrations of Jesus rsquo death and resurrection in Holy Week One of the traditional Lenten observances is fasting During Lent Catholics are asked to abstain fro

In almost all of Jesus rsquo healing miracles the person in need of healing displays an attitude of faith in him and his power In Mark rsquo s account of the healing of the paralyzed man however it is the man rsquo s friends who display faith by the extraordinary way they bring their friend to

It is no secret that today there are deep divisions in our society and in our churches This Sunday rsquo s Scripture readings remind us that there were deep social and religious divisions in the Judaism of Jesus rsquo day as well and in the Christian communities founded by Paul They also remind u

It is hard to imagine a human being who does not want to be happy free and fulfilled It is a paradox of human existence however that genuine happiness freedom and fulfillment seem to come mostly to those in the service of a noble cause or project Caught up in his own losses and sufferings the