The Word

The two most important days on the church rsquo s calendar are Good Friday and Easter Sunday This is so because Jesus rsquo death and resurrection are at the core of Christian faith The early Christian confessions of faith embedded in the New Testament place these events front and center In fact

The narrative of Jesus rsquo suffering and death is an important part of our collective memory as Christians For almost 2 000 years Christians have gathered at this time of year to retell the story of Jesus rsquo passion It is not the story of a mythical or fictional character Rather it is the

All our eucharistic prayers contain the phrase ldquo the blood of the new and everlasting covenant rdquo as part of the words of consecration As the sacrament of our ongoing relationship with God through Christ the Eucharist stands in the tradition of the meals at which ancient covenants were ra

In the Bible the two great attributes of God are justice and mercy While on the surface they may seem to be opposites they exist in a creative tension in which God rsquo s mercy generally wins out The Scripture readings for the Fourth Sunday of Lent remind us that God is indeed rich in mercy The

In Christian theology the term ldquo paschal mystery rdquo refers to Jesus rsquo life death and resurrection and their saving significance for us The adjective paschal derives from the Hebrew verb pasach meaning ldquo to pass over rdquo and alludes to ancient Israel rsquo s rescue from slav

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