The Gospel reading for the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Mark 10 46-52 gains much of its strength from its location in the Gospel of Mark In the central portion of Mark Jesus three times predicts his passion with similar responses from his Apostles In 8 31-33 after identifying Jesus as th

The first reading for the Solemnity of All Saints on November 1st is from Revelation 7 2-4 9-14 I thought that it might be worthwhile over the next two weeks to take a look at Revelation in particular and at apocalyptic thought in general For if it is true that biblical literacy in general is wa

The second reading for the Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time Hebrews 4 14-16 continues directly from last week s second reading and confirms the point I made last week that the fact that Jesus Christ knows our innermost thoughts and all of our deeds is a warning to amend our ways surely but

An overarching point of Hebrews chapter four is that we are destined for a sabbath rest so then a sabbath rest still remains for the people of God for those who enter God s rest also cease from their labors as God did from his Hebrews 4 9-10 NRSV This is a heavenly image especially for a wo

The second reading for the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time raises a couple of questions even prior to an examination of content One is the reading itself as presented in the lectionary which omits what seems to be a crucial phrase from verse 9 Two is how the reading fits in the context of the Old Tes

The second reading for the 26th nbsp Sunday in Ordinary Time is another no-holds-barred passage from James 5 1-6 Come now you rich weep and wail over your impending miseries Your wealth has rotted away your clothes have become moth-eaten your gold and silver have corroded and that corrosion wil

The Gospel passage for the Feast of Saint Matthew is Matthew 9 9-13 As Jesus passed by he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post He said to him Follow me And he got up and followed him While he was at table in his house many tax collectors and sinners cameand sat with Jesus and his

This week school begins for many The beginning of the school year is a scramble whether you are a student or a teacher preparing to return to the classroom And no matter how old the students are or at what level the teacher instructs it often feels chaotic a little out of control and sometimes

There is a purity of purpose in the writing of James This Sunday rsquo s Second Reading James 2 1-5 gets to the heart of how the Christian message is meant to transform daily behavior and the always roiling issue of wealth and poverty It is worth reading in full My brothers and sisters show no

In Cardinal Sean O rsquo Malley rsquo s Blog entry On Senator Kennedy rsquo s Funeral one line stood out for me our task is to build a civilization of love This has ever been the task of the Church especially when teaching hard truths that run counter to the tenor of the culture and the politi