Synoptic Gospels
Repent and believe in the Gospel!” We hear this admonition during Ash Wednesday as a reminder that it should be one of the characteristics of the pilgrim Church’s lifestyle. The Church must always be on the way of conversion. Conversion is turning to God in fidelity and love. In the beginning of his ministry, a ministry carried out in the shadow of the Cross, Jesus calls four fishermen who would later on become members of his core group. In these four fishermen, we see the first fruits of Jesus’ preaching. Peter and Andrew, James and John — all four will later on become apostles and martyrs for the Gospel of Christ
Continue reading about (Sunday III — B) The Call of the Fishermen
Epiphany Sunday is about the glory of God shining in Christ. "Epiphany" comes from the Greek "epi" and "phanein" which means "to shine on". The glory of God shines forth through Jesus whose birth we celebrate. The gospel selection is from Mateo 2:1-12, a traditional reading associated with the episode of the visit of the [...]
In the parable of the ten virgins the five wise virgins were able to join the wedding banquet precisely because they were wise. “Wisdom” is one of the requirements of the life of faith. We were baptized, that is, enlightened by the Wisdom of God Himself — Jesus Christ.
Matthew 23 is the judgment that Jesus utters against the scribes and the Pharisees. It begins with an admonition to respect the authority of those sitted on the chair of Moses but not to follow their example, and ends up with a lament on Jerusalem, the symbol of resistance to God’s will epitomized in the external piety of the scribes and Pharisees. The 31st Sunday of Ordinary Time (A) highlights Matthew 23:1-12 and Jesus’ command that his disciples be humble servants. Love for adulation or ambition should not characterize them. Their greatness should be in their humility and desire to be like the Servant of Yahweh.
Continue reading about (Sunday XXXI — A) Be Humble Servants of the Lord
God’s Word is efficacious (see reading from Isaiah 55). It carries out whatever God wills. “Word of God” is first of all Christ Himself, the tradition of the apostles, and thirdly, the Scriptures. Scriptures is “word of God” in the liturgical assembly; the Church is its home. When we read and meditate on the Scriptures with the Church, we become the ones who carry out God’s will when we allow ourselves to be under His reign and create in our world a space where His reign is realized.
Continue reading about (Sunday XV — A) The Sower, the Seed and the Earth
After Trinity Sunday and Corpus Christi, the themes for this Sunday’s gospel selection gives us texts that can remind us of the themes of the previous feast-day celebrations. And the verses of the gospel selection are also easy to memorize. These verses open to us the mind of the Lord who reveals Himself here as “the Son”. It is only by being like him — as a child of the Father — that we can truly appreciate what the Father wants for His children.
During these past Sundays, the liturgy has been giving us glimpses of the Ascension of Christ and the Descent of the Holy Spirit. On Ascension Sunday, we celebrate Christ’s return to the right hand of the Father and his installation as Lord. He has not really abandoned His Church; His Ascension marks a new relationship to the Church and to the world. Christ has become Head of the Church and the first-born of a new humanity redeemed by His Blood
Continue reading about (Ascension Sunday — A) Make Disciples of All Nations
The story of two disciples walking to Emmaus is a story of conversion. Jerusalem, in the gospel of Luke, is the place of salvation. That is why when the two disciples walk away from Jerusalem they were walking away from salvation. In returning to Jerusalem they also go back to salvation by listening to the proclamation of Peter. What made this change this possible? The Risen Lord who opened their eyes, first through the reading of the Scriptures and second, through the breaking of the bread.
Passion Sunday is so-called because it is the first time in Lent where we proclaim the account of the Passion of the Lord. It is also called Palm Sunday because it is the time when we commemorate the Lord’s final entrance into Jerusalem. With the proclamation of the Passion, we anticipate the Paschal Triduum, the climax of our preparations for Easter.
Continue reading about (Passion Sunday — A) Behold Your King!
The first Sunday of Lent reminded us of the Christian combat we pledged to join during our baptism. During this second Sunday, we are invited to look into another aspect of our baptism: our assimilation into Christ. When we were baptized we were claimed through the sign of the cross for the resurrection. To the disciples who have not gotten over the shocking statements of Jesus regarding discipleship, the transfiguration is a consoling event reassuring them that suffering and death is not the last word.
On Ash Wednesday, we began the discipline of Lent, our yearly preparation for the renewal of our baptismal vows. For this first Sunday of Lent we are reminded of our three-fold rejection of Satan, the Ancient Enemy. The Lord empowers us to live our baptismal vows in his victory over Satan in the desert. We are invited therefore to make His victory our own.
What the Law of Moses is to the Jew, the Torah of the Messiah is for the Christian. With Matthew 7:21-27, we come to the end of the Sermon on the Mount but also we get a warning regarding the way we receive the words of the Lord. Just as it is foolish to build [...]
Conversations