Reflections on the Sunday Readings

                                                   This Sunday will be the feast of Epiphany.  The word epiphany means to make manifest or make possible to see.                                                                                                                                              In the gospel we see that the three Magi have found a star in the sky that has not been there before. They checked their charts and yes, and it is a brand-new Star! According to their astrology such an event, ...

                                                             Our gospel this fourth Sunday of Advent asks us to reflect on the role of Joseph in the life of Jesus and Mary.                                                                                                            Through Mary, Jesus took his humanity and through Joseph, he was given the connection to the line of King David, because Joseph was of the house and lineage of David.  In fact, according to the Gospel of Matthew, Joseph could trace his lineage all the way back to Abraham.  (Matthew 1:1...

  Gaudette Sunday Rejoice the Promised One is Near This Sunday is the midpoint of Advent.   We are almost there, but not yet.   And yet the Church calls us to be of great joy (i.e., Gaudette) that he is near.   Can our mind’s eye, see, he is the long-awaited one.                                                                                                 Our   readings this weekend are depicted in sharp contrast with those of   the last two weeks.   The first reading shows us a desert scene which is coming into blossom. The depiction in that reading is not so much about an environment as it is about a people coming into the fullness of their relationship with God.   “They will see the glory of the Lord, t...

  Our gospel this weekend gives us an image of power, royalty, and the abuses of power that they can produce, when they are interested simply in fulfilling their own  agendas.  Rome, the scribes, and Pharisees are abusing their power by condemning an innocent man.   They have colluded together to quiet Jesus, supposedly for forever.    Jesus represents the opposite of their values which are based in power and control, judgment, and condemnation.   Jesus’   life is based on compassion, mercy, forgiveness, and inclusion.   And those who wish to follow in footsteps must base their lives on these  qualities.                                                                                               ...

                                                                                                                                                     St. John Lateran The initial   word for church was a Greek word, ekklēsía.  It means   "assembly of those called out" (i.e. a community of believers).    We can see in this description that the emphasis is on the people not on a building or architectural structure.    In other words, whenever or wherever the people gather in the name of the Lord, there is the Church.   “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there...

                                                                             The readings this weekend call our attention to remembering our ancestors. It is the feast of All Souls.  In the Hispanic tradition of South America and Mexico this is called the Day of the Dead.  It is not a day of gruesome memories but rather a festive day of remembering those who have gone before.  It is a day filled with special foods and celebrations particularly as they reflect the memory of those who have gone before us.  In some locations families visit cemeteries to decorate the graves of their relatives with flowers of special mementos that remind them of their relatives.   In our masses this weekend, we too shall pray and remember our loved ones who have died.  We may rememb...

                                                                                                                                                 Our readings this Sunday call us to be persistence in prayer.  In the first readings, Moses raises his arms in prayer of the army of Israel so that they can overcome their adversary Amalek and his armies.  How often does our own prayer feel like a struggle between ourselves and God?   Do we ever feel the weight of doubt that God is listening to us?   Are we afraid God will say “no” to us in our requests?  At times like that, do we need a...