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The Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time: Put Out Into Deep Water
Today’s readings “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” A command to do something, and a promise – that is what happens in this early interaction Simon Peter has with Jesus. And it had to be exasperating for Simon, because, as he says, they’ve been hard at it all night…
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Friday of the Fourth Week of Ordinary Time
Today’s readingsMass for the school children. The readings for daily Mass usually follow in a series. So we read from a certain book of the Bible for a while, and then we move on to another one for a while. So for the last couple of weeks, we have been listening to the story of…
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Saint Blase, Bishop and Martyr
Today we celebrate the memorial of Saint Blase, and all that we really know about him was that he was the bishop of Sebaste in Armenia during the fourth century. Everything else is legend. But, even if the entire story isn’t true, there is Truth in the legend, because it points us to Christ. Saint…
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Thursday of the Third Week of Ordinary Time
Today’s readings There’s a little line in the Gospel reading that could pass us right by, or at least puzzle us to the extent that we forget it and move on. But I don’t think we should. That line is: “Take care what you hear.” It closely follows Jesus’ other hearing-related line: “Everyone who has…
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The Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle
Today’s readings Brothers and sisters, if we think that we are the ones who get to determine the direction of our lives, we are dead wrong. That’s the corollary to the proverb, “If you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans.” God is always and forever in charge. Today’s feast is probably the clearest picture of…
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Saint Agnes, Virgin Martyr
Today’s readings There are a lot of saints in today’s Mass, but then, honestly, there always are. Father John and I have an ongoing joke, that when one of us has the early 6:30 Mass, we say to the other, “I woke up the angels and saints for you.” Now, obviously the angels and saints…
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The Second Sunday of Ordinary Time
Today’s readings So we’ve taken down most of the Christmas decorations, and we won’t see the poinsettias and manger until next year. Yet we’re not quite done with the Christmas season in the Church. Traditionally, some aspects of Christmas joy and amazement remain in our Liturgy through February 2nd, the feast of the Presentation of…
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Thursday of the First Week of Ordinary Time
Today’s reading My grandmother used to say that, although she liked to read the Bible, she really didn’t like the Old Testament because of all the violence. And certainly today’s first reading helps me to understand how she felt. But it’s a reading that I think has very important things to say about the spiritual…
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Tuesday of the First Week of Ordinary Time
Today’s readings It is always interesting to me how clearly the unclean spirits know who Jesus is. For them, Christ our God inspires fear and rebellion. But even these unclean spirits, hearing his voice, begrudgingly obey. Jesus teaches with authority, as the people standing by admit of him. This is a teaching that cannot be…
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The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
Today’s readings What wonderful words we have in today’s Gospel to close out the Christmas season: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well-pleased.” We have come a long way since December the 25th. Jesus, the Son of God, has become the son of Mary, and has consecrated the world through his most loving…
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