Job 7:1 – 4, 6 – 7

This Sunday, we will hear from one of my favorite books, the Book of Job. As is usual, the passage was clearly chosen to prepare us for the Gospel, as we shall see.  The motif in both readings is suffering – in the first reading, Job bemoans it; in the Gospel, Jesus faces it head-on.  Job’s litany of misery stands in sharp contrast to the healing power of God made manifest in Jesus.

 We don’t hear from this book very often; in fact, we hear […]

Welcome to my annotated commentary on Sunday’s readings.  The purpose of my commentary is to give you the background for each reading, a little better understanding of its message and the message that all of the Sunday readings together provide us.  I hope you find it helpful!

1 Samuel 3:3b-10, 19

As we return to Ordinary Time – time that is ordered by God for our salvation – this Sunday we will hear about the calling of Samuel to become a prophet.  You may recall the birth of Samuel to Hannah, who […]

Welcome to my annotated commentary on Sunday’s readings.  The purpose of my commentary is to give you the background for each reading, a little better understanding of its message and the message that all of the Sunday readings together provide us.  I hope you find it helpful!

Isaiah 42:1 – 4, 6 – 7

We hear again from the prophet Isaiah this Sunday, from one of the sections that most scripture scholars identify as part of Deutero-Isaiah.  Specifically, it is the first of four of the Isaian Servant Songs (the others are […]

Welcome to my annotated commentary on Sunday’s readings.  The purpose of my commentary is to give you the background for each reading, a little better understanding of its message and the message that all of the Sunday readings together provide us.  I hope you find it helpful!

2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16

This Sunday, we will hear from the Second Book of Samuel. You will recall that this is one of the Historical Books of the Bible.  Along with 1 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings, it records the activities of […]

Welcome to my annotated commentary on Sunday’s readings.  The purpose of my commentary is to give you the background for each reading, a little better understanding of its message and the message that all of the Sunday readings together provide us.  I hope you find it helpful!

Isaiah 61:1 – 2a, 10 – 11

The Third Sunday of Advent is also called Gaudete Sunday because, in both the first and second readings, we are called to rejoice; the Lord is near!  As we quickly approach Christmas, we wait in eager anticipation of […]

Isaiah 40:1 – 5, 9 – 11

This Sunday, we will again hear from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah.  According to Leslie F. Hoppe, OFM, a contemporary scripture scholar, this book is, by any measure, among the greatest works of religious literature because it probes the mystery of a people’s life with God.  All of the Bible does that for us if only we allow it to read us, but the Prophet Isaiah does it so well.  The section we will hear is from the 40^th chapter, so we know […]

Welcome to my annotated commentary on Sunday’s readings.  The purpose of my commentary is to give you the background for each reading, a little better understanding of its message and the message that all of the Sunday readings together provide us.  I hope you find it helpful!

Ezekiel 34:11 – 12, 15 – 17

This Sunday, as we celebrate the 34^th and last Sunday in Ordinary Time with the celebration of the great feast that has the impressive name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, we will first hear […]

Welcome to my annotated commentary on Sunday’s readings.  The purpose of my commentary is to give you the background for each reading, a little better understanding of its message and the message that all of the Sunday readings together provide us.  I hope you find it helpful!

As you may have noticed, I usually begin our Bible Study/Faith Sharing with the first reading and then review the Gospel; if there is time, I then reflect on the second reading.  I do this because the first reading is usually selected to prepare […]

Welcome to my annotated commentary on Sunday’s readings.  The purpose of my commentary is to give you the background for each reading, a little better understanding of its message and the message that all of the Sunday readings together provide us.  I hope you find it helpful!

Wisdom 6:12 – 16

This Sunday, we will hear from the Book of Wisdom. Again, the passage was clearly chosen to prepare us for the Gospel.  We need to seek wisdom in our lives in order to prepare for the time when God calls us […]