Isaiah 50: 4 – 7 

The passage that we will hear this Sunday comprises a portion of the prophet Isaiah’s third of four Servant-of-the-Lord oracles.  In Isaiah 50:4-9 the Servant speaks; in Isaiah 50:10-11 God reproves the people for not following the Servant.  

4  The Lord GOD has given me a well-trained tongue, That I might know how to speak to the weary a word that will rouse them. Morning after morning he opens my ear that I may hear;

5  And I have not rebelled, have not turned back.

I have not […]

Jeremiah 31:31 – 34

It has been some time since we have heard from Jeremiah so let’s review the who, what, when, where and to whom of this important prophetic book.  Please take out your time line.  You will see that Jeremiah was active as a prophet from 609 until 586BC.  He was born into a priestly family in Anathoth, a town just 2 ½ miles northeast of Jerusalem.  Those of you with maps in your Bible will find it just above Jerusalem; my Catholic Study Bible shows it on map […]

Exodus 20:1 – 17

Last Sunday, we heard of God’s test for Abraham after he had made a covenant with him.  This follows the reading from the First Sunday of Lent, in which we heard about the covenant that God made with Noah and his descendents.  This week, we hear the commandments that God gives to his people at Mt. Sinai as part of that covenant.  The text of the Decalogue has evolved in two forms: Ex 20 and Dt 5:6 – 21. 

1 Then God delivered all these commandments:

As you […]

Genesis 22:1 – 2, 9a, 10 – 13, 15 – 18

As I mentioned last week, we will be hearing a great deal about the covenant relationship God has with us over these weeks in Lent.  Last Sunday, we heard of the covenant that God made with Noah and his descendants.  It is the first of two patriarchal covenants that serve as precursors for the covenant at Sinai.  That, in turn, prepared the way for the new covenant God made with humanity in Christ.  This week, we hear of the […]

Genesis 9:8 – 15

The Bible records several covenants that God made with his people Israel, beginning with the covenant with Noah, continuing with his covenant with Abraham and with the people Israel through Moses at Mount Sinai.  This Sunday, we hear of the covenant that God made with Noah and his descendents. Next week, we’ll hear about God’s covenant with Abraham and his descendants and on the third week of Lent, we’ll hear about God’s covenant with his people at Mount Sinai.  All of these covenants prepared the way for […]

Leviticus 13: 1 – 2, 44 – 46

This Sunday, we will hear from the Book of Leviticus. As is usual, the passage was clearly chosen to prepare us for the Gospel, as we shall see.  Since it has been a very long time since we have encountered a passage from this book, let’s again review its origin and purpose.  It is the third book of the Torah, which we know as the Pentateuch.  In the Hebrew Scriptures, it is called זיקרא (Wayyiqra), taken from the first word of the text […]

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 […]