Revelation 7:2 – 4, 9 -14

This Sunday, we interrupt our ordinary celebration of Sundays of the Year because an important Solemnity happens to land on Sunday:  All Saints.  This feast gives us the opportunity to reflect on a very important aspect of our faith: our belief in God’s promise for everlasting life with him in heaven.  Before we review the readings that are recommended for this Sunday, let’s review the development of belief in everlasting life in the history of our faith.  As I have mentioned in the past, it […]

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!

Exodus 22:20 – 26

This Sunday, we will hear from the Book of Exodus. Although it is just a small part of a long expansion of the Decalogue (cf. 20:1-17 and 21:1 – 23:33 and finally the mention of Moses writing down these laws in […]

OPENING PRAYER: Isaiah 24

Isaiah 45:1, 4 – 6

This Sunday, we will again hear from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah.  Since it is from chapter 45, we know that it is from Deutero-Isaiah. We recall that Deutero-Isaiah prophesied 587 – 539BC, during the Babylonian exile.   During this time, the political scene in the Ancient Near East changed dramatically as a result of the rise of Cyrus II (the Great).  Until he came into power in 559BC, the great powers controlling the Ancient Near East were usually Semites, originally of the […]

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 25:6-10a

This Sunday, we will again hear from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah.  Since it is from chapter 25, it would be understandable if you were to conclude that it is from Isaiah himself.  There is lively debate among scripture scholars, however, as […]

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 5:1 – 7

This Sunday, we will hear from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah.  Since it is from chapter 5, we know that it is from Isaiah himself.  The prophet Isaiah prophesied from around 742 until 686BC, from the reign of King Azariah, […]

Ezekiel 18:25-28

This Sunday, we will hear from the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel.  Let’s remember the “who, what, when, where and why” of this book.  You will notice that the reading picks up from last Sunday’s Gospel issue of fairness.  It will also provide us with a perfect introduction to this Sunday’s Gospel.  The chapter begins, however, with a very interesting recanting of what we see attributed to God in the Decalogue.  Let’s look at 18:1-4 and compare that with Ex 20:5 and Dt 5:9.  To make his point, the […]

Isaiah 55:6 – 9

This Sunday, we will hear from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah.  Seeing that it is taken from chapter 55, we know that it is part of Deutero-Isaiah, dealing with Israel during its Babylonian exile.  It is at the very end of the Babylonian captivity and we should read the opening verses of the chapter since they speak in anticipation of how the Persians would allow the exiles to return.  The Book of Ezra opens with the decree of Cyrus that called the exiles to return to […]