THIRD SUNDAY LENT (Year B)
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 [...]
Solidarity Fund for the Church in Africa and Collection for the Church in Latin America
We are all finding life to be a little more difficult this year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. You may find that your regular work schedule and your children’s school schedule have been significantly altered, your children’s sport activities and your social life have been seriously curtailed. You may even find yourself between jobs or you may have gotten ill from COVID-19 or even had a member of your family or one of your friends die from the virus. It has, indeed, been a difficult year for all [...]
SECOND SUNDAY LENT (Year B)
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 [...]
FIRST SUNDAY LENT (Year B)
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 [...]
LENT BEGINS IN THE MIDST OF THE PANDEMIC
Although we continue to be in the grip of winter, Lent begins on Wednesday and, like almost everything else this year, Ash Wednesday will be a little different. Following Archdiocesan guidelines, ashes will be sprinkled in silence on your head rather than being imposed on your foreheads in the sign of a cross. This is already the practice in much of the world; it follows the example we see throughout the Bible (cf. Jdt. 4:11; Est. 4:16; 1 Mc. 3:47) and avoids the physical contact that many people fear during [...]
SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Year B)
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 [...]