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 [...]
FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Year B)
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 [...]
Philadelphia March for Life
Every year since the fateful Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision in 1973 legalizing abortion in our country, we have been called to reflect on the Gospel mandate to protect human life from conception to natural death. This year marks the 25th anniversary of promulgation of Pope St. John Paul II’s encyclical, Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life) which reaffirms the value and inviolability of every human life. I would like to offer a summary of this prophetic encyclical for your reflection: The Gospel of Life is at the heart [...]
SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Year B
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 [...]
Catholic Relief Service Annual Collection
"Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Mt 25:40). Next weekend, we will join with all parishes throughout the country in taking up the annual collection for Catholic Relief Services. Founded 76 years ago, it now serves 136 million people in 110 countries on five continents. As so many impoverished people around the world struggle in the face of the coronavirus that just adds another layer of dire need to their already difficult lives, CRS is helping in [...]