TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Year A)
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 [...]
CATECHETICAL SUNDAY
“I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you” (1 Cor. 11:23) Our school has opened and our children have returned! I’m so happy to see them back and I know they’re happy to be back as well; I suspect many of their parents are happy to have them out of the house at last. Many other parish activities are resuming, as well, although in new and different ways in the face of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. We are working very hard to make sure that everyone [...]
TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Year A)
Sirach 27:30 – 28:9 This Sunday, we will hear from the Book of Sirach, one of the very last books of the Old Testament. It was written between 200 and 175BC by a man who identifies himself as Jesus, son of Eleazar, son of Sira (cf. 50:27). Some of your Bibles identify the book as The Wisdom of Ben Sira. This is actually the earliest title of the book; the “ch” was added when the book was translated into Greek. It is an excellent example of Wisdom literature, filled with [...]
TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Year A)
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. Ezekiel 33:7 - 9 This Sunday, we will hear from the prophet Ezekiel. As you will recall from our previous encounters with this book, he is a most exciting prophet, the first to prophesy in Babylon; his prophecy is directed to the Jewish community still in Jerusalem. As [...]
NINETEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Year A)
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. 1 Kings 19: 9a, 11 – 13a This Sunday, we will hear again from the first book of Kings, as we did two weeks ago. You will recall that it is one of the historical books. 1 Kings was written before the fall of Jerusalem and finally [...]