Reading Reflections

Exodus 3:1 – 8a, 13 – 15 We are in the middle of Lent, our annual time of retreat.  We are called, once again, to take a look at how our life reflects what we believe in God.  And, as we will see in this Sunday’s readings, as we come to know God, we are called to action.  We also bow down in humility and gratitude before a God who is generous beyond our understanding, always ready to forgive as he continues to call us back to him.   Let’s [...]

Deuteronomy 26:4 - 10   This past Wednesday, we embarked again on the journey of Lent, a journey toward Easter.  This Sunday, as we begin the season of Lent, we hear Moses recall the various stages of Israel’s journey: Jacob’s migration to Egypt, and the events surrounding the original Passover.  It then concludes with the ritual prescribed to thank God who has blessed the people Israel in their journey as it recalls both God’s care for his people in providing them with food for another year and the Passover.  It [...]

1 Samuel 26:2, 7 – 9, 12 – 13, 22 – 23 We hear from the First Book of Samuel this Sunday.  It is one of the Historical Books.  We haven’t heard from it for a long time, so let’s review it a little.  It is the first of the Historical Books, which present the history of Israel from the time of Samuel to the Maccabees, from approximately 1000 to 100BC.  Of course, it is important to remember that histories in those days did not serve the same purpose as [...]

Isaiah 62: 1 - 5 As we return to ordinary time, that is, time ordered according to God’s plan for his Kingdom, we hear from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah.  Since it is from chapter 62, we know that it is from Trito-Isaiah, and concerns the post-exilic time for Israel.  This part of Isaiah has, as its primary purpose, the encouragement of the anawim as they return to rebuild Jerusalem.  Our first reading contains just such a passage of hope for God’s people at one of the lowest moments [...]

(Opening prayer:  Jn 1:29 – 34) Isaiah 40:1 – 5, 9 – 11 We hear again from the prophet Isaiah this Sunday, from the beginning of the portion of this book that most scripture scholars identify as part of Deutero-Isaiah (chapter 40 – 55).  As you will read in your footnotes, these chapters - 40 - 55 - are usually designated Second Isaiah (or Deutero-Isaiah) and are believed to have been written by an anonymous prophet toward the end of the Babylonian exile.  There are several significant difference between the first 39 [...]

Micah 5:1 - 4a This Sunday, we will hear from the Book of the Prophet Micah.   Like Baruch and Zephaniah of the last two weeks, we don’t hear from Micah very often – in fact, we only hear from him once in the three year Sunday liturgical cycle and five times in the weekday cycle – so let’s review what we know about and his book.  Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah, as you will see from your Bible Timeline.  Unlike Isaiah, however, he was not native to Jerusalem – [...]