January 26, 2014 [powerpress] Third Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A (NAB Translation) (Jerusalem Bible Translation) Lectionary: 67 Reading 1 IS 8:23-9:3 This week’s first reading we hear from Isaiah and a familiar passage that is often associated with Christmas. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.” This week we hear more… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – January 12, 2014 Mass Readings and Reflections
[powerpress] Feast of the Baptism of the Lord January 12, 2014 Lectionary: 21 Reading 1 IS 42:1-4, 6-7 In this week’s first reading, we return to the prophet Isaiah for the first time since Advent. After such a long time of being in exile, the Lord shows his deliberate favor upon the Jews. God is… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – January 5, 2014 Mass Readings and Reflections
[powerpress] Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord Lectionary: 20 (NAB Translation) (Jerusalem Bible Translation) Merry Christmas! It’s been a beautiful season of Christmas so far. Now we celebrate the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. Reading 1 IS 60:1-6 In this week’s first reading from Isaiah, we see beautiful imagery of the use… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – December 29, 2013 Mass Readings and Reflections
[powerpress] Sunday December 29, 2013 Lectionary 17 The Feast of the Holy Family (NAB Translation) Each year we have twelve official days of Christmas to contemplate the mystery of the incarnation and to meditate on the humanity of Christ as well as his divinity. The Feast of the Holy Family is one of the feasts… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – December 22, 2013 Mass Readings and Reflections
Sunday December 22, 2013 Fourth Sunday of Advent (NAB translation) Lectionary: 10 We are now in the fourth Sunday of Advent, and Christ is near. In this week of Advent we focus less on the second coming of Jesus and more on the preparation of Christmas. Both require that we prepare our hearts to… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – December 15, 2013 Mass Readings and Reflections
[powerpress] Third Sunday of Advent December 15, 2013 (Jerusalem Bible Translation) Lectionary: 7 (New American Bible Translation) Gaudete! – Rejoice! Rejoice! This is Gaudete Sunday,the Sunday of rejoicing of God’s people. This is the day we start to light the rose or pink candle on the Advent wreath. The tone of the season of… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – December 8, 2013 Mass Readings and Reflections
[powerpress] Second Sunday of Advent – Year A (Jerusalem Bible Translation) Sunday December 8, 2013 (NAB Translation) Lectionary: 4 We are now in the second Sunday of Advent, and this week we hear some more of the warnings of the coming of the Lord, but this time, the readings focus more on hope. Reading 1… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – December 1, 2013 Mass Readings and Reflections
[powerpress] First Sunday in Advent Sunday December 1, 2013 (Jerusalem Translation) Liturgy of the Word (NAB Translation) Lectionary: 1 Each year we cycle through the liturgical seasons in order to contemplate God’s mysteries again and again, that over time we may gain a deeper level of understanding of these mysteries and that the insights revealed may have a… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – November 17, 2013 Mass Readings and Reflection
[powerpress] Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 159 November 17, 2013 (Jerusalem Bible Translation) We are now deep in the setting sun of the liturgical year. We’re only one week away from the celebration of Christ the King, the official end of the liturgical year, and the tone of the readings shows that we are preparing… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – November 3, 2013 Mass Readings and Reflection
[powerpress] Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time November 3, 2013 Lectionary: 153 Reading 1 WIS 11:22-12:2 Today’s first reading comes again from a very Catholic book of the Old Testament not typically found in Protestant bibles. I find a lot of beauty in this reading that places its focus on God’s intention for all creation and… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – October 27, 2013 Mass Readings and Reflections
[powerpress] Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Sunday October 27, Liturgy of the Word (NAB Translation) Lectionary: 150 Reading 1 Sir 35:12-14, 16-18 This week’s Old Testament reading comes from the book of Sirach also known as Ecclesiasticus (which means the Church’s book). This book of the Bible is not found in Protestant Bibles but was… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – October 20, 2013 Mass Readings and Reflection
[powerpress] Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time October 20, 2013 Liturgy of the Word (NAB Translation) Lectionary: 147 Reading 1 EX 17:8-13 This week’s first reading from Exodus is famous battle story of Moses. This is one of those stories that the future generations of Hebrews probably enjoyed telling over and over again in memory of… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – October 6, 2013 Mass Readings and Reflection
[powerpress] Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Jerusalem Bible Translation) Liturgy of the Word for October 6, 2013 (NAB Translations) Lectionary: 141 The liturgy of the word is fairly straight forward this week, but they serve as a great reminder of the call of our lives as disciples of Jesus. Reading 1 HB 1:2-3; 2:2-4… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – September 22, 2013 Mass Readings and Reflection
[powerpress] Twenty-Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Jerusalem Bible Translation) Liturgy of the Word for September 22, 2013 (NAB Translations) Lectionary: 135 Reflection begins at 3:30 minute mark. Reading 1 AM 8:4-7 This first reading from Amos is short and to the point. We haven’t heard from this prophet in over a year and half at Sunday… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – September 15, 2013 Mass Readings and Reflection
[powerpress] Twenty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Jerusalem Bible Translation) Liturgy of the Word for September 15, 2013 (NAB Translations) Lectionary: 132 Reflection begins at 4:40 minute mark. Reading 1 EX 32:7-11, 13-14 This first reading features a conversation between Moses and God, showing an angrier side of the Father than we are used to hearing about…. [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – September 1, 2013 Mass Readings and Reflection
[powerpress] Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Jerusalem Bible Translation) Liturgy of the Word for September 1, 2013 (USCCB NAB Readings) Lectionary: 126 Reflection begins at the 4:00 minute mark. Reading 1 SIR 3:17-18, 20, 28-29 The book of Sirach, also referred to as the book of Ecclesiasticus in some translations, is a collection of wisdom of the… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – August 25, 2013 Mass Readings and Reflection
[powerpress] Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time Readings for August 25, 2013 – Lectionary: 120 Reflection starts at 4 minute mark. Reading 1 IS 66:18-21 The week’s first reading from Isaiah doesn’t sound very new to us, but to the Jewish people, this was almost too hard to comprehend. The Jewish people rightfully thought of themselves as the… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – August 18, 2013 Mass Readings and Reflection
[powerpress] Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Readings for August 18, 2013 – Lectionary: 120 Reflection starts at 3:30 minute mark. Reading 1 JER 38:4-6, 8-10 This first reading sounds like it comes straight from the storyline of a dama. Jeremiah is caught up in a messy scandal of politics in 7th century B.C. Jerusalem. Unfortunately, we miss… [Read More]
Pope Francis Homily to Seminarians, Novices and Young People Discerning their Vocations
“You know well enough that Our Lord does not look so much at the greatness of our actions, nor even at their difficulty, but at the love with which we do them.” -St. Therese of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church On Sunday July 7th, Pope Francis celebrated the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with many… [Read More]
How to Deal with Bad Preaching
I often write and talk about the role of the arts in the church today, but one of the most broadly complained about is preaching in the Catholic Church. Bad experiences with homilies has been a prominent complaint I’ve heard among former Catholics and non-practicing Catholics. Admittedly, the Church may not be converting 3,000 people… [Read More]
