Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time Sunday August 14, 2016 Lectionary: 120 (NAB Translation) Reading 1 Jeremiah 38:4-6,8-10 This week’s first reading from the book of prophet Jeremiah recounts for us the challenges we may be faced with when conveying God’s truth when the message is unpopular. In this passage Jeremiah is accused of demoralizing… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – July 31, 2016 Mass Readings and Reflections
Eighteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time Sunday July 31, 2016 Lectionary: 114 (NAB Translation) Reading 1 Ecclesiastes 1:2,2:21-23 This week’s first reading from the book of Ecclesiastes is part of the great wisdom literature of the Old Testament. The tone of this book is unusual because it presents what appears to be a negative and depressing… [Read More]
Sunday Says – December 28, 2014 Mass Readings and Reflection
December 28, 2014 Feast of The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph Lectionary: 17 (NAB Readings) (Jerusalem Bible Translation) This is a Sunday mass that has several options for the each of the readings, Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Gospel lengths. The version or length could vary grately from parish to parish, but the… [Read More]
12 Faces that Show the Struggles of Advent
We often take ourselves too seriously, especially when it comes to the pursuit of holiness. Too often do I come across misconceptions about the many limitations and boxes people confine their notions of what saintliness can or should look like. I often think it’s because of the misunderstanding of what it means to seek God…. [Read More]
The Challenge of Advent
“Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Be watchful! Be alert!…’ ” Advent is a challenging time for Catholics. With the exception of Mass, it’s easy to let Advent be consumed and overshadowed in our daily lives, as society pushes Halloween into Christmas with a small glint of Thanksgiving thrown in. “….You do not know when the… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – August 31, 2014 Mass Readings and Reflection
Sunday August 31, 2014 Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 124 (NAB Translation)(Jerusalem Bible Translation) First Reading Jeremiah 20:7-9 In this week’s first reading from the Prophet Jeremiah, we hear some of the personality that earned him the nickname the “crying prophet.” Living a prophet’s life sounds like it would be blessed since it is… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – June 8, 2014 Pentecost Mass Readings and Reflections
Sunday June 8, 2014 – Pentecost Sunday (NAB Readings) Mass during the Day Lectionary: 63 “Come, Holy Spirit, come! And from your celestial home Shed a ray of light divine!” – From the Sequence of Pentecost Happy Pentecost! It gets it’s name from the 50 days of Easter. This is a great feast, the birthday of the… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – March 23, 2014 Mass Readings and Reflections
Sunday March 23, 2014 Mass Readings and Reflection Third Sunday of Lent (NAB Readings) (Jerusalem Bible Readings) Lectionary: 28 We’re now in the third week of Lent, almost half way there. This week, the tone of the readings signal a constant reminder of the opportunities that God provides for us. Reading 1 EX 17:3-7 Today’s… [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 1, 2013 Mass Readings and Reflections
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 more… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – November 17, 2013 Mass Readings and Reflection
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 for… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – November 3, 2013 Mass Readings and Reflection
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 His… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – October 27, 2013 Mass Readings and Reflections
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 considered… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – October 20, 2013 Mass Readings and Reflection
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 Moses…. [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – October 6, 2013 Mass Readings and Reflection
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 This… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – September 22, 2013 Mass Readings and Reflection
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 mass,… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – September 15, 2013 Mass Readings and Reflection
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. The… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – September 8, 2013 Mass Readings and Reflection
Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time http://universalis.com/mass.htm Sunday September 8, 2013 Reading 1: Wisdom 9:13-18b This week’s first reading comes from the book of Wisdom. This book is generally not found in non- Catholic bibles, but is part of our Canon of scripture and was used at the time of Christ. Here the author… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – September 1, 2013 Mass Readings and Reflection
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 Jewish… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – August 25, 2013 Mass Readings and Reflection
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 people… [Read More]
6 Things You Need to Do Before Mass
Going to Mass is about more than just making it in the door for Communion. My day-to-day life has changed significantly in the last few months, so I have found myself approaching Mass attendance in a whole new way. It used to be part of work. My biggest concern was getting to attend a whole… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – August 18, 2013 Mass Readings and Reflection
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 most… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – August 11, 2013 Mass Readings and Reflection
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year C Sunday August 11, 2013 Reading 1 WIS 18:6-9 This week’s first reading comes from a very Catholic book. The book of wisdom comes from what is sometimes referred to as the Apocrypha, but we Catholics just say that it is part of the canon of scripture…. [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast – August 4, 2013 Mass Readings and Reflection
Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year C August 5, 2013 First Reading ECC 1:2; 2:21-23 This week’s first reading includes a very unique passage. It’s from one of the most difficult books to understand. In fact, this is the only time we’ll hear from the book of Ecclesiastes on a Sunday in the… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast: July 28, 2013 Mass Readings and Reflection
Reflection starts at 5:30 minute mark. Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary July 28, 2013 First Reading GN 18:20-32 In the first reading we see further development of the identity and character of Father Abraham, as we have seen the pat few weeks. Here we see that he has a very personal relationship with God. The Lord… [Read More]
Sunday Says Podcast: July 21, 2013 Mass Readings and Reflection
Reflection starts at 3:50 minute mark. Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary First Reading GN 18:1-10A This is a fascinating story that hides some supernatural details. On the surface, this looks like a very simple lesson about the importance of good hospitality, especially in contrast to the difficult times Abraham and Sarah experienced in Egypt and… [Read More]
Don’t Ignore Advent
I believe in the sun even when it’s not shining. I believe in Love even when I don’t feel it. I believe in God even when he is silent. We’re 15 days away from Christmas. We are in a time of preparation, both of the celebration of the birth of Jesus of many years ago… [Read More]
The Art of Making a Good Advent
During the past few years I have found that the first Sunday of Advent, much like its secular equivalent of New Year’s Day on January 1, is a great time of looking forward with hope and anticipation, a chance to “restart the spiritual clock” and to reflect on what we can do to better prepare… [Read More]
It’s a Difference of Feeling – Making Mass Meaningful
We’ve all thought it at some point in our lives: “Why does Mass have to be so boring?” I’ll admit to it. Growing up in a Catholic household, I used to dread going to Mass (although for a youngster I think that’s almost expected). And there have been times – yes, even as an adult… [Read More]
