Sunday Readings: Wisdom 2.12, 17-20; James 3.16-4.3; Mark 9.30-37 “Whoever wants to be first must be last and the servant of all.” (Mark 9.35) When Jesus begins to tell his disciples that suffering lies ahead, that he will be put to death and rise again, they find themselves too afraid to ask questions. But they […]
Gospel Reflection for September 20, 2015, 25th Sunday Ordinary Time Read More »
Sunday Readings: Isaiah 50.5-9; James 2.14-18; Mark 8.27-35 “Who do you say that I am?” (Mark 8.29) Mark’s gospel explores how the faith of Jesus’ disciples matures. For all of us faith develops across the life cycle. As children, our brains limit our understanding. As adolescents, we share the faith of our families, neighbors, and
Gospel Reflection for September 13, 2015, 24th Sunday Ordinary Time Read More »
Sunday Readings: Isaiah 35.4-7; James 2.1-5; Mark 7.31-37 “He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.” (Mark 7.37) In Sunday’s gospel Jesus heals a man who is deaf. His lack of hearing separate the man from his society. He experiences the world as silent. Worse, his
Gospel Reflection for September 6, 2015, 23rd Sunday Ordinary Time Read More »
Sunday Readings: Deuteronomy 4.1-2, 6-8; James 1.17-18, 21-22, 27; Mark 7.1-8, 14-15, 21-23 “Nothing that enters a person from outside can make a person impure; it is the things that come out that defile. It is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come.” (Mark 7.18-21) Every generation has to discern which traditions
Gospel Reflection for August 30, 2015, 22nd Sunday Ordinary Time Read More »
Sunday Readings: Joshua 24.2-3, 15-17, 18; Ephesians 5.21-32; John 6.60-69 “Many of his disciples were listening to Jesus’ teaching. They said, ‘This teaching is difficult. How can anyone take it seriously’”? (John 6.60) Jesus’ disciples face a choice. Will they stay with him or drift off with the crowds? The long reflection on Jesus as
Gospel Reflection for August 23, 2015, 21st Sunday Ordinary Time Read More »
Sunday Readings: Proverbs 9.6-1; Ephesians 5.15-20; John 6.51-58 “The one who eats this bread will live forever.” (John 6.58) What kind of food do you crave? Chocolate? Popcorn? Anything salty, greasy, fried? What if there is a good that we can have a real relationship with? What if it’s a food we can not only
Gospel Reflection for August 16, 2015, 20th Sunday Ordinary Time Read More »
Sunday Readings: 1 Kings 19.4-8; Ephesians 4.30-5.2; John 6.41-51 “I am the living bread that has come down from heaven.” (John 6.51) All three groups in Sunday’s gospel passage — the disciples, the crowd, the Jews — miss the point about Jesus. His disciples doubt their resources to feed the crowd. The crowd mistakes Jesus
Gospel Reflection for August 9, 2015, 19th Sunday Ordinary Time Read More »
Sunday Readings: Exodus 16.2-4, 12-15; Ephesians 4.17, 20-24; John 6.24-35 “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6.35) When Jesus sits at table with his friends, he has little more to say to them than what he has
Gospel Reflection for August 2, 2015, 18th Sunday Ordinary Time Read More »
Sunday Readings: 2 Kings 4.42-44; Ephesians 4.1-6; John 6.1-15 “Jesus said, ‘Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat’”? (John 6.5) Like a jazz musician who plays a simple melody before spinning countless variations, John tells the core story of Jesus multiplying loaves and fishes before he begins reflecting at length on
Gospel Reflection for July 26, 2015, 17th Sunday Ordinary Time Read More »
Sunday Readings: Jeremiah 23.1-6; Ephesians 2.13-18; Mark 6.30-34 Crowds follow Jesus’ disciples back to Jesus. People’s hunger for his teaching and healing keep swelling. Mark writes the first gospel to tell Jesus’ story about A.D. 70, some 40 years after the events in the gospel. The disciples Jesus sends on mission and then welcomes back
Gospel Reflection for July 19, 2015, 16th Sunday Ordinary Time Read More »