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Gospel Reflection for November 15, 2015, 33rd Sunday Ordinary Time

Sunday Readings: Daniel 12.1-3; Hebrews 10.11-14,18; Mark 13.24-32 “About the day or hour when these things will happen, no one knows.” (Mark 13.32) Sunday’s gospel comes Mark 13, often called the “little apocalypse.” Apocalyptic writing is a literary genre akin to science fiction or dystopian fiction today. It’s a resistance literature that looks at the […]

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Gospel Reflection for November 8, 2015, 32nd Sunday Ordinary Time

Sunday Readings: 1 Kings 17.10-16; Hebrews 9.24-28; Mark 12.38-44 “I want you to observe that this poor widow gave more to the treasury than all the others.” (Mark 12.43) Widows and orphans were among the poorest people in ancient Israel. The law made care of widows and orphans the measure of Israel’s commitment to keeping

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Gospel Reflection for November 1, 2015, All Saints Day

Sunday Readings: Revelation 7.2-4, 9-14; 1 John 3.1-3; Matthew 5.1-12 “Blessed are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of God is theirs.” (Matthew 5.3) When people identify the central message of Christianity, they will say loving God and neighbor or following the ten commandments. Rarely does anyone’s first response refer to the beatitudes. The thou-shalts

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Gospel Reflection for October 25, 2015, 30th Sunday Ordinary Time

Sunday Readings: Jeremiah 31.7-9; Hebrews 5.1-6; Mark 10.46-52 Bartimaeus threw of his cloak, jumped up, and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” “Teacher, I want to see again”. (Mark 10.50-51) Even before Jesus heals his blindness, Bartimaeus throws away his cloak, in which he probably

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Gospel Reflection for October 18, 2015, 29th Sunday Ordinary Time

Sunday Readings: Isaiah 53.10-11; Hebrews 3.14-16; Mark 10.35-45 “Can you drink the cup that I drink?” (Mark 10.38) “We can,” James and John respond to Jesus’ question in Sunday’s gospel. The irony of their brash response is that they do the opposite. They forsake Jesus when he gets arrested and flee with all of Jesus’

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Gospel Reflection for October 11, 2015, 28th Sunday Ordinary Time

Sunday Readings: Wisdom 7.7-11; Hebrews 4.12-13; Mark 19.17-27 “All things are possible with God.” (Mark 10.27) More than half the world people live on $2-$10 per day. In our country we hear calls to keep our economy humming, to buy and consume. Now the Catholic Church has a leader who comes from a continent where

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Gospel Reflection for October 4, 2015, 27th Sunday Ordinary Time

Sunday Readings: Genesis 2.18-24; Hebrews 2.9-11; Mark 10.2-12 “Tell us, does the Law allow a husband to divorce his wife?” (Mark 10.2) Marriage is the topic in Sunday’s gospel. In Rome this Sunday the Synod on the Family begins. Second marriages is one topic on the agenda. Many people in the pews pray the Spirit

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Gospel Reflection for September 27, 2015, 26th Sunday Ordinary Time

Sunday Readings: Numbers 11.25-29; James 5.1-6; Mark 9.38-48 “Whoever is not against us is for us.” (Mark 9.40) Jesus claims broad middle ground in this saying. Often activists, liberal or conservative, reverse Jesus’ saying and eliminate middle ground. In mobilizing advocates for change in public policies, they insist whoever is not for us is against

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Gospel Reflection for September 20, 2015, 25th Sunday Ordinary Time

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

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Gospel Reflection for September 13, 2015, 24th Sunday Ordinary Time

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

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