God did not simply free the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and walk away. Rather, He chose to establish a covenant with them (see today’s first reading). In doing so, He formed a relationship with them. It was not a legal relationship established through a legal contract. It was covenant. The difference? A covenant is …
This Sunday we celebrate The Most Holy Trinity. In today’s second reading, Paul concludes his Second Letter to the Corinthians invoking the Trinity as he writes, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” We begin our prayers by …
“After Jesus had been taken up to heaven the apostles returned to Jerusalem.” There, “they went to the upper room” (first reading for this 7th Sunday of Easter) The upper room is where they had gathered with Jesus after his Resurrection. It is a familiar place. Just before He ascended Jesus had told his disciples …
There is suffering in the world. We wish there wasn’t. We pray for an end to all suffering. We need to seek to do our part to alleviate suffering. Yet, we know the reality is that there is suffering. It might be from illness. It may be job-related. It may be as a consequence of …
Our first reading today begins with Peter standing up with the Eleven. All of the Eleven were called to be Apostles. As God’s calling, this was their vocation in life. Peter is called to be the first among the Apostles. This is his vocation.. Today, the Fourth Sunday of Easter, we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday. …
In the midst of the Babylonian Exile God offers Ezekiel a vision that points to the Resurrection and new life (first reading – read all of chapter 37 for the whole story). The Lord promises that He will open our graves and have us rise from them. He offers this promise having just offered a …
In today’s gospel we hear the story of the man who was born blind. In those days, serious illnesses like blindness were seen as punishment for sin. So, seeing the man who was been blind from birth, Jesus’ disciples ask him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?“. His …
Our first reading today comes from Genesis 12 where the story of Abram, who God would later rename “Abraham.” Before this passage, the only mention of Abraham is his genealogy presented in Genesis 11:10-32. These four verses in today’s first reading tell us two very profound things about Abraham. First, that he has been chosen …
“The LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life.“ These are the words that begin our first reading today. God created humanity. The first part of this verse is taking literally by some. God formed us out of the clay. They use the …
Our first reading from Sirach speaks of the choice we have. It is our choice whether to follow God’s commandments or not. God gives us free will to make our choice. However, we must realize our choices have consequences. If we choose to keep the commandments, “if you trust in God, you too shall live.” …
