27TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4; 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14; Luke 17:5-10 This weekend’s first reading is from the Book of Habakkuk, a short work in comparison to the other prophets, only three chapters. In some cases, little is known about the author of a given book. In this case, the prophet identifies […]

23RD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Wisdom 9:13-18b; Philemon 9-10, 12-17; Luke 14:25-33 The Book of Wisdom provides this weekend’s liturgy with its first Scriptural reading. According to scholars, this book was written in Alexandria, Egypt, by a Jew who had emigrated from the Holy Land, or whose ancestors had come from the Holy Land. Originally, […]

21ST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Isaiah 66:18-21; Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13; Luke 13:22-30 The Book of Isaiah provides the first reading for this weekend. Isaiah is a fascinating book of Scripture. It covers a long period of Hebrew history. Its early chapters deal with events and conditions in the southern Hebrew kingdom of Judah, before the […]

19TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Wisdom 18:6-9; Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19; Luke 12:35-40 The Book of Wisdom is the source of the first reading for this weekend. Always standing high in any ancient Jewish perception of God and religion was the story of the Exodus, when God guided the Hebrews from Egypt where they had been […]

17TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Genesis 18:20-32; Colossians 2:12-14; Luke 11:1-13 Again, the Book of Genesis is the source of this weekend’s first reading. It is the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. The story has fascinated, and sobered, people for a long time. It involves catastrophic but just punishment for sinning against God. Its central […]

15TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Deuteronomy 30:10-14; Colossians 1:15-20; Luke 10:25-37 The Book of Deuteronomy, the source of the first reading for this weekend, is one of the first five books of the Bible, collectively called the Pentateuch, from the Greek word meaning “five.” These five books have been venerated for many years as containing […]

13TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME 1 Kings 19:16b, 19-21; Galatians 5:1, 13-18; Luke 9:51-62 The first reading for this weekend’s liturgy is from the First Book of Kings. While the focus, at least in terms of the books’ titles, is on the kings of Israel, prophets play a major role. Such is the case in […]