Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Isaiah 62:1-5; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; John 2:1-11 The Book of Isaiah furnishes this weekend’s first reading. When this third section of Isaiah was written, the Hebrew people had just emerged from a terrible period in their history. Their homeland, divided into two kingdoms after the death of King Solomon, had […]
Msgr. Owen F. Campion: Let us follow God’s call to ‘perfect day’
Epiphany of the Lord Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6; Matthew 2:1-12 This weekend the church celebrates the ancient feast of the Epiphany of the Lord, reflecting upon the visit of magi “from the East” to the crib of the newborn savior. The first reading is from the third and last section of Isaiah. After four […]
Msgr. Owen F. Campion: Promise of savior brings joy, hope
Fourth Sunday of Advent Micah 5:1-4a; Hebrews 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-45. This weekend observes the last Sunday in Advent. The first reading is from the Book of Micah, who is regarded as one of the minor prophets, in large part because of the book’s brevity. It contains only seven chapters. (By contrast, the Book of Isaiah […]
Msgr. Owen F. Campion: Hard times inspire calls to be faithful
Second Sunday of Advent Baruch 5:1-9; Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11; Luke 3:1-6 The Book of Baruch, the source of this Advent’s weekend first biblical reading, is relatively brief, only five chapters. It also is among the books called the Apocrypha by Protestant scholars. As such it does not appear in the King James Version of the […]
Msgr. Owen F. Campion: Christ, our king, will never leave us
Feast of Christ the King Daniel 7:13-14; Revelation 1:5-8; John 18:33b-37 This weekend, in great joy and thanksgiving, the church closes its year. As it looks back through the days and months of 2024, it gives thanks for salvation achieved in Christ the Lord. He is king, and justice and peace only occur when Jesus […]
Msgr. Owen F. Campion: Trusting in God is hard, but vital
Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time 1 Kings 17:10-16; Hebrews 9:24-28; Mark 12:38-44 The First Book of Kings furnishes this weekend’s first reading from the Scriptures. Political governance, in the minds of the ancient Hebrews, was not the chief function of their kings. Rather, their kings’ primary duty was assuring the nation’s faithfulness to God and […]
Msgr. Owen F. Campion: Gaining God’s mercy brings clarity, insight
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Jeremiah 31:7-9; Hebrews 5:1-6; Mark 10:46-52 The Book of Jeremiah provides this weekend’s first reading. A few facts about Jeremiah are known from the book itself. He was from Anatoth, a village only a few miles from Jerusalem, and he was the son of Hilkiah, a priest. He acted as […]
Msgr. Owen F. Campion: Discipleship calls for total devotion
Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time Wisdom 7:7-11; Hebrews 4:12-13; Mark 10:17-30 The Book of Wisdom provides the first reading. This book came to be many centuries ago as devout Jews, distant from their homeland and from their religious and cultural roots, attempted to confront the great pressure put upon them by the overwhelmingly pagan societies […]
Msgr. Owen F. Campion: Seek God’s help, not earthly gains
Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Numbers 11:25-29; James 5:1-6; Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48 The Book of Numbers, the source of the first reading for this weekend, is one of the first five books of the Bible. The ancient Hebrews, and Jews today, attribute these five books, collectively called the Pentateuch, to Moses. Always, however, Moses […]
Msgr. Owen F. Campion: Following the Lord means staying strong
Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Isaiah 50:5-9a; James 2:14-18; Mark 8:27-35 The last and third section of the Book of Isaiah provides the first reading for this weekend in Ordinary Time. This passage is one of several similar sections in Trito-Isaiah. These sections together are called the Songs of the Suffering Servant. Poetic and expressive, […]
