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, […]
Msgr. Owen F. Campion: Obeying God’s law requires us to act
Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8; James 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27; Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 The Book of Deuteronomy is the source of this weekend’s first reading. Deuteronomy is from the Pentateuch, the collection of five books that appears as a group first in sequence in the present versions of the Bible. The Pentateuch […]
Msgr. Owen F. Campion: We need the Lord in order to survive
EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15; Ephesians 4:17, 20-24; John 6:24-35 The Book of Exodus provides us with the first reading in this weekend’s Liturgy of the Word. As the name implies, this book of the Bible traces the path of the Hebrews as they fled Egypt, under the leadership of Moses, and […]
Msgr. Owen F. Campion: Authentic prophets share God’s truth
SIXTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Jeremiah 23:1-6; Ephesians 2:13-18; Mark 6:30-34 The Book of Jeremiah is the source of this weekend’s first reading. One of the three major prophets of ancient Israel, Jeremiah so firmly saw himself as God’s representative that he wrote as if God were writing through him. So, in Jeremiah’s works, God […]
Msgr. Owen F. Campion: Jesus guides us despite our flaws
Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time Ezekiel 2:2-5; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10; Mark 6:1-6 The Book of Ezekiel furnishes the first reading. The prophet speaks in the first person. He says that he literally heard God speaking to him. God told Ezekiel that he was sending him to the Israelites, who had rebelled against God’s holy law, […]
