Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12; 1 Corinthians 3:9c-11, 16-17; John 2:13-22 This weekend, the church celebrates the feast of the dedication of the Basilica of St. John on the Lateran Hill in Rome. Most Catholics, and indeed most people, presume St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome is […]
Msgr. Owen F. Campion: God honors humility, not pride
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18; 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18; Luke 18:9-14 The Book of Sirach provides this weekend’s first Scriptural reading. The book is part of that group of biblical writings classified by scholars collectively as “wisdom literature.” Wisdom literature developed through an interesting, and very believable, process. As conditions worsened in […]
Msgr. Owen F. Campion: God heals, and we give thanks
Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time 2 Kings 5:14-17; 2 Timothy 2:8-13; Luke 17:11-19 The Second Book of Kings furnishes this weekend with its first Scriptural reading at Mass. Once the two books of Kings were a single volume, but time passed, and editors divided the volume into two parts. These writings are among the Old […]
Msgr. Owen F. Campion: Judge life by God’s standards
Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Amos 6:1a, 4-7; 1 Timothy 6:11-16; Luke 16:19-31 The Book of Amos provides this weekend’s first reading. The book itself states that it was written during the reign of King Uzziah of Judah, or between 783 and 742 BC. It was a time of tranquility and prosperity. No wars troubled […]
Msgr. Owen F. Campion: To love God, we must love others without reservations
Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross Numbers 21:4b-9; Philippians 2:6-11; John 3:13-17 This weekend the church celebrates the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. It supplants the observance of the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time. The Book of Numbers provides the first reading. Numbers is the fourth book in sequence of […]
Msgr. Owen F. Campion: Practice humility, love for others
Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29; Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24a; Luke 14:1, 7-14 The Book of Sirach furnishes this weekend’s first Scripture reading. Sirach is among those biblical volumes collectively called the “wisdom literature,” a designation meaning that these books show that the Jews’ ancient faith in the one God of Israel, and […]
Msgr. Owen F. Campion: Resist sin’s pull; turn to God
Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10; Hebrews 12:1-4; Luke 12:49-53 The Book of Jeremiah is the source of the first reading for this weekend. Jeremiah is regarded as one of the more important prophets, along with Isaiah and Ezekiel. Jeremiah was active as a prophet during the reign of King Josiah of Judah, […]
Msgr. Owen F. Campion: We are not in control; God is
Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Ecclesiastes 1:2, 2:21-23; Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11; Luke 12:13-21 The first reading this weekend is from the Book of Ecclesiastes. The first verse states that the book is the work of Qoheleth, a son of King David, although no proper name is used. The book’s name comes from the Greek, and […]
Msgr. Owen F. Campion: Nothing is impossible for God when we welcome him in
Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Genesis 18:1-10a; Colossians 1:24-28; Luke 10:38-42 The Book of Genesis, unfortunately, bears the burden of being remembered, and is usually misunderstood, only in terms of its creation narratives. While the creation of all things and beings in existence by Almighty God is a major revelation, Genesis has much more to […]
Msgr. Owen F. Campion: Loving God frees us from sin’s grasp
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Isaiah 66:10-4; Galatians 6:14-18; Luke 10:1-2, 17-20 The first reading is from the third section of Isaiah. The three sections of this book, so favored over the years by pious Jews as well as devout Christians, saw a great sweep of Hebrew history — from before the Babylonian conquest, through […]