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 […]
Msgr. Owen F. Campion: When we hunger, God gives us love
Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ Genesis 14:18-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; Luke 9:11-17 This weekend the church celebrates the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, or Corpus Christi, as it was known in the days of the Latin liturgy. On all its feast days, the church has a threefold purpose. The first […]
Msgr. Owen F. Campion: Devotion to Christ is a collective act
Feast of Pentecost Acts 2:1-11; 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13; John 20:19-23 In the church’s liturgical year, only Easter and Christmas eclipse Pentecost. The importance, and grandeur, of these feasts of course derive from the events being commemorated. The church also sees them all as highly important because of the lessons to be learned from the […]
Msgr. Owen F. Campion: Church shows us path to heaven
Sixth Sunday of Easter Acts of the Apostles 15:1-2, 22-29; Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23; John 14:23-29 The Acts of the Apostles again provides the first reading for a weekend in the Easter season. As it grew, Christianity not only expanded beyond its original base in the Holy Land, but it also drew gentiles in foreign lands. […]
Msgr. Owen F. Campion: Jesus is still with us, still speaks to us
Fourth Sunday of Easter Acts of the Apostles 13:14, 43-52; Revelation 7:9, 14b-17; John 10:27-30 The Acts of the Apostles supplies the first reading. It gives a glimpse into the “modus vivendi” of St. Paul as he moved across Asia Minor in his proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus. Paul evidently first went to synagogues. It is […]
Msgr. Owen F. Campion: Apostles help us know that Christ is still with us
Second Sunday of Easter Acts of the Apostles 5:12-16; Revelation 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19; John 20:19-31 The Acts of the Apostles supplies this weekend’s first reading. The first several chapters of Acts are fascinating since they so well depict the life of the early Christian community in Jerusalem. This depiction begins with the story of the […]
Msgr. Owen F. Campion: Passion reveals God’s steadfast love and mercy
Palm Sunday Luke 19:28-40 (blessing of the palms); Isaiah 50:4-7; Philippians 2:6-11; Luke 22:14-23:56 The church this weekend leads us to the climax of Lent, the observance of Holy Week, by offering the impressive liturgy of Palm Sunday. Recalling the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem — for Luke the utter apex of the entire […]