THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT Exodus 3:1-8a, 13-15, 1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12, Luke 13:1-9 The Book of Exodus provides the first reading. It recalls the encounter between God and Moses at the burning bush. Moses is reported as tending his father-in-law’s flock. Suddenly an angel appeared and led Moses to a bush. The bush, although on […]

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT Micah 5:1-4a; Hebrews 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-45 This weekend the church observes the last Sunday in Advent. The first reading is from the Book of Micah. Micah is regarded as one of the Minor Prophets. It is a relatively short book, containing only seven chapters. By contrast, the Book of Isaiah has […]

2ND SUNDAY OF ADVENT Baruch 5:1-9; Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11; Luke 3:1-6 The Book of Baruch provides the first reading for this Second Sunday of Advent. Baruch is not one of the major prophets. With only five chapters, his book is relatively brief, certainly when the long books of Ezekiel, Isaiah and Jeremiah are considered. It […]

Wisdom 7:7-11; Hebrews 4:12-13; Mark 10:17-30 The Book of Wisdom is the source of this weekend’s first reading. As the name implies, this ancient book was designed to insist that believing in the one God of Israel, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, was not ridiculous but, in fact, the ultimate in wisdom and […]

  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. Jews see Moses, however, as only the […]

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. Together they are called the Songs of the Suffering Servant. Poetic and expressive, they figure in the liturgies of […]