ASCENSION OF THE LORD Acts 1:1-11; Ephesians 1:17-23; Mark 16:15-20 The Acts of the Apostles supplies the first reading for this important feast day in the church, the celebration of the Lord’s wondrous ascension into heaven. This reading begins as if it were a letter. It is addressed to Theophilus, as was the Gospel of […]

FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER Acts of the Apostles 9:26-31; 1 John 3:18-24; John 15:1-8 The Acts of the Apostles, once again, furnishes the first reading for the liturgy in the season of Easter. This weekend’s reading is about Paul, and Barnabas. In the story, Paul, who was converted on the road to Damascus, and who […]

FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 5:7-9; John 12:20-33 The Book of Jeremiah is the source of this Lenten weekend’s first Scriptural reading. Jeremiah ranks among the greatest of the ancient Hebrew prophets. He wrote at a very difficult time for his people. Outside pressures had come to be so strong that the very […]

THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT Exodus 20:1-17; 1 Corinthians 1:22-25; John 2:13-25 The Book of Exodus is the source of the first biblical reading this weekend. This book is about the Hebrew people, enslaved and dreadfully mistreated in Egypt. Eventually, they escaped from Egypt and found their new homeland. None of this good fortune, of escaping […]

5TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Job 7:1-4, 6-7; 1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23; Mark 1:29-39 The Book of Job is the source of this weekend’s first reading. Scholars disagree as to when this book was written. This book furnishes few details about the identity of Job. It is nonetheless one of the great literary works in […]

3RD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Jonah 3:1-5, 10;1 Corinthians 7:29-31; Mark 1:14-20 The Book of Jonah is the source for the first reading. Scholars believe that the Book of Jonah was written sometime after the Babylonian Exile of the Jews. This reading speaks of Jonah’s visit to Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire, located […]