February 13, 2011 – Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Sirach 15:15-20; Psalm 119; 1 Corinthians 2:6-10; Matthew 5:17-37 or 5:20-22, 27-28, 33-34, 37 Choices, choices, choices! They are all around us. It doesn’t matter whether you look at the selection of breads in the grocery store, or consider what model of car you need, or […]
Stewardship Reflection on Lectionary Readings for the Week of Feb. 6, 2011
February 6, 2011 – Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Isaiah 58:7-10; Psalm 112; 1 Corinthians 2:1-5; Matthew 5:13-16 Why do you perform good deeds? Is your goal the glory of God, or are you looking for human praise? The motivation behind our service is important to God, according to our Lord Jesus Christ. In a […]
Stewardship Reflection on Lectionary Readings for the Week of Jan. 30, 2011
January 30, 2011 – Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13; Psalm 146; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Matthew 5:1-12 All too often, it seems, God doesn’t give us the comfort we want, but instead challenges us to live on a higher level than we’d like. What we’d really like is for God to congratulate us […]
Stewardship Reflection on Lectionary Readings for the Week of Jan. 23, 2011
January 23, 2011 – Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Isaiah 8:23 – 9:3; Psalm 27; 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17; Matthew 4:12-23 or 4:12-17 What would you do if you heard Jesus calling you? How would you respond? People do respond to him in different ways, you know. The rich young ruler went away sorrowful, because […]
Stewardship Reflection on Lectionary Readings for the Week of Jan. 16, 2011
January 16, 2011 – Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Isaiah 49:3, 5-6; Psalm 40; 1 Corinthians 1:1-3; John 1:29-34 The Corinthian Christians must have been shocked when they received a letter from the Apostle Paul, who had founded that Church not long before. They thought they were making great progress in following the new faith […]
Stewardship Reflection on Lectionary Readings for the Week of Jan. 9, 2011
January 9, 2011 – The Baptism of the Lord Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7; Psalm 29; Acts 10:34-38; Matthew 3:13-17 On the face of it, Jesus’ baptism by St. John the Baptist would seem to have been unnecessary. At least, that’s how it seemed to John. The baptism he proclaimed, as we heard in Advent, was a […]
Stewardship Reflection on Lectionary Readings for the Week of Jan. 2, 2011
January 2, 2011 — The Epiphany of the Lord Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72; Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6; Matthew 2:1-12 The word epiphany, as we’ve all heard in homilies, comes from the Greek term for “appearance” or “manifestation” and commemorates the coming of the Magi to worship the infant Jesus. It’s ranked as a Solemnity, the highest […]
Stewardship Reflection on Lectionary Readings for the Week of Dec. 26, 2010
December 26, 2010 — The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14; Psalm 128; Colossians 3:12-21 or 3:12-17; Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23 The author of Ecclesiastes, in a familiar passage (3:1-8), presented a series of opposite events and stated that there is an appropriate time for each. (“A time to be born, and […]
Stewardship Reflection on Lectionary Readings for the Week of Dec. 19, 2010
December 19, 2010 – Fourth Sunday of Advent Isaiah 7:10-14; Psalm 24; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-24 King Ahaz of Judah undoubtedly meant to sound pious when he refused the invitation from God through the prophet Isaiah to ask God for a sign. After all, he knew what was written in Deuteronomy (6:16), “You shall not […]
Stewardship Reflection on Lectionary Readings for the Week of Dec. 12, 2010
Dec. 12, 2010 — Third Sunday of Advent Isaiah 35:1-6, 10; Psalm 146; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11 It’s hard to wait when we know something special is coming. As a child, it seemed to take forever for the next birthday to roll around. And Christmas? It seemed like it would never arrive! It’s a little […]
