The Sermon on the Mount 2: Salt of the Earth, Light of the World (The Mass Readings Explained)

My latest video is now out.  I hope it helps, and please Like and Share!  Thanks!

Kingdom of the Humble Poor: 4th Sunday in OT

 

Sea of Galilee viewed from Mount of Beatitudes

Children play make-believe games in which they are royalty—kings and queens, princes and princesses—but one of the main attractions of this kind of fantasy play is the imagined wealth that goes along with it.  Who would not like to wear the finest clothes, live in the finest dwellings, dine on the best food, and be waited on hand and foot by servants?

This is our standard notion of what “royalty” involves, but in this Sunday’s readings Jesus inaugurates a new kingdom, the “kingdom of heaven,” in which the aristocrats are going to live a lifestyle completely opposite of Robin Leach’s “rich and famous.”

1. Our Reading is Zep 2:3; 3:12-13:

The Sermon on the Mount 1: The Beatitudes (The Mass Readings Explained)

The latest release in The Mass Readings Explained is now out for this upcoming Sunday's Mass Readings (4th Sunday in Ordinary Time).  I hope it helps, and please Like and Share if you can.

Thanks.

Joy in Dropping Everything to Follow: 3rd Sunday of OT

The Readings for this Sunday focus in part on the theme of joy, the joy that comes from recognizing Jesus Christ as the light of the world, the ray of sunshine from God who shows us a different way to live, a way that will lead to an eternal friendship with a God who loves us as our Father.  Jesus is the joy and light that first was promised to the people of Israel long ago, but is now available to the whole world, from Sweden to Swaziland.

1.  Our First Reading is Isaiah 8:23-9:3:

Jesus' Public Life Begins - Galilee and the Twelve Apostles (The Mass Readings Explained)

My latest video is now out.  I hope it helps!  If you can, please Like and Share!  Thanks.

Afterglow of the Baptism: Readings for the 2nd Sunday of OT

The Readings for the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time this year are like a “holy hangover” from the Feasts of Epiphany and Baptism that we celebrated last week.  Traditionally, three events of our Lord’s life have been celebrated clumped together around January 6, between the Christmas season and the transition to ordinary time.  These are the arrival of the magi (Epiphany), the Baptism, and the Wedding at Cana.  These are the three events in the various Gospels that “manifest” or show forth Jesus’ glory at the beginning of his life or career: the Magi in Matthew, the Baptism in Mark and Luke, and the Wedding at Cana in John.  In the modern lectionary, the Wedding at Cana is read on the Sunday after the Baptism only in Year C.  This is Year A, and following the Baptism (which was last Monday—on years when Epiphany is observed on Jan 7 or 8, Baptism is celebrated the next day) we read the reflection on the Baptism from the mouth of John the Baptist, as recorded in the Gospel of John.  The Readings for this Mass focus on the role of Jesus as God’s definitive Servant, come to show the glory and salvation of God to the whole world.

New Set on History and the Bible!

Ever wonder if the Bible is really history?  Catholic Productions has just rolled out my three-hour overview of this question.  While we can't address every historical claim the Bible makes, I do point out many of the most significant historical and archeological finds that confirm key points of the Bible's narratives.  From the unearthing of St. John's "Pools of Bethesda" (John 5) to the recovering of the "Taylor Prism" with the account of Sennacherib's siege of Jerusalem (2 Kings 18-19), we come to see that the main biblical narrative is rooted in history in a way unlike the  myths and sagas of other ancient peoples.  Click here: http://bit.ly/2j7T3OR

The Gospel of Matthew: An Introduction (The Mass Readings Explained)

Catholic Productions just released the bonus video I did as part of The Mass Readings Explained series. I hope it gives some insight into the Gospel and provides a good primer as we start moving through the Gospel of Matthew with the Church each week in the liturgy. 

If you can kindly Like and Share that would great. Thank you and God Bless!

John the Baptist and the Lamb of God (The Mass Readings Explained)

My latest video is now out.  I hope it helps!  Please Like and Share if you can.  Thank you!

The Readings for Epiphany!

The word “Epiphany” comes from two Greek words: epi, “on, upon”; and phaino, “to appear, to shine.” Therefore, the “Epiphany” refers to the divinity of Jesus “shining upon” the earth, in other words, the manifestation of his divine nature.

Epiphany: The Mystery of the Magi (The Mass Readings Explained)

My latest video is now out over at Catholic Productions.   I hope it helps and please be sure to Like and Share!  Thanks!