Jesus' Take on Family Values: 20th Sunday in OT

In recent decades, the term “family values” has almost become a code word for “Christian culture” in American society.  Influential Christian organizations have adopted names like “Focus on the Family,” “American Family Association,” the “Family Research Council”; and on the Catholic side of things we have “Catholic Family Land,” “Tradition, Family and Property,” or “The Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute,” better known as “C-FAM.”  The natural family unit—based on a husband and wife who have made an exclusive, permanent, public commitment to share a common life and raise children together—has been under such political and social pressure that at times we almost identify Christianity as a social movement to promote family life.

In this context, this Sunday’s Mass Readings can be unsettling.  Jesus says he has “not come to bring peace but division.”  Come again?  Lord, with due respect, isn’t one of your messianic titles “Prince of Peace?”  Then again, the Lord speaks of causing division and struggle within families—strife in the family unit caused by Jesus!  How can this be?  Doesn’t Jesus believe in “family values”?

1.  Our First Reading is Jer 38:4-6, 8-10:

Be Ready! The Master is Coming Back: Mass Readings Explained (The Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time)

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Always Prepared: Readings for the 19th Sunday in OT

My father once served as the chaplain for the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut.  (U.S. Navy chaplains also serve the Marines and the Coast Guard).  I have fond memories of that beautiful seaside city.  In any event, perhaps the only bit of Coast Guard culture that I absorbed during my dad’s tour of duty was the motto: Semper Paratus, “Always Prepared,” which seems an appropriate summation of the theme of this Sunday’s Readings, which stress vigilance in the Christian life.  In fact, these Readings feel like something we might get in November, closer to the Solemnity of Christ the King, but here they are coming to us in the middle of Ordinary Time.  Yet perhaps that’s appropriate, because it is not just at the end of our lives (or the liturgical year) that we need to be vigilant, but at all times—even and especially when its literally or metaphorically “summertime, and the livin’ is easy …”

1.  Our First Reading is Wisdom 18:6-9:

The Rich Fool and the Danger of Wealth: The Mass Readings Explained (The Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time)

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Wealth and Poverty: The 18th Sunday of OT

“How I long for a poor Church for the poor!”

These were some of the first words of Pope Francis’ pontificate, and the Readings this week support the Pope’s emphasis on the spiritual value of poverty.  Texts from the Old and New Testaments remind us that human happiness is not to be found in the accumulation of material goods.  Riches are fleeting and empty.  We are called instead to “store up treasure in heaven, where neither rust nor moth destroy, where thieves cannot break in and steal.”

1.  Our First Reading is Ecc 1:2; 2:21-23:

Scepter Releases Pocket Catholic NT

There have been at least a dozen times that Pope Francis has urged Catholics to carry a NT with them, and Scepter Press has just helped fulfill that call by producing a high-quality RSVCE translation of the NT in a handy pocket-sized format.  Before this, the only similar NT available was the old Confraternity edition, the precursor of the NAB.  It was pretty good, but I'm sure most Catholic readers of the NT would like a more up-to-date translation.  This edition can be purchased from Scepter Publishers here.  Stuart Dunn has a good review of it over on his blog.

Jesus Teaches Us How To Pray: The Mass Readings Explained (The Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time)

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Haggling With God: 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Who has the guts to bargain with the Divinity?  Abraham, the father of the Israel, does.  In the Readings for this Sunday, we find united several themes: persistence in prayer, the justice and mercy of God, the generosity of God.

1.  Our First Reading is Gn 18:20-3:

The Myth of the Council of Jamnia and the Origin of the Bible

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Martha, Mary and the One Thing Necessary: The Mass Readings Explained (The Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time)

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Entertaining God: The 16th Sunday of OT

This Sunday, as we continue to accompany Jesus on his fateful journey to Jerusalem in the Gospel of Luke, we are confronted with a pair of Readings in which human beings host a meal for God: Abraham for the LORD in the First Reading; Martha and Mary for Jesus in the Gospel.  But is it really possible for us to “do God a favor” by giving him a nice meal?  We are going to discover that, while God graciously accepts our services, it’s really about what God does for us, not what we can do for him.

1.  The First Reading is Gn 18:1-10a:

The Jewish Roots of the Merciful Samaritan: The Mass Readings Explained (The Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time)

While I'm not as clever with the titles as John apparently is(!), after you check out his post below,  I hope my video may be of help to you as well.   And, if you can, please Like and Share!  Thanks!

Won't You Be My Neighbor? The 15th Sunday of OT

Fred Rogers used to sing at the opening of his classic children’s show:

It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood
A beautiful day for a neighbor
Would you be mine? Could you be mine? …
Won't you be my neighbor?
Won't you please, won't you please?
 Please won't you be my neighbor?

Fred Rogers was a highly theological educated man, an ordained Presbyterian minister who also gave generous grants to St. Vincent’s College and Seminary (Roman Catholic) in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.  I think he was well aware of the theological significance of the concept of “neighbor,” which we will explore through the Readings for this Sunday.

This Sunday Jesus issues us a strong challenge to break down the barriers and prejudices that prevent us from showing love to other human beings.  Jesus’ teaching is in continuity with the best synthesis of the moral instruction of the Old Testament and Judaism, which views every human being as a “neighbor.”

1.  The First Reading is Dt 30:10-14:

The Mysterious 70 (or 72?) Disciples: The Mass Readings Explained (The Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time)

Check out John's commentary on this Sunday's Mass readings below and then check out my supplemental video.  I hope it helps!

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Gathering the New Jerusalem: The 14th Sunday of OT

In the Readings for this Sunday, Jesus continues his final journey, his fateful “death march” toward Jerusalem (Luke 9–19, the “Travel Narrative”) that began formally in Luke 9:51.  The past several Sundays have foreshadowed Jesus' coming suffering and death, but  this Sunday we get a reprieve as themes of suffering recede into the background.  We are temporarily caught up in the joy of Jesus' ministry, as he assembles around himself a congregation of disciples who constitute a spiritual “Jerusalem.”  In the healing ministry of Jesus and his disciples, we see a fulfillment of certain prophecies of peace and restoration to the “holy city” of the LORD.

1. The First Reading is Is 66:10-14c:

The Call of Discipleship: 13th Sunday in OT

The Readings for this upcoming Sunday continue the strong call to discipleship issued in last Sunday's Readings.  Jesus stresses that following him must be an immediate and complete commitment of one's entire person.  As someone once said, "Jesus did not come to suffer, die and rise from the dead in order to create 'cultural Catholics.'"

1.  Our First Reading is from 1 Kgs 19:16b, 19-21:

Let the Dead Bury Their Dead: The Mass Readings Explained (The Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time)

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The Messianic Secret: The Mass Readings Explained (The Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time)

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Turning to Face the Cross: 12th Sunday of OT

As the Church reads through the Gospel of Luke this year, we reach a transition point in this Sunday's text (Luke 9:18-24) where the focus of the Gospel begins to shift toward Christ's coming passion and death.  Sorrowful though his suffering will be, ironically it shall serve as the source of the life-giving “water” about which the other readings speak. 

1.  Our First Reading is from Zechariah 12:10-11; 13:1:

Jesus and the Sinful Woman: The Mass Readings Explained (The Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time)

After reading John's commentary below on this Sunday's Mass readings, check out my video.  I hope it helps!

Faith, Love, and Forgiveness: The 11th Sunday of OT

 

The Readings for this Sunday revolve around a constellation of fundamental issues in our relationship with God: sin, repentance, forgiveness, faith, and love.  Two of the passages used in this liturgy have been battlegrounds in the theological polemic between Protestants and Catholics, but ought not to be so.

1.  Our First Reading is 2 Samuel 12:7-10, 13:

Life from the Dead: 10th Week of Ordinary Time

This Sunday we return to Ordinary Time, picking up with the tenth week in Year C.  “Tenth week?  What happened to weeks 6,7,8, and 9?” you might ask.  Well, weeks 7,8, & 9 were pre-empted by Pentecost, Trinity, and Corpus Christi, respectively.  And week 6 was skipped, because otherwise we would not get to Week 34 (Christ the King) before Advent 2017 started.  The practical result of all that is we omit Luke 6 from the cycle of readings this year, and skip ahead to Luke 7.

The Readings this Sunday are focussed on the theme of resurrection from the dead.  The First Reading recounts Elijah raising a boy from the dead.  The Psalm praises God for delivering David from Sheol (the grave). In the Epistle, Paul recounts seeing the risen Christ.  In the Gospel, Jesus raises the son of the widow of Nain.

1.  We begin with 1 Kgs 17:17-24: 

Jesus Raises the Widow of Nain's Son: The Mass Readings Explained (The Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time)

Improve your participation at Mass this Sunday with my latest video explaining the Mass readings.  I hope it helps.

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After reading John's commentary on the Mass readings for this Sunday, check out my video.

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Satisfying Hunger for God: The Feast of Corpus Christi

I love the early summer liturgical “trifecta” of Pentecost, Trinity, and Corpus Christi, forming a kind of “encore” to the joyful Easter Season focusing in succession on three fundamental realities of the Christian life: the Holy Spirit in the Church, the Triune Godhead, and the Eucharist.  This “trifecta” comes to an end this week with the celebration of the Body and Blood of Christ.

The Readings for this Solemnity obviously focus on types and descriptions of the Eucharist, but there is a notably priestly theme that also runs through them.  In this way, we observe the connection between priesthood and Eucharist.  This connection first dawned on me personally in the fall of 1999, when I was first exposed to the writings of the Apostolic Fathers.  Coming across St. Ignatius of Antioch's famous passage concerning the Eucharist in his Letter to the Smyrneans (ch. 7), I suddenly realized that the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist was—and is—the constant belief of the Church from apostolic times to the present day:

My Latest Release with Catholic Productions Just Became Available

My latest set where I go through my book - chapter by chapter - is now available through Catholic Productions.  Check it out...

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The Case for Jesus: Jesus and the Kingdom of God (Part 5 of 5)

My fifth and final intro video on the 12 hour set Catholic Productions is releasing tomorrow is now available.  

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The Solemnity of the Holy Trinity

(Scroll down for Dr. Pitre's vlog on the readings)

 

Pentecost is not supposed to mark a spiritual highpoint, from which we then regress and go back to being our slovenly selves. 

Rather, Pentecost should be a dramatic infusion of spiritual energy climaxing a period of formation that has been ongoing since the first week of Advent.  Pentecost propels us, like a shot out of a cannon, into the “world” of Ordinary Time, in order to do effective combat with sin, death, and the Devil.

This Sunday marks approximately the half-way point in the liturgical year, and at this temporal center, we pause to reflect on the central mystery of our Faith, the Most Holy Trinity.  This seems appropriate on the heels of Pentecost, because it is through the Holy Spirit that the whole Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Ghost—dwells within our soul.

The Word of God and the Family

"The word of God is the source of life and spirituality for the family. All pastoral work on behalf of the family must allow people to be interiorly fashioned and formed as members of the domestic church through the Church’s prayerful reading of sacred Scripture. The word of God is not only good news in a person’s private life but also a criterion of judgement and a light in discerning the various challenges that married couples and families encounter."— Pope Francis, Amoris Laetitia §227, quoting the final relatio, §34.

The Mystery of the Trinity: The Mass Readings Explained (The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity)

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The Gift of the Spirit: Readings for Pentecost

This post picks up from themes discussed in the post below on the Readings for the Vigil of Pentecost.  For that post, scroll down; and below that is Dr. Pitre's excellent video explaining the Pentecost Readings.

For Pentecost Sunday, Mass during the Day, the First Reading is, finally, the account of Pentecost itself, from Acts 2:1-11:

Gathering the Human Family: The Readings for the Vigil of Pentecost

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(Next post down is Dr. Pitre's excellent video on the Pentecost Readings)

Welcome to Pentecost!  This is such an important Feast Day in the life of the Church, we should celebrate it with just as much joy and enthusiasm as Christmas and Easter.  This the day of the Spirit, and if we have understood Jesus' teachings clearly, we understand that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is not an epilogue or denouement to the story of salvation, but its climactic finale that ushers in a new age!  This is the high point of our liturgical journey that began in Advent with anticipation of the coming of the Messiah!  

The Church recognizes the importance of Pentecost in her liturgy, and graces this Solemnity with its own vigil, complete with four different options for the First Reading.  All of them are important for understanding the meaning of this feast:

Pentecost and the Holy Spirit: The Lectionary Readings Explained (Pentecost Sunday)

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The Case for Jesus: Jesus and the Rich Young Man (Part 4 of 5)

Here is introduction 4/5 of a series Catholic Productions is releasing on my latest book, The Case For Jesus. 

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The 7th Sunday of Easter, for those who have one!

Here is a commentary on the Readings for the Seventh Sunday of Easter, and let me begin by saying, if you have a Seventh Sunday of Easter, you are indeed blessed!  This is an important Sunday: it is climactic, the last Sunday before Pentecost in the Easter Season.  The architects of the Vatican II Lectionary saved very important readings for this date, notably the High Priestly Prayer of John 17.  This magnificent prayer is the longest of Jesus’ prayers recorded in Scripture, and it is the climax of the Last Supper Discourse (John 13-17), the longest discourse of Jesus recorded in Scripture.  In this prayer, Our Lord reveals his deepest desires for himself, his Apostles, and the whole Church.  It is hard to overestimate its significance to Christian theology.  In the Liturgy, we have been, as it were, sitting with the Apostles in the Upper Room with Jesus before the Passion, listening to him teach about the Holy Spirit for the past several Sundays of Easter.  Now, on the Seventh Sunday, we come to the climax of Jesus’ teaching, in which he sums up everything with a prayer for the Church to imitate externally and internally the intimate unity of the Trinity itself.  

The Ascension of Jesus and His Sacrifice “Once for All”: The Lectionary Readings Explained (The Seventh Sunday of Easter)

After reading John's commentary below, check out my latest video on this Sunday's Mass Readings. Please Like and Share!  Thank you.

The Case for Jesus: The Transfiguration of Jesus on the Mountain (Part 3 of 5)

Here is introduction 3/5 of a series Catholic Productions is releasing on my latest book, The Case For Jesus. 

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King of Heaven and Earth: Ascension Day!

Ascension Day, unfortunately, is not observed in a uniform manner across the United States.  Catholics in Nebraska, Pennsylvania, New York, and New England will observe it on Thursday, May 5; the rest of the country observes it this Sunday, May 8. 

The First Reading and Psalm for this Solemnity are always Acts 1:1-11 and Psalm 47.   In Year C has the option to employ Hebrews 9:24-28; 10:19-23 instead of Eph 4:17-23 as the Second Reading (both are discussed below), and proclaims Luke 24:46-53 as the Gospel.

Is Jesus Divine in the Synoptic Gospels? (Part 2 of 5)

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Kingdom of Peace: 6th Sunday of Easter

Edward Hicks, "Peaceable Kingdom," 1833

(Scroll down for Dr. Pitre's video on these readings)

We have arrived at the Sixth Week of Easter, and continue to bask in the glow of the story of the growth of the early Church in Acts, the vision of heaven from the Book of Revelation, and the consolation of Jesus’ words to the Apostles in the Upper Room from John.  It’s a trifecta of glory in these Readings.

If last Sunday we noted a “kingdom of love” theme, this week we notice an emphasis on the idea of the “kingdom of peace.”  In Acts (1^st Reading) we see the measures that were necessary to keep peace in the early Church.  In Revelation (2^nd Reading) we see the peace of Eden restored in the heavenly New Jerusalem.  In the Gospel we see Jesus bestowing his supernatural peace on the disciples.

1. The First Reading is Acts 15:1-2, 22-29.  Because this reading skips Acts 15:3-21, which I think is very important for understanding the significance of the passage, I have spliced in the missing text below, to aid our understanding:

The Promise of the Holy Spirit: The Lectionary Readings Explained (The Sixth Sunday of Easter)

Check out my latest video explaining this Sunday's Mass Readings.  Hope it helps!

C. S. Lewis & Bart Ehrman: Liar, Lord, Lunatic, or Legend? (Part 1 of 5)

Catholic Productions is releasing a 5 part introduction to a 12-hour series I did on my latest book, The Case For Jesus.  Here is part 1:

The New Commandment and the New Creation: The Lectionary Readings Explained (The Fifth Sunday of Easter)

After reading John's commentary below, check out the latest video I did on this Sunday's Mass Readings.

Kingdom of Love: The Fifth Sunday of Easter

The Easter Season is passing quickly.  Already it is more than half over, as we progress toward the great Feasts of Ascension and Pentecost.  We want the Season to slow down, so that we may savor the joy and consolation of these readings from Acts and John that dominate the Easter Cycle, but tempus fugit.

The Readings for this Fifth Sunday of Easter describe the growth of the Kingdom of God, which is manifested on earth as the Church.  The first two readings and the psalm are tied together with Kingdom images, and the Gospel reminds us that this Kingdom is characterized by God’s love.

1. The First Reading is Acts 14:21-27:

Readings for Good Shepherd Sunday

 

(Scroll down for Dr. Pitre's video commentary on the Readings)

This upcoming Lord’s Day is often known as “Good Shepherd Sunday,” since each year the Gospel reading is taken from John 10, the “Good Shepherd Discourse.”  It’s also often observed as a day of prayer for vocations to the priesthood and religious life, since priests and religious are visible manifestations to us of Christ in his role as the Good Shepherd.

Most of the Readings are tied together by a shepherding theme.

1.  The First Reading continues the traditional Christian practice of reading Acts during the season of Easter.  We are up to Acts 13, the point in Acts where St. Luke begins to follow the career of St. Paul in a particular way.

Jesus, the Good Shepherd: The Lectionary Readings Explained (Fourth Sunday of Easter)

My latest video explaining this Sunday's Lectionary Readings is now available to watch.  I hope it helps you, in some way, to better prepare for Mass.  And, be sure to check out Dr. Bergsma's amazing commentary coming out later in the week! 

Do you love me? Do you really love me? 3rd Sunday of Easter

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(Scroll down for Dr. Pitre's videos on the readings)

This week is the Third Sunday of Easter, and our readings highlight the primacy of Peter among the Apostles, and the primacy of love in following Jesus.  

Just a few comments on the preliminary readings before we concentrate on the Gospel.  During the seven weeks of the Easter Season, the Lectionary reads semi-continuously through Acts in the First Reading (showing the birth of the Church on earth) and through Revelation in the Second (showing the final state of the Church in heaven).  

Peter the Shepherd & the Papacy (3rd Sunday of Easter)

My latest video on this upcoming Sunday's Mass Readings is now available.

Check it out -- I hope it helps.