4th Sunday of Lent (C); March 27, 2022 Jos 5:9-12.  Ps 34.  2 Cor 5:17-21.  Lk 1205:1-3, 11-32 Deacon Jim McFadden          Today is Laetare Sunday, a time for rejoicing because the Father reveals to us that “Everything I have is yours” (Lk 15:31b).  Lent is more than half over, and redemption and forgiveness and…

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3rd Sunday of Lent (C); March 20, 2022 Ex 3:1-8,13-15.  Ps 103.  1 Cor 10:1-6.  Lk 13:1-9 Deacon Jim McFadden             Throughout the Catholic Church, today is the First Scrutiny for catechumens.  Who are the catechumens?  They are those who have inquired into becoming a member of the Catholic Church and, after a period of…

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2nd Sunday of Lent; March 13, 2022 Gn 15:5-18.  Ps 27.  Phil 3:17-4:1.  Lk 9:28-36 Deacon Jim McFadden             The readings for the Second Sunday of Lent awaken a sense of wonder to a world beyond our own—a mystical consciousness in which we encounter the glory of God.  So, in our first reading Abraham—the Father…

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1st Week of Lent (C); 03-06-2022 Deut 26:4-10.  Ps 91.  Rom 10:8-13.  LK 4:1-13 Deacon Jim McFadden          People of God, we come, once again, to that great season of Lent, which is a time for conversion.  We return to the source of our faith and spend these 40 days allowing ourselves to be touched…

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Ash Wednesday (C); March 2, 2022 Jl 2:12-18.  Ps 51.  2 Cor 5:20-6:2.  Mt 6:1-6, 16-18 Deacon Jim McFadden             Sisters and brothers of the St. Francis Catholic community, we come once again, to that great season of Lent, which is a great opportunity to prune away falseness, superficiality, and indifference to God, each other,…

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8th Sunday in O.T. (C); 02-27-2022 Sir 27:4-7.  Ps 92.  1 Cor 15:54-58.  Lk 6:39-45 Deacon Jim McFadden             There are different levels of spiritual development.  As the People of God, we hope that we are moving in the same direction as we strive to realize our destiny to be at-one with the Blessed Trinity…

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6th Sunday in O.T. (C); 02-13-2022 Jer 17:5-8.  Ps 1.  1 Cor 15:12,16-20.  Lk 6:17,20-26 Deacon Jim McFadden             What does it mean to be happy?  What does it mean to be blessed.   How can they be found?  These are ground-floor, basic the ‘rubber hitting the road’ questions.  If we get them wrong, then we’ve…

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5th Sunday in O.T. (C); 02-06-2022 Is 6:18.  Ps 138.  1 Cor 15:1-11.  Lk 5:1-11 Deacon Jim McFadden                         One of my spiritual heroes is the Protestant theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer who once wrote that Christianity without discipleship is cheap grace.  He walked the talk as he sacrificed his life in his resistance to the Nazi…

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4th Sunday in O.T. (C); 01-30-2022 Jer 1:4-5, 17-19.  Ps 71.  1 Cor 12:32-13:13.  Lk 4:21-30 Deacon Jim McFadden             Last Sunday’s liturgy had us look at the episode of Synagogue of Nazareth where Jesus reads a passage from the prophet Isaiah that reveals the true interpretation of who He is and in the end…

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