3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (C); 01-23-2022 Neh 8:2-4a.  Ps 19.  1 Cor 12:12-30.  Lk 1-4; 4:14-21 Deacon Jim McFadden                         An operating principle that governed Jesus’ life is that he saw in others what he saw in himself.  In Buddhist literature there is a story where a soldier comes up to a Buddhist monk…

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The Wedding Feast of Cana 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time (C); 01-16-2022 Is 62:1-5.  Ps 96.  1 Cor 12:4-11.  Jn 2:1-11 Deacon Jim McFadden             St. Paul has compared the relationship between Jesus and his Church as that of a bridegroom and his bride (cf. Ephesians 5:22-23).  What that means is that God loves us…

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The Baptism of the Lord (C); 01-09-2022 Is 40:1-11.  Ps 29.  Ti 2:11-14; 3:4-7.  Lk 3:15-22 Deacon Jim McFadden             Let’s begin the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord with a short quiz: first, an easy one: what’s your birthday?   I presume that nearly all of you got that one right!   Second, a more…

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The Epiphany of the Lord (C); 01-02-2022 Is 60:1-6.  Ps 72.  Eph 3:2-3.   Mt 2:1-12 Deacon Jim McFadden             Today we celebrate the Epiphany, the arrival of the Magi, traditionally described as a trio based on the three gifts they brought as they came to the humble cave of Bethlehem.  The Church tells the story…

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Christmas (C); 12-25-2021 Is 9:1-6.  Ps 96.  Ti 2:11-14.  Lk 2:1-14 Deacon Jim McFadden             Christmas celebrates God’s overwhelming desire to be united with us.  Sometimes we wonder, why does he bother?  He’s perfect—he doesn’t need anything since he is the great I AM.  The Psalmist wondered the same thing, when he intoned, “What are…

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4th Sunday of Advent (C); 12-19-2021 Mi 5:1-4a.  Ps 80.  Heb 10:5-10.  Lk 1:39-45 Deacon Jim McFadden          The Old Testament foretells the Good News of salvation history which is fulfilled in the New Testament.  It’s important to keep in mind that the Gospel writers did not write in a linear fashion, but more in…

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Third Sunday of Advent (C); 12-12-2121 Zep 3:14-18a   (Ps) Is 12.  Phil 4:4-7.  LK 3:10-18 Deacon Jim McFadden             What struck me about the date of the Third Sunday of Advent is that when you read it from left-to-right or right-to-left, the sequence repeats itself, which is singularly unique on the calendar.  But, what is…

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First Sunday of Advent (C); 11-28-2021 Jer 33:14-16.  Ps 25.  1 Thes 3:12-4:2.  Lk 21:25-28,34-36 Deacon Jim McFadden          At the start of the new liturgical year, Advent begins, which prepares us for Christmas—inviting us to lift our gaze to Jesus and open our hearts to him so that he may be born within us…

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Second Sunday of Advent (C); 12-05-2021 Bar 5:1-9.  Ps 126.  Phil 1:4-6,8-11.  Lk 3:1-6 Deacon Jim McFadden          After encountering the signs and wonders of the coming of Immanuel, Luke is going to call the community to a deeper level of conversion and surrender and he does this through the transitional figure of John the…

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The Solemnity of Christ the King (B); 11-21-2021 Dn 7:13-14.  Ps 93.  Rv 1:5-8.  Jn 18:33-37 Deacon Jim McFadden             On the last Sunday of the liturgical  year, we are celebrating the Solemnity of Christ the King.  For us Americans, it’s not easy to comfortably ease into this feast because we don’t particularly like kings…

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