2nd Sunday of Lent (C); March 16, 2025 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…
3rd Sunday of Lent (C); March 23, 2025 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…
1st Week of Lent (C); March 9, 2025 Deut 26:4-10. Ps 91. Rom 10:8-13. Lk 4:1-13 Deacon Jim McFadden As we begin the great season of Lent, which is a time of repentance, conversion, and metanoia we intentionally return to the source of our faith and spend these 40 days allowing ourselves to be…
8th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C); March 2, 2025 Sir 27:4-7. Ps 92. 1 Cor 15:54-58. Lk 6:39-45 Deacon Jim McFadden The spiritual journey is just too hard to do by ourselves: as such, we need companions who can help us along the way. It’s important to whom we spiritually “hang out with”, to…
7th Sunday in O.T. (C); 02-23-2025 1 Sm 26:2,7-23. Ps 103 1 Cor 15:45-49. Lk 6:27-38 Deacon Jim McFadden The Sermon of the Mount, which may be construed as Jesus’ State of the Kingdom address, is in two parts: (1) the Beatitudes, which describes what it’s like to live in the Kingdom of God…
6th Sunday in O.T. (C); 02-16-2025 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…
5th Sunday of Ordinary Time (C); February 9, 2025 Is 6:1-2a, 3-8. Ps 138. ! Cor 15:1-11. Lk 5:1-11 Deacon Jim McFadden When Jesus jumps into our boat, just as he did with Peter in today’s Gospel, requires us to live out of two fundamental attitudes that enable us to become disciples, which is…
The Presentation of Jesus (C); February 2, 2025 Mal 3:1-4. Ps 24. Heb 2:14-18. Lk 2:22-40 Deacon Jim McFadden The Presentation of Jesus is a richly textured account in which Luke’s story-telling genius is on full display. His overall intent was to underscore that Law would be observed. His statement that Jesus was born…
3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (C); 01-26-2025 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…
28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A); October 11, 2026 Is 25:6-10a. Ps 23. Phil 4:12-20. Mt 22:1-14 Deacon Jim McFadden The parable we hear in today’s Gospel tells us a lot about the Kingdom of God, which is likened…
27th Sunday of Ordinary Time (A); October 4, 2026 Is 5:1-7. Ps 80. Phil 4:6-9. Mt 21:33-43 Deacon Jim McFadden The parable about the mismanagement of the vineyard tells us a lot about the Kingdom of God, the choices we…
26th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A); September 27, 2026 Ez 18:25-28. Ps 25. Phil 2:1-11. Mt 21:28-3 Deacon Jim McFadden In a past issue of the Catholic Herald (September/October 2020), the newsmagazine for the Diocese of Sacramento, there is a…
