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…
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…
33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time B); 11-14-2021 Dn 12:1-3. Ps 16. Heb 10:11-14,18. Mk 13:24-32 Deacon Jim McFadden Many decades ago as a graduate student at Tulane University in New Orleans, I was out for an evening jog in the grassy area near the dorms. Behind me, I hear this abrupt command: “Stop where…
32nd Sunday in O.T. (B); 11-07-2021 1 Kgs 17:10-16. Ps 146. Heb 9:24-28. Mk 12:38-44 Deacon Jim McFadden If some roving reporter came up to our Lord today and asked, “Jesus of Nazareth: in one succinct sound-bite, what’s your message?” In response, he may have said, “My message is my life.” Whoa, Jesus…
31st Sunday in O.T. B); 10-31-2021 Dt 6:2-6. Ps 18. Heb 7:23-28. Mk 12:28-24 Deacon Jim McFadden There is a legend contained in Talmud, the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish ceremonial law, that records a fascinating story of a young gentile man who’s interested in converting to Judaism. …
30th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B); 10-24-2021 Jer 31:7-9. Ps 126. Heb 5:1-6. Mk 10:46-52 Deacon Jim McFadden Today, we have the familiar story in the 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time, of Jesus healing the blind man, Bartimaeus. The eye is the organ of sight and this man simply can’t see, which causes him…
29th Sunday of O.T. (B); 10-17-2021 Is 53:10-11. Ps 33. Heb 9:14-16. Mk 10:35-45 Deacon Jim McFadden Jesus and his disciples are on the road. Since we are disciples of Jesus by virtue of our baptism, this setting is the Church’s journey as well: this road is about our life…about our entire history. Every…
28th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B); 10-10-2021 Wis 7:7-11. Ps 90. Heb 4:12-11. Mk 10:17-30 Deacon Jim McFadden Today’s Gospel, taken from Mark, chapter 10, is a narrative divided into three scenes—all them punctuated by the gaze of Jesus. The first scene presents an encounter between Jesus the Teacher and a young man who…
27th Sunday in O.T. (B); 10-03-2021 Gn 2:18-24. Ps 128. Heb 2:9-11. Mk 10:2-16 Deacon Jim McFadden During the ‘60s the rock group Three Dog Night, had a pop-hit, One is the Loneliest Number, that addresses the pain associated with isolation. We heard this in the first reading that Adam was living in the…
26th Sunday of O.T. (B); 9-26-2021 Wis 2:12,17-20. Ps 54. Jas 3:16-4:3. Mk 9:30-37 Deacon Jim McFadden Last Sunday we reflected upon the basic spiritual struggle of making the transition from the Ego-Drama (self-worship) to the Theo-Drama (worship of the one true God). This transition is no mean task because the drive to be…
The Cross is the Way Home 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (A); August 30, 2026 Jer 20:7-9. Ps 63. Rom 12:1-2. Mt 16:21-27 Deacon Jim McFadden After establishing Peter as the rock of his Church, Jesus then begins to speak…
21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (A); August 23, 2026 Is 22:19-23. Ps 138. Rom 11:33-36. Mt 16:13-20 Deacon Jim McFadden Midway through his public ministry, Jesus ventured with his disciples to the northern reaches of the Promised Land, to the…
20th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A); August 16, 2026 Is 56:1,6-7. Ps 67. Rom 11:13-15,29-32. Mt 15:21-28 Deacon Jim McFadden Today’s Gospel (Mt 15:21-28) presents us with a unique example of faith in Jesus’s encounter with a Canaanite woman,…
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