18-ed ““A Thorn in the Flesh”: Why Do We Suffer? 14th Sunday in O.T. (B); JULY 8, 2018 EZ 2:2-5 PS 123 2 Cor 12:7-10 Mk 6:1-6a Deacon Jim McFadden; St. John the Baptist C.C. Why do we suffer? I’d like to reflect on this question focusing on the second reading from Paul’s…
Wednesday of the 13th Week in O.T. (B); 7-4-18 Amos 5:14-15,21-24 Psalm 50 Matthew 8:28-34 Deacon Jim McFadden; Historical Church/SJB We hear in our first reading from the prophet Amos that if we’re going to give God right praise and worship, then “let justice surge like water and goodness like an unfailing stream” (Am…
13th Sunday in O.T. (B); July 1, 2018 Wis 1:13-15; 2:23-24 Ps 30 2 Cor 8:7,9,13-15 Mk 5:21-43 Deacon Jim McFadden; (New) Folsom Prison; SJB Today’s Gospel presents one of the most beautifully crafted of Mark’s narratives. It begins with Jesus hearing the news that the daughter of Jarius is dying. The fact…
Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist Is 49:1-6 Ps 139 Acts 13:22-26 Lk 1:57-66,80 Deacon Jim McFadden; St. John the Baptist C.C. Birthdays are a special time to remember and give thanks for the blessings that have come our way. It’s a good time to ask ourselves, “Am I grateful…
“He’s Out of His Mind” 10th Sunday of Ordinary Time (B); 6-10-18 Gn 3:9-15 Ps 130 2 Cor 4:13-5:1 Mk 3:20-35 Deacon Jim McFadden Being misunderstood is never a pleasant experience, especially those to whom were close. Prior to this Sunday’s Gospel reading, Jesus had formed a ministerial/apostolic community which would be the means…
Body and Blood of Christ (B); June 3, 2018 Ex 24:3-8 Ps 116 Hb 9:11-15 Mk 14:12-16,22 Deacon Jim McFadden As kids growing up we had ways of solidifying our bonds of friendship. We had secret handshakes, coded language, and the one we learned from Western movies: we’d make a small cut on our thumbs…
The Solemnity of Pentecost (B); 5-20-18 Acts 2:1-11; Ps 104; 1 Cor 12:3-7, 12-13; Jn 20:19-23 Deacon Jim McFadden; St. John the Baptist C.C. The meaning of the feast of Pentecost is richly complex: it’s like a multi-faceted diamond whose brilliance takes different nuances when examined from different angles. Today’s readings offer us…
Farewell Mass St. Francis H.S.; May 14, 2018 Deacon Jim McFadden Well, here we are again wrapping up another fruitful, intense, and challenging school year. As people of faith, we know it is not all our doing. As the Psalmist reminds us that If the Lord does not build the house, in…
Ascension of the Lord (B); May 12, 2018 Acts 1:1-11; Ps 47; Eph 1:17-23; Mk 16:15-20 Deacon Jim McFadden “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and to all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the Earth” (Acts…
6th Sunday of Easter (B); May 6, 2018 Acts 10 Ps 98 1 Jn 4:7-10 Jn 15:9-17 Deacon Jim McFadden; (New) Folsom Prison; SJB Today’s Gospel—John Chapter 15—brings us back to the Last Supper, which contains Jesus’ final, lengthy discourses, which give us a richly textured, sustained account of Christian spirituality. There is a…
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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