14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B); July 7, 2024 Ez 2:2-5. Ps 123. 2 Cor 12:7-10. Mk 6:1-6a Deacon Jim McFadden One of Mark Twain’s memorable lines was “Familiarity breeds contempt…and children.” While we know a lot about the process by which familiarity produces children, we’re a lot less informed how it produces contempt.
13th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B); 6-30-2024 Wis 1:13-15,2:23-24. Ps 30. 2 Cor 8:7,9,13-15. Mk 5:21-43 Deacon Jim McFadden Today’s Gospel from Mark presents a beautifully crafted narrative, involving two miracles performed by Jesus, describing them as a march towards life. Initially the Evangelist speaks about a certain Jarius, the leader of the local
12th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B); June 23, 2024 Job 38:1,8-11. Ps 107. 2 Cor 5:14-17. Mk 4:35-41 Deacon Jim McFadden There is a problem-solving stratagem that is often used by corporate America, educational institutions, etc. to ameliorate corporate problems, first by describing them, analyzing how they got embedded in the culture, and what
11th Sunday of O.T. (B); June 16th, 2024 Ez 17:22-24. Ps 92. 2 Cor 5:6-10. Mk 4:26-34 Deacon Jim McFadden The recent storm that hit Houston left thousands of residents without power underscored that we live in a world where more and more of our devices require charging and concomitantly we have become so
Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B); June 9, 2024 Gn 3:9-15. Ps 130. 2 Cor 4:13-5:1. Mk 3:20-35 Deacon Jim McFadden There was once a young boy sitting on the bench during a Little League baseball game just itching to play. Feeling a bit forlorn, he spoke to his manager and wondered, “Coach, why
The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ; 6-2-2024 Ex 24:3-8. Ps 116. Heb 9:11-15. Mk 14:12-16,22-26 Deacon Jim McFadden Most of us are aware that under the direction of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, that the National Eucharistic Revival will culminate in July in Indianapolis. Our diocese was part of that Pilgrimage
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity (B); May 26, 2024 Dt 4:32-34. Ps 33. Rom 8:14-17. Mt 28:16-20 Deacon Jim McFadden In his Summa Theologica St. Thomas Aquinas claims that “it is impossible to believe explicitly in the mystery of Christ without faith in the Trinity.” The doctrine of the Trinity is what
The Solemnity of Pentecost (B); May 19, 2024 Acts 2:1-11. Ps 104. 1 Cor 12:3-7,12-13. Jn 20:19-23 Deacon Jim McFadden In today’s first reading of our Liturgy, the coming of the Holy Spirit is presented in dramatic fashion—comparing it to “the rush of a violent wind” (Acts 2:2). What does this image tell us?
Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord (B); 5-12-2024 Acts 1:1-11. Ps 47. Eph 1:17-23. Mk 16:15-20 Deacon Jim McFadden The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord embraces two elements. On one hand our gaze is directed towards heaven where the glorified Jesus is seated at the right hand of God the Father
6th Sunday of Easter (B); May 5, 2024 Acts 10:25-26,34-35,44-48. Ps 98. 1 Jn 4:7-10. Jn 15:9-17 Deacon Jim McFadden Today’s Gospel—John chapter 15—brings us back to the Last Supper, which contains our Lord’s final, lengthy discourses. After having compared himself to the vine and us to the branches, Jesus then explains what fruit is
The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph; 12-28-2025 Sir 3:2-6. Ps 128. Col 3:12-21. Mt 2:13-15, 19-21 Deacon Jim McFadden On this first Sunday after Christmas, the Liturgy invites us to celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family…
Christmas (A) ; 12-25-2025 Is 52:1-7. Ps 97. Heb 1:1-6 . Jn 1:1-18 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…
4th Sunday of Advent (A); December 21, 2025 Is 7:10-14. Ps 24. Rom 1:1-7. Mt 1:18-24 Deacon Jim McFadden As we enter into the 4th Sunday of Advent, let us remember that salvation history has a trajectory which comes…
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