The cross is the way home
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…
27th Sunday of Ordinary Time (A); 10-4-20 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 make, and the God who is always faithful in his forgiveness and mercy. As a visual…
26th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A); 9-27-2020 Ez 18:25-28. Ps 25. Phil 2:1-11. Mt 21:28-32 Deacon Jim McFadden In a recent issue of the Catholic Herald (September/October 2020), the newsmagazine for the Diocese of Sacramento, there is a gripping story of Eliza Cobos, who had an abortion at age 18. Looking back at those…
6th Sunday of Ordinary Time (A); 2-16-20 Sir 15:15-20 Ps 119 1 Cor 2:6-10 Mt 5:17-37 Deacon Jim McFadden It begins with the tiniest gesture: an interested glance across a classroom, the brushing of a hand, asking for that first date. Lifelong love builds from little expressions of care before it becomes self-surrender…
2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time (A); 1-19-20 Is 49:3,5-6 Ps 40 1 Cor 1:1-3 Jn 1:29-34 Deacon Jim McFadden; SJB We are now in Ordinary Time, that period of the liturgical year when we pay closer attention to what it means to be a follower of Jesus. On some Sundays we are going…
26th Sunday in O.T.; September 29, 2019 Am 6:1a, 4-7 Ps 102 1 Tm 6:11-16 Lk 16:19-31 Deacon Jim McFadden Many of us find the homeless to be unnerving and annoying. They disrupt businesses in downtown areas. They relieve themselves in public, creating health issues. And, sometimes they’re just scary. Recently, going to and…
15th Sunday in O.T. (C); July 14, 2019 Dt 30:10-14 Ps 69 Col 1:15-20 Lk 10:25-37 Deacon Jim McFadden; (New) Folsom Prison In nature the laws of physics apply everywhere—there’s no escaping them. Take the Law of Gravity. What would happen if you denied the reality of this Law?…
The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ Cycle C; June 23, 2019 Gen 14:18-20 Ps 110 1 Cor 11:23-26 Lk 9:11-17 Deacon Jim McFadden During the Easter season, a major concern in the Sunday Scripture readings was how the movement begun by Jesus of Nazareth would continue after his death, resurrection, and ascension.…
6th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C); 2-17-19 Jer 17:5-8 Ps 1 1 Cor 15:12,16-20 Lk 6:17,20-26 Deacon Jim McFadden; St. John the Baptist C.C. What is happiness? Where can it be found? Who is happy? These are ground-floor, basic, the ‘rubber hitting the road’ questions. There’s a lot riding on our responses. If…
Immaculate Conception of the BVM; 12-8-18 Gn 3:9-15 Ps 98 Eph 1:3-6 Lk 1:26-38 Deacon Jim McFadden; St. John the Baptist C.C. In the beginning of the school year, we do a brief Introduction to Catholicism since many of our incoming Freshmen do not come from feeder Catholic schools. When asked about major…
The Most Holy Trinity (B); May 27, 2018 Dt 4:32-34 Ps 33 Rom 8:14-17 Mt 28:16-20 Deacon Jim McFadden It’s difficult enough to believe in a single God, but have you ever tried to explain the Trinity to a non-believer? It’s not easy. Believing in three persons who is one God is quite…
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,…