Lectionary 2014-2015 – Cycle B
Lectionary 2013-2014 – Cycle A
December 28, 2014 - The Feast of the Holy Family
Pope Francis is calling on the Church, is calling on us, to witness to the reality of family - by saying no to the tendency of secular society to "automatize' us into units that interact only with our little machines. He says "No, we interact with human beings - not just the Internet or the Cloud." He is also calling us to let the family define itself - so that a married couple that can't have children are welcome, as are the same sex couple and the broken marriage couple. And "the Word because flesh." Jesus took on the messiness of human life - and even had a mother who swept floors occasionally.
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December 25, 2014 - Christmas 2014
The ultimate sign of God's decision to love us; his Son, wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a "feed box".
December 14, 2014 - 3rd Sunday of Advent
The pastor heaps praise on the Holy Father and Archbishop Lori for their stands on immortality. Unlike the Greek view which divided humans into a mortal body and an immortal soul, the more contemporary scientific view is that all things are mortal (subject to death). So why can't God give immortality to whomever He choices - whether it be to a human, an angel, a dog, or a cat?
December 7, 2014 - 2nd Sunday of Advent
The pastor is back and in fine fettle. His sermon explicates the banner that will be behind the podium during Advent - we wait for the God who +reveals and +heals. The God who reveals, "reveals himself" - that He is one with us and gave us His only Son to be our redeemer and partner.
| Listen to the Readings | Listen to the Psalm |
November 30, 2014 - 1st Sunday of Advent
The pastor presided over the mass. The celebrant (and homilist) was Fr. Joe Wenderoth. The pope, the homilist said, wants the church in the streets. He then argued in favor of consistency - pick one thing and stick with it...for a whole year.
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November 23, 2014 - Christ the King
The last Sunday of the year - the Feast ofChrist the King. "I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you gave me gave me welcome, I was naked you gave me clothing... Lord when did we see you hungry or thirsty or naked or a stranger? What you do for the least of my brethren, you do for me..." These are the disciples of Christ.
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November 16, 2014 - 33rd Sunday Ordinary
Fr. Robert Hamm substituted for the pastor who was ill today. The gospel continues to be from Matthew - the parable about the king going on a jouney and who gives his vassals for safe keeping 5 and 2 and 1 talents each. The one who got five, traded and got five more; the one who got two, did a thing and got two more; the one who got one, buried his talent and gave it back intact to the master on his return. "Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten - and cast this man out into the darkness where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth."
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November 9, 2014 - 32nd Sunday Ordinary
The gospel today is the parable about the 10 virgins who waited for the bridal party - 5 wise, and 5 unwise. The wise took care to plan ahead; the unwise did not. So how do we stack up? Are we wise or unwise?
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November 2, 2014 - All Saints/Souls
We pray for and to and with the canonized saints as well as for our loved ones who have precede us to the Lord's house. As someone who is in authority recently said "How do I know" whether someone is in still in purgatory or is in heaven.
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October 26, 2014 - 30th Sunday Ordinary
Jesus said, "The greatest commandment is 'Love thy God with thy whole soul and mind. AND THE SECOND IS LIKE IT 'Love thy neighbor as thyself.' " Thru a long exegesis of corresponding texts, we have confidence that this is JESUS SPEAKING.
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October 19, 2014 - 29th Sunday Ordinary
The classic "Render to God what is God's and t0 caesar what is Caeser's," the alleged core of the doctrine of the separation of church and state. Except this isn't about church and state. This line is a dismissal of the Pharisees and Herodians who were trying to trap Jesus with his teaching.
October 5, 2014 - 27th Sunday Ordinary
The parable of the landowner whose vineyard was not doing well under the current tenants. This parable, according to the homilist, has been universal misinterpreted and misapplied to do cruel things to the jewish people. All of the repressive practices (except the halocaust) that forced the jews to identify themselves have their origin in Canon Law of the church. As St. Francis of Assisi said, "This ain't right. This isn't showing God's compassion like it ought."
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September 28, 2014 - St Vincent Feast
Today is the feast of our patron, St Vincent de Paul. St. Vincent live from 1581 to 1660 - the years of pre-revoluition France. It was a place very unlike our own but very pre-Revolutuion like it was well. The rich got richer and the poor got poorer - just like today. The French had a violent revolution about 100 years after Vincent lived. The homilist thinks we are are verge of another revolution - like the French had - and just as violent - only this time we will not call each other names - we can toss Molotov cocktails and H Bombs at one another. Unless we take the radical steps that Jesus suggested - of looking at the poor and listening to His Words.
September 21, 2014 - 25th Sunday Ordinary
The parable of the Landowner who hires worker thru out the day - and pays them all the same - the daily wage that he promised the first workers. Is that fair - no it is not fair, but it is the way God is: He gives us each what we need, and not what we've earned or what we deserves. What we NEED.
| Listen to the Readings | Listen to the Psalm |
September 21, 2014 - 25th Sunday Ordinary
The parable of the landowner who gives the last hired the same wage as the first hired - not a favorite parable of anybody. Why? Because we believe in "fairness" If I work harder, and treat my neighbor better than the other guy, then I should be rewarded. But that's not the way our God works.
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September 14, 2014 - 24th Sunday Ordinary
Sirac tells us that forgiveness is a virtue - as does Paul in his sermon to the Romans. Jesus uses a parable to drive home a similar point - of the forgiven servant who was not forgiving of his fellow servant. The homilist tell us that we have two people inside us that millitant against this viture - both of whom should be stomped out.
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September 7, 2014 - 23rd Sunday Ordinary
"Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." There words were heard several weeks ago - but then they were addressed to Peter. This time they are addressed to "the disciples", the larger group, the church, to us. The homilist makes a distinction between the "teaching church" and the "learning church." But, he says, they are both us - we have both of these roles to play.
August 31, 2014 - 22nd Sunday Ordinary
"Who do you say I am". The homilist, Fr. Mark from Nigeria, suggest that it is love that keeps us going and brings us closer to God. That's who we think you are.....
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August 24, 2014 - 21st Sunday Ordinary
"Thou art Peter, and upon the rock I will build my church..." A saying characteristic of Matthew who has a special affinity for Peter's ministry. So what does it have to do which us? is there room for a Peter on this day of advanced theology? The homilist suggests that we could do with a lost less vatican and a lost more Peter(pope).
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August 17, 2014 - 20th Sunday Ordinary
Jesus is bested in debate - by a Canaanite woman. "Even the dogs eat of the scraps of the master's table" "Oh great is thy faith, woman. Go. Let it be done as you have said."
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