Father Dominic Garramone, OSB
By Father Dominic Garramone, OSB Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord/Jan. 6 Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72:1-2,7-8,10-11,12-13; Ephesians 3:2-3a,5-6; Matthew 2:1-12 Since the 19th century, there has been scholarly debate as to the historical basis of the story of the Magi. Some scholars study the astronomical aspect of the story, trying to determine what the star […]
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Father Timothy Hepner
By Father Timothy Hepner Fourth Sunday of Advent/Dec. 23 Micah 5:1-4a; Psalm 80:2-3,15-16,18-19; Hebrews 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-45 Broken promises can train us to stop expecting great things — even if the promises were just implicit and our expectations unreasonable. Someone we love and depend on seems to owe us something and, usually because of weakness (rarely […]
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Second Sunday of Advent/Dec. 9 Baruch 5:1-3; Psalm 126:1-2,2-3,4-5,6; Philippians 1:4-6,8-11; Luke 3:1-6 “All flesh shall see the salvation of God.” The words of Isaiah reverberated and found their fulfillment in the events of John the Baptist’s proclamation. St. Luke, the painstaking historian, tells us specifically when and where these events occurred. This is important, because […]
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Tim Irwin
By Tim Irwin Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe/Nov. 25 Daniel 7:13-14; Psalm 93:1,1-2,5; Revelation 1:5-8; John 18:33b-37 This Sunday celebrates the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, marking the end of the liturgical year and the second coming of the Lord. Eschatology names the study of the […]
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Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time/Nov. 11 1 Kings 17:10-16; Psalm 146:7,8-9, 9-10; Hebrews 9:24-28; Mark 12:38-44 The Thirty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time recounts the story of the widow’s mite. Considering who this woman was and what she did, we might want to call this the story of the widow’s might. The passage begins with Jesus sternly […]
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Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time/Oct. 28 Jeremiah 31:7-9; Psalm 126:1-2,2-3,4-5,6; Hebrews 5:1-6; Mark 10:46-52 We Americans are an impatient people. We want what we want and we want it now — instant gratification. I typed “instant gratification” into a browser and got 14,600,000 hits in four-tenths of a second. I wonder why it took so long? […]
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By Tim Irwin Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time/Oct. 14 Wisdom 7:7-11; Psalm 90:12-13,14-15,16-17; Hebrews 4:12-13; Mark 10:17-30 This Sunday’s Gospel presents a challenge that seems impossible to follow while acquainting us with the disciple who never was. The story begins just as Jesus and his disciples have begun the journey to Jerusalem that will culminate in […]
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Sister Rachel Bergschneider, OSB
By Sister Rachel Bergschneider, OSB Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time/Sept. 16 Isaiah 50:5-9a; Psalm 116:1-2,3-4,5-6,8-9; James 2:14-18; Mark 8:27-35 On his 51st birthday, H. Jackson Brown decided to jot down some of the lessons he had learned during his lifetime. He compiled a book after writing his own stories and asking others to do the same. […]
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Father R. Michael Schaab
By Father R. Michael Schaab Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time/Sept. 2 Deuteronomy 4:1-2,6-8; Psalm 15:2-3,3-4,4-5; James 1:17-18,21b-22,27; Mark 7:1-8,14-15,21-23 Today’s readings tell us about three important concepts: divine wisdom, biblical justice and God’s commandment. Together, they explain the Christian life. In the first reading from Deuteronomy, Moses tells Israel that “this great nation is truly a […]
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By Father R. Michael Schaab Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time/Aug. 19 Proverbs 9:1-6; Psalm 34:2-3,4-5,6-7; Ephesians 5:15-20; John 6:51-58 Meister Eckhart was a Dominican who was born in Germany in the 13th century. He was a philosopher, a theologian and a mystic. One quote attributed to him came to mind as I read today’s second reading […]
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