"STAY WITH US, LORD" (Luke 24:29)

1st Reading            Sirach 27:30-28:7 Psalm                       103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12 (R. 8) R:// "The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and rich in mercy" 2nd Reading              Romans 14: 7-9 Gospel                         Matthew 18:21-35 SET PEOPLE FREE Friends, Peace and Goodness! Today is the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A). Let us launch into the readings.  Our first reading is from Sirach 27:30-28:7. We just have to first understand that we are reading from one of the Deuterocanonical books. Sirach was written in Hebrew around 180 BC by a Jewish scribe and teacher, called Jesus Ben Sirach. The Greek translation was produced by his grandson in 132 BC in Alexandria, Egypt. The book is rich in Wisdom and is often regarded as an elderly person giving pieces of advice ...

1st Reading                    Ezekiel 33: 7-9 Psalm                                95: 1-2, 6-7, 8-9 (R. 8).  R:// "O that today you would listen to his voice, harden not your hearts" 2nd Reading                  Romans 13: 8-10 Gospel                             Matthew 18: 15-20 GO AND FIND Friends, Peace and Goodness! Today is the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) and the very first Sunday of September, the month traditionally dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows. We have a justifiable reason to regard September as a month of Mary, at least on a minor level. Let us closely look at the readings today.  The first reading is from Ezekiel 33:7-9. Any reader of Ezekiel will be very quick in identifying that the passage is closely the sam...

1st Reading                Jeremiah 20: 7-9 Psalm                          63: 2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9 (R. cf. 2ab) R:// "For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord, my God" 2nd Reading             Romans 12: 1-2  Gospel                        Matthew 16: 21-27 DO NOT QUIT IT Friends, Peace and Goodness! We end the month of August today with the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A).  Our first reading is from Jeremiah 20: 7-9. It is an accusatory speech the prophet Jeremiah directs to God. Let us attempt to unpack it carefully with a few observations.  The first thing we should pick from the text is its opening. It opens with "O Lord, You deceived me, and I was deceived" (v. 7a). That sounds very interesting, especially for God to "deceive". Some translations use "Seduce" while others use "Du...

1st Reading                 Isaiah 22: 19-23 Psalm                            138: 1-2a, 2bcd-3, 6 & 8bc (R. 8bc) R:// "O Lord, your merciful love is eternal; discard not the work of your hands" 2nd Reading              Romans 11: 33-36 Gospel                         Matthew 16: 13-20 USE AUTHORITY TO SERVE Friends, Pax et Bonum! Today is the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A).  Our first reading is from Isaiah 22: 19-23. Let us start with it. The text is about the removal of Shebna from office. However, I suggest we go back to ealier occurrences to understand the man, Shebna, and what he actually did. The first time we hear of Shebna is in 2 Kings 18:18, where he is listed as one of the three senior officials sent by King Hezekiah to negotiate with the Assyrian Rabshakeh w...

1st Reading                 Isaiah 56:1, 6-7 Psalm                            67: 2-3, 5, 6 & 8 (R. 4) R:// "Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!" 2nd Reading               Romans 11: 13-15, 29-32 Gospel                          Matthew 15: 21-28 EVERYONE IS WELCOME Friends, Pax et Bonum! On this 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A), we have our first reading from Isaiah 56: 1, 6-7.  We need to observe that the text of the first reading, Isaiah 56:1, 6-7, belongs to the section of Isaiah that scholars call Trito-Isaiah, composed after the exile, addressed to a community that has returned to Zion only to discover that the land is smaller than the promise. In fact, Trito-Isaiah has a very high universalistic overtone and seeks to make room for...

1st Reading               1 Kings 19: 9a, 11-13a Psalm                          85: 8ab & 9, 10-11, 12-13 (R. 7) R:// "Let us see, O Lord, your mercy, and grant us your salvation" 2nd Reading             Romans 9: 1-5 Gospel                        Matthew 14: 22-33 STAND AT THE ENTRANCE Friends, Peace and Goodness! Today is the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A). Our first reading is from 1 Kings 19: 9a, 11-13a and the Gospel is from Matthew 14: 22-33. Let us pick a few points from them.  We stay with the first reading from 1 Kings 19: 9a, 11-13a this Sunday. Let us put in context. To understand what God's question to Elijah means, we must first understand where Elijah has come from. Our text omits verses 1 to 8, and if we do not go back to that part, we shall strip the scene of its drama...