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

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...