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

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22ND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR C)

1st Reading Ecclesiasticus (or Sirach) 3:17-20,28-29 Psalm 68:4-5ac,6-7ab,10-11 (R. 11b) R:// "In your goodness, O God, you provided for the poor" 2nd Reading Hebrews 12:18-19,22-24a Gospel Luke 14:1,7-14 SIT LOW TO RISE HIGH Friends, Peace and Goodness! Today is the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). It is also the last Sunday of the month of August. Our first reading is from Ecclesiasticus (or Sirach) 3:17-20,28-29 and the Gospel is from Luke 14:1,7-14. Let us look at a few points from them. At first read, both readings point in the direction of the theme of humility. Therefore, we shall toe that same line. However, what in particular do the readings have to say about humility? Let us say a few preliminary words about the first reading from Ecclesiasticus 3:17-20,28-29. Ecclesiasticus is also called Sirach. The book w...

21ST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR C)

1st Reading Isaiah 66:18-21 Psalm 117:1,2 (R. Mark 16:15) R:// "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel" 2nd Reading Hebrews 12:5-7,11-13 Gospel Luke 13:22-30 BE A SURVIVOR ON MISSION Friends, Peace and Goodness! Today is the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). Our first reading is from Isaiah 66: 18-21, and the Gospel is from Luke 13:22-30. Let us quickly dive into them, starting with the first reading. The first reading, Isaiah 66: 18-21, is a relatively short passage of 4 verses, and we are reading from the last chapter of Isaiah. In fact, we are just 3 verses away from the end of the whole book of the prophet Isaiah. Also, we should remember that we are reading from a section of Isaiah called "Trito-Isaiah" (or...

20TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR C)

1st Reading Jeremiah 38:4-6,8-10 Psalm 40:2, 3, 4, 18 (R. 14b) R://"Lord, come to my aid!" 2nd Reading Hebrews 12:1-4 Gospel Luke 12:49-53 GOD'S WORD DIVIDES AND PURIFIES Friends, Peace and Goodness! Today is the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). Our first reading is from Jeremiah 38:4-6,8-10 and the Gospel is from Luke 12:49-53. Let us start with the first reading from Jeremiah. We need to understand the vocation of the prophet Jeremiah. Precisely, his vocation is stated thus: “See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to tear down, To destroy and to overthrow, To build and to plant.” (Jer. 1:10). This is ...

19TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR C)

1st Reading Wisdom 18:6-9 Psalm 33: 1&12. 18-19. 20 & 22 (R. 12b) R:// "Blessed the people the Lord had chosen as his heritage" 2nd Reading Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19 (shorter, 11:1-2,8-12) Gospel Luke 12: 32-48 (shorter, 12: 35-40) PREPARE FOR THE UNEXPECTED Friends, Peace and Goodness! Today is the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). Let us say a few words about the readings for today. Our first reading is from Wisdom 18: 6-9, and the Gospel is from Luke 12: 32-48 (shorter version, 12: 35-40). Let us start with the first reading and make a few preliminary comments. The first is that the book we are reading from, Wisdom (otherwise called "Wisdom of Solomon), is one of the Deuterocanonical books, found in the Catholic and ...

18TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR C)

1st Reading Ecclesiastes 1:2, 2:21-23 Psalm 90: 3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14 and 17 (R. 1) R:// "O Lord, you have been our refuge from generation to generation" 2nd Reading Colossians 3: 1-5, 9-11 Gospel Luke 12: 13-21 THE PITFALLS OF MATERIALISM Friends, Peace and Goodness! Today is the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). It is also the first Sunday of the month of August, the 8th month of the year. Mathematically, the number 8 is 4 multiplied by 2, and the number 4 is the number of the earth for which we have East, West, North, and South. What it means is that, by arriving in the 8th month, we have gone around the earth twice. The number 8 is also 1 above 7, the number of perfection. In this month, we pray that the Lord himself will perfect in us Graces necessary to walk through this earth. Finally, the month of A...

17TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR C)

1st Reading Genesis 18: 20-32 Psalm 138:1-2, 2-3, 6-7, 7-8 (R. 3a) R://"Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me" 2nd Reading Colossians 2:12-14 Gospel Luke 11: 1-13 PRAYER MOVES GOD Friends, Peace and Goodness! Today is the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). Today, we draw the curtain down on the month of July. Let us take a quick dive into the readings for today. Our first reading is from Genesis 18: 20-32, and the Gospel is from Luke 11: 1-13. What becomes very clear from these two passages is that the theme of persistency in prayer is very explicit. The technique used is the "principle of harmonization". In Ordinary Time, especially, the first reading and the Gospel have the same theme. The fuller understanding...

16TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR C)

1st Reading Genesis 18: 1-10a Psalm 15: 2-3a, 3bc-4ab, 5 (R. 1a) R:// "Lord, who may abide in your tent" 2nd Reading Colossians 1: 24-28 Gospel Luke 10: 38-42 WELCOME CHRIST WITHOUT MISSING HIM Beloved, Peace and Goodness! Today is the 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). The Word of God today dwells heavily on the theme of hospitality. However, let us focus on a certain close portion of the grand or broad theme of hospitality. The first reading is from Genesis 18: 1-10a, and the Gospel is from Luke 10: 38-42. I suggest we look at the Gospel passage closely. The first preliminary observation we should make is that today's Gospel is a continuation from last week's Gospel. This technique is " lectio continua " (continuous reading). The...