Friday in the First Week of Lent: Ezekiel 18:21-28, Matthew 5:20-26. Today’s readings are very much concerned with what is central to a person, what is in their core, as opposed to the actions they take on the surface. First from the mouth of the prophet Ezekiel and then from …
Thursday in the First Week of Lent: Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25, Matthew 7:7-12. With eight kids vying for attention and elbowing for their piece of pie, my mother was fond of the saying, “Ask and you shall receive.” I must have heard it a hundred times growing up. Today, we …
Wednesday of the First Week of Lent: Jonah 3:1-10, Luke 11:29-32. We receive a warning from Jesus today about faithlessness. The readings trace his presence among several faithless generations who came to trust and fear God, including those of his time who challenged his authority. This is a valuable lesson …
Tuesday of the First Week of Lent: Isaiah 55:10-11, Matthew 6:7-15. The Word of God: could there be a more exciting topic for those of us with degrees in English? If your academic training is centered on how words create and describe culture, then the Word of God in scripture …
Monday the First Week of Lent: Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18, Matthew 25:31-46. Today presents a good old fire-and-brimstone set of readings. Leviticus gives us the Word of God from the mouth of Moses, laying out a further explanation of the commandments. He elaborates on the law, “you shall love your neighbor …
First Sunday of Lent: Genesis 2:7-9, 3:1-7, Romans 5:12-19, Matthew 4:1-11. Satan is known by many names in the scriptures: the Adversary (the most literal definition of the word “Satan”), Lucifer, Beelzebub, the Devil, the serpent, the Prince of the World, the Father of Lies, and the Tempter. Today’s readings …
Saturday after Ash Wednesday: Isaiah 58:9b-14, Luke 5:27-32 Today, we hear Isaiah preaching the benefits of living a Godly life — that the Chosen People will “ride on the heights of the earth.” Then, in the gospel of St. Luke, we see the Word incarnate choosing the lowest of the …
Friday after Ash Wednesday: Isaiah 58:1-9a, Matthew 9:14-15 In today’s readings, Isaiah takes on the custom of fasting head-on. Then, in the gospel reading, John the Baptist’s disciples challenge Christ on fasting, but he uses it as a chance to reveal his own nature and thereby reflect on the entire …
Thursday after Ash Wednesday: Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Luke 9:22-25 It’s not the choice you’re probably thinking about; it’s more fundamental than that. It’s the freedom to choose to live in the light or to live in the darkness, and God guarantees us this freedom. This freedom is carried out in myriad …
Ash Wednesday: Joel 2:12-18, 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2, Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 The readings today certainly set the stage for Lent, as you’d imagine they might on Ash Wednesday. In the gospel reading, Jesus instructs on the appropriate way to pray and fast. This is part of his long sermon that starts …
