An Introduction to Sunday's Scripture Readings - March 9, 2025
“You Shall Not Put The Lord, Your God, To The Test”
At the beginning of Lent, the Church reminds us of Jesus’ doing spiritual combat with the devil in the wilderness,
reminding us that Lent is a time for warfare. Through our Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, we do battle with the forces of the devil in our lives, and with God’s grace, defeat him decisively.
In our First Reading (Deuteronomy 25:4-10) Moses spoke to the Israelites at the end of their 40 years of wandering in the desert. He instituted the harvest festival of the first fruits (Sukkot). It was a ritual thanking God for His provision and a retelling of the story of God's delivery from their slavery in Egypt. Once in the promised land, this was to be performed each year as part of the harvest festival. In many ways, we memorialize these same stories in our liturgies today. Our Church wants to make sure that we, as a people of God, never forget God’s mercy and deliverance.
In our Epistle reading (Romans 10:8-13), Saint Paul instructs us that salvation is a two-part process. It is a process of the believing in our heart and of confessing with our mouth. Both are necessary. The confessing is the evidence of the believing. Everyone who calls on the Lord (Jew or Gentile) will be saved.
Our Gospel reading (Luke 4:1-13) is the story of the temptation of Jesus in the desert, just after His baptism and before His public ministry began. After a period of 40 days of prayer and fasting, Jesus was spiritually enriched but physically weak and hungry. And enter then, the devil to tempt Jesus in His time of weakness. Jesus' temptation and struggle were real in His humanity, but His triumph over the evil one was the divine perfection we all strive for and the example we follow.
The three temptations of Jesus in the wilderness represent the same three temptations of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden—Lust of the flesh (good food), Lust of the eyes (desire for possessions) and Pride of life (sinful lust for power and wisdom). We confront this same “Threefold Concupiscence” during our Lenten journey. It is our opportunity, with God’s grace, to banish them and their merchant, Satan, from our lives.
www.bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/030925.cfm
An Introduction to the Sunday Scripture Readings - March 2, 2025
“A Good Person Out Of The Store Of Goodness In His Heart Produces Good”
Our readings this Sunday remind us that our speech and our actions are a reflection of the goodness in our heart. It is a reflection of our upbringing and of the care we have for others; it is a reflection of the image of God within us. Jesus teaches us in our Gospel that "Every tree is known by its own fruit."
In our first reading (Sirach 27:4-7), the author, a wise sage known as Yeshua ben Sira, reminds us that our faults appear when we speak. Our speech discloses the bent of our mind, especially in times of tribulation. Ben Sirach teaches us, “When a sieve is shaken, the husks appear; so do one’s faults when one speaks. As the test of what the potter molds is in the furnace, so in tribulation is the test of the just.”
In our Epistle reading (1 Corinthians 15:54-58), St. Paul teaches us that the sting of death is sin, but through Christ Jesus, God gives us victory. We must remain firm and steadfast in our faith, fully devoted to the work of the Lord. It is in this victory that death is swallowed up. Paul writes this beautiful poem,
“Death is swallowed up in victory
Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”
In our Gospel reading (Luke 6:39-45), we hear the conclusion of Jesus' Sermon on the Plain, which we’ve heard from for the past two weeks. Here, Jesus speaks about the blind leading the blind, not judging others and looking inward at our own failings rather than outward at the faults of others. Jesus said, “How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the splinter in your eye,’ when you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye?”
We who speak ill of others while ignoring our own faults reflect the sadness of our own hearts. As Jesus said in our Gospel, it is like the blind leading the blind. In the words of Father Eugene Lobo, S.J., "Instead of criticizing others, it would do a world of good if we cared for them."
www.bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/030225.cfm
An Introduction to Sunday's Scripture Readings - February 23, 2025
“Love Your Enemies, Do Good To Those Who Hate You”
Our readings this Sunday ask us to do the unthinkable - to "do good to those who hate you." It is an act only God is capable of (or
those acting in the image of God). This is what David did in our first reading and what Jesus invites us to do in today's Gospel.
In our first reading (1 Samuel 26:2,7-9, 12-13, 22-23), we hear excerpts from the fascinating story of young David, who was being pursued by his former patron, King Saul. Saul and his army were trying to kill David. David stumbled on the opportunity to slay his would-be killer in the night but he chose not to. He refused to take vengeance on King Saul, whom he called "the Lord's anointed." In short, he did good to those who hated him, blessed those who persecuted him.
In our Epistle reading (1 Corinthians 15:45-49) St. Paul contrasts (the first) Adam with the last (or second) Adam (Jesus). The first Adam is from the earth, the natural world and the second Adam, Jesus, is from the spiritual world - the image of the heavenly one. It is this image that Jesus calls us to be in today's Gospel. Paul writes, “As was the earthly one, so also are the earthly, and as is the heavenly one, so also are the heavenly. Just as we have borne the image of the earthly one, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly one.”
In our Gospel reading (Luke 6:27-38), we hear a continuation of Jesus' Sermon on the Plain that began in last Sunday's Gospel reading. Here, Jesus laid out what it is to be a follower of Christ, in the image of God. This is an image of meekness and humility. It is a call to love our enemies with an “Agape” love, like the love between God and mankind. Imagine how counter-cultural Jesus’ words were to those who heard Him; how counter-cultural they are even today.
Have you ever given a gift to someone and not received a thank-you? Were you offended? If the gift was truly given in the spirit of today's Gospel, with no expectation of return, there would not be offense, only love. The gifts given to us by God are not only with no expectation of return, it would be impossible for us to reciprocate with God. God gives purely because He loves us, over and over again. We are called to live in His image.
www.bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022325.cfm
An Introduction to the Sunday Scripture Readings - February 16, 2025
“Blessed Are You Who Are Poor, For The Kingdom Of God Is Yours”
Our readings this Sunday teach us that with the Kingdom of God, up is down and down is up. The poor are rich and the rich are poor. We are given a simple choice — Put your trust in mankind and you will be like a “barren bush in the desert.” Put your trust in God and you are like a “tree planted beside the waters.”
In our first reading (Jeremiah 17:5-8), the prophet Jeremiah paints a very clear choice—”Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings” vs. “Blessed is the one who trusts in God.” One turns our hearts away from the Lord while the other turns us toward the Lord.
In our Epistle reading (1 Corinthians 15:12,16-20), St. Paul also gives us a clear choice—Do we believe Christ was raised from the dead or don’t we? Do we believe that we will also rise with Christ? If we do not, then Paul says that we are ”the most pitiable people of all.”
In our Gospel reading (Luke 6:17, 20-26), we hear Luke’s account of the Sermon 
on the Plain, similar to Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount (Matthew Chapter 5-7). Here, Jesus lists four beatitudes or blessings and four woes or opposites. It can be said that the beatitudes are the countenance of Jesus. Jesus was poor, Jesus was hungry, Jesus wept, Jesus was persecuted. He was preparing us for the life of following Christ. But the rewards in heaven are joy and blessedness for eternal life. Jesus contrasted this with being blessed in this life and thus being distracted from the things of God and of the next life. Is it possible to be blessed in this life and blessed in the next? Yes, but it is more difficult when the blessings of this life lead us away from God. The answer is to detach ourselves from anything that distracts us from God.
Often in life, we are presented with choices -- Do we put our trust in God or do we trust in humankind? Are we detached from the things of this world or do we cling to wealth and possessions? Do we believe Christ rose from the dead? Do we believe in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist? We are defined by our choices. Our choices define our actions and our actions define our destiny. Straddling the fence is not a luxury we have.
www.bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021625.cfm
An Introduction to Sunday's Scripture Readings - December 25
“AND THE WORD BECAME FLESH AND DWELT AMONG US”
Our readings for Christmas Mass at night draw a direct connection between what Isaiah prophesied more than 500
years before Christ was born and what took place that Christmas night when the prophesy was fulfilled in all its humble glory.
In our first reading (Isaiah 9:1-6), we hear the prophesy of Isaiah that is proclaimed every Christmas Eve night - God's own Son will come to deliver us. "For a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace. His dominion is vast and forever peaceful, from David's throne, and over his kingdom, which he confirms and sustains by judgment and justice, both now and forever.”
In our Epistle (Titus 2:11-14), St. Paul leads us to remember that Christ promised to come again and will deliver us from all lawlessness. Paul teaches us how to live while we await the return of Jesus our Savior. “The grace of God has appeared, saving all and training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age, as we await the blessed hope, the appearance of the glory of our great God and savior Jesus Christ.”
Our Gospel reading (Luke 2:1-14) is the account of Jesus' humble birth as Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem to register for the census of the house of David. The first to bear witness were the lowly shepherds from the surrounding hillsides.
The birth of the Jesus the Messiah was not just something that happened a long time ago. It was an event foretold for centuries and awaited fervently by the people of Israel. From the moment of Jesus' birth to his tragic death and triumphant resurrection, he was the embodiment of humility, patience, and love. It is how he calls us to live "temperately, justly and devoutly in this age as we await the blessed hope."
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122523-night.cfm
Click 'Read more' for the reflection on the Christmas Day readings.