Readings: Isaiah 55:10-11; Romans; 8: 18-23; Matthew 13:1-23 Preacher: Marilyn Catherine Why parables indeed? Good question, Disciples; I was wondering the same thing. Often the parable is more confounding than enlightening. Am I one of the blockheads Jesus is describing in the parable of the Sower and the Seed? If I lived in Israel in Jesus’ era the image he uses would be… read more →
Readings: Zechariah 9: 8-10; Romans 8: 9, 11-13; Matthew 11: 25-30 Preacher: Susan Howard When you’re out at a party or a family dinner there are two topics to avoid— religion and politics. They are sure to create friction. However, both religion and politics are basic frameworks by which groups of people make decisions about how to best use resources, who… read more →
Readings: Kings 4: 8-11, 14-16; Romans 6: 3-4, 8-11; Matthew 10: 37-42 Preacher: Sr. Barbara Moore RSM “Whoever loves father or mother more than me…is not worthy of me.” Just to read this and not explore it may raise hard questions for us, and it is what we call a “difficult text” unless we deeply explore it. Of course, love exists… read more →
Readings: Jeremiah 20: 10-13; Romans 5: 12-15; Matthew 10:26-33 Preacher: Liz Maurer Webster Our Gospel reading today begins… “Jesus said to the Twelve: ‘Fear no one.’” I don’t know about you, but in our current world, I fear a lot of people… people who use violence as a way to solve disagreements; people who want to control me by demonizing those… read more →
Readings: Exodus 19: 2-6a; Romans 5: 6-11; Matthew 9: 36-10: 8 Preacher: Gloria Ulterino Well, folks, we’re back in “Ordinary Time,” according to the Church year. Left behind are the Easter season’s celebrations of Christ’s Passion, death, and Resurrection. And yet, God persists in being very much with us! Indeed, God’s inexpressible, profound love lives on in us at this very… read more →
Readings: Deuteronomy 8:2-3 14b-16a; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; John 6:51-58 Preacher: Deirdre McKiernan Hetzler “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” Whoa! Jesus’ words must have been very provocative for his hearers. The thought of… read more →
Readings: Exodus 34: 4b-6, 8-9; 2 Corinthians 13: 11-13; John 13:16-18 Preacher: Cathy Glisson Just last week we celebrated Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit to live in and among us. As Ordinary Time returns, we transition with several very important solemnities, starting this Sunday with the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity. The three readings for this Sunday… read more →
Readings: Acts 2: 1-11; 1 Corinthians 12: 3b-7, 12-13; John 20: 19-23 Preacher: Irene Goodwin This week I talked with a young man from Puerto Rico. He shared with me how difficult life had become after Hurricane Maria and the decision to come to the United States. The wind had caused the complete destruction of his home and community. Wind can… read more →
Readings: Acts 1: 1-11; Ephesians 1: 17-23; Matthew 28: 16-20 Preacher: Sonja Livingston When I was twenty years old, I was arrested for protesting the Gulf War. I’d attended local and national demonstrations and eventually joined a group that sat in at Senator D’Amato’s office in the Federal Building. I was on fire with righteousness in those days, and if I’m… read more →
Readings: Acts 8: 5-8, 14-17; 1 Peter 3: 15-18; John 14: 15-21 Preacher: Ruth Marchetti “My.” It’s such a small word. John’s gospel tells us that Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Notice that Jesus doesn’t say keep the commandments, he says keep my commandments. What’s the difference? Jesus was an observant Jew who honored the… read more →