Readings: Isaiah 50:5-9; James 2:14-18; Mark 8:27-35 Preacher: Deirdre McKiernan Hetzler “Who do you say that I am?” Jesus asks the disciples. And us! “Who do you say that I am?” That question has always touched my heart. When I think of the unconditional love of our God. A love for each and every person. A love for our world. Demonstrated… read more →
Readings: Isaiah 35: 4-7a; James 2: 1-5; Mark 7: 31-37 Preacher: Susan Howard Video Reflection: click here There are many people who are curious and maybe even skeptical about the teachings and parables of Jesus. The first disciples were, too. It took more than three years for them to grasp what Jesus was all about. So if you are among the doubters… read more →
Readings: Deuteronomy 4: 1-2. 6-8; James 1: 17-18, 21b-22, 27; Mark 7: 1-8, 14-15, 21-23 Preacher: Sr. Joan Sobala It’s that time of year when newly- minted freshmen are off for the first time to the college of their choice. Part of the excitement of moving out of their parents’ home— going out on their own—is that they are free. No… read more →
Readings: Joshua 24: 1-2a,15-17,18b; Ephesians 5: 21-32; John 6: 60-69 Preacher: Marlene Bessette Over the course of the last month, we’ve read the entirety of John’s sixth chapter, and it’s been building to a crescendo in today’s gospel. We began with the feeding of the five thousand, a story so important that it is the only gospel miracle, other than the… read more →
Readings: Proverbs 9: 1-6; Ephesians 5: 15-20; John 6: 51-58 Preacher: Deni Mack We sang Taste and See the Goodness of the Lord (Psalm 34: 2-7) at our parents’ funerals. That psalm defines us. Daily Mass consoled my father for the three years he grieved my mother’s death. Not long after my dad’s death an African priest told me, “Where… read more →
Readings: 1 Kings 19:4-8; Ephesians 4: 30-5:2; John 6: 41-51 Preacher: Brigit Hurley About 20 years ago I was sitting in a church basement on a Saturday morning, enjoying a presentation on Catholic social teaching given by Jack Jezreel. Jack founded the JustFaith program, (justfaith.org/) which has inspired much Catholic social justice activism in the Rochester area and throughout the country.… read more →
Readings: Exodus 16: 2-4, 12-15; Ephesians 4: 17, 20-24; John 6: 24-35 Preacher: Christine Nowak Kvam How often do we find ourselves looking for something to make us happy? When feeling frustrated by the limitations of our home, we dream up renovations, upgrades, maybe even a whole different house that will make us more content with our daily surroundings. We spend… read more →
Readings: 2 Kings 4: 42-44; Ephesians 4: 1-6; John 6: 1-15 Preacher: Nancy J. DeRycke How many times have you and I heard the Story of Jesus going up the hillside, feeding the 5,000? So, we know it’s about generosity—ours and God’s. As I think about it this time around, however, I feel like you and I are on a different… read more →
Readings: Jeremiah 23:1-6; Ephesians 2: 13-18; Mark 6: 30-34 Preacher: Cathy Kamp Like many of us in the latter part of July, the newly appointed, hard-working apostles in Mark’s Gospel were thinking they had earned a nice break. They knew it was time to reflect on their ministry in the quiet presence of God. Jesus’ words would have been music to… read more →
Readings: Amos 7: 12-15; Ephesians 1:3-14; Mark 6: 7-13 Preacher: Susan K. Roll One wonderful result of the Second Vatican Council’s liturgical reforms is that Roman Catholics and mainline Protestants now share almost the same readings of the Word of God on the same Sunday, or at least the same Gospel. This Sunday is an exception though. The Gospel reading in… read more →