"He was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel"

This Sunday, Jan. 1, 2012, is not only the Feast of Mary, the Mother of God,
it is also the World Day of Prayer for Peace. It is highly appropriate
that the whole Church pauses at the commencement of the New Year to take
time to pray for world peace. Our Discussion Questions will guide your Sunday Bible Study with family, friends and church groups.

Mary, Mother of God

The
readings for

"And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us."

The joy and peace of the Lord Jesus Christ, born for us, be with you! This Sunday, Dec. 25, 2011, we celebrate Christmas, the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord. Our Discussion Questions will guide your Sunday Bible Study with family, friends and church groups.

The
meaning for us of Luke's Christmas story is completed by the prologue
of John's gospel read at Mass During the Day (Jn 1:1-18)

"Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you."

On the carefully programmed Advent journey to Christmas, Dec. 18, 2011, the Fourth Sunday belongs to Mary.
This is so because Christmas, which celebrates the birth of Jesus,
necessarily involves the motherhood of Mary. Our Discussion Questions
will guide your Sunday Bible Study with family, friends and church groups.

Also on this last Sunday of Advent we begin more intensively to prepare

"Make straight the way of the Lord"

We have in Sunday’s Gospel - Dec. 11, 2011, the 3rd Sunday in Advent - an interesting interrogation. The priests and Levites came out from
Jerusalem to find out who this John the Baptist was, and whether he was
the Messiah. Our Discussion Questions will guide your Sunday Bible Study with family, friends and church groups.

Gaudete. Rejoice.

The
third Sunday of Advent is often called "Gaudate

"Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths."

This Sunday, Dec. 4, 2011, we celebrate the Second Sunday in Advent
and the Readings feature John the Baptist. He didn’t look or talk like
the Jews of his time. He was not part of the crowd that had always held
power. Yet he talked about change. And the people listened, and
followed. Our Discussion Questions will guide your Sunday Bible Study with family, friends and church groups.

A Voice

"Be watchful! Be alert!"

Because it is Thanksgiving weekend, I'm busy preparing Thanksgiving
dinner for my family while multi-tasking this week's homiletics email
for you. So we hope you understand why you're receiving a truncated
version of your Catholic Living Today.

This Sunday we celebrate the First Sunday in Advent.
This marks the beginning of a new church year: the liturgical
actualization for us of

"He will sit upon his glorious throne"

This Sunday, November 20, 2011, we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King.
This is the Last Sunday of the Church Year. Through this feast the
church is saying that all of our celebrations can be summed up in one
statement: Jesus is our King, we serve him. Our Discussion Questions
will guide your Sunday Bible Study with family, friends and church groups.

Universal King

But
who

"Well done, my good and faithful servant."

Jesus has some words this Sunday, Nov. 13, 2011, 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, about investing what we receive. He tells the famous parable of the talents.
The man who receives five talents, put them to work and made an
additional five. The second receives two and makes two more. But the man
who receives one talent, buries it. Jesus calls him "wicked" and
"lazy." Our Discussion Questions will

"Stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour."

In Sunday’s Gospel for Nov. 6, 2011 - 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time - Matthew’s recount of the 10 virgins
sits amidst numerous parables about the heavenly kingdom. In fact, all
three of the readings today are end-of-times in nature. Our Discussion
Questions will guide your Sunday Bible Study with family, friends and church groups.

In the course of the liturgical year have worked our way

"Call no one on earth your father"

This Sunday's Gospel narrative
- for Oct. 30, 2011, 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time - reminds us that holding a position of power in religion appears to be
particularly vulnerable to self-exaltation and abuse. It is a strong
invitation and challenge to render humble, selfless, diligent, committed
and loving service to others in the community without expecting honor
or rewards. Our Discussion

"Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?"

Sunday’s Gospel Reading
- for October 23, 2011 - revolves around the question: “Which commandment of the Law is the
greatest?” Another way to put this question is to ask, “What do I need
to do to achieve salvation?” Our Discussion Questions will guide your Sunday Bible Study with family, friends and church groups.



In
the Sunday Gospel according to St. Matthew we encounter Christ in

"Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar"

This Sunday - October 16, 2011 - in Matthew's Gospel, the Pharisees try once again to entrap Jesus in His speech. They ask Jesus the question, "Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?" Our Discussion Questions will guide your Sunday Bible Study with family, friends and church groups.


The Hypocrisy of the Question



Jesus
is fully aware of the hypocrisy of His opponents, and He

"Many are invited, but few are chosen."

This Sunday, October 9, 2011, the Church presents for our consideration the wonderful parable of the royal wedding banquet. Our Discussion Questions will guide your Sunday Bible Study with family, friends and church groups.

Invite Everyone to the Banquet

The
message of this parable of the royal wedding banquet is clear. God
invites the people of Israel to his wedding banquet in heaven but

"The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone"

We are back in the vineyard again this Sunday, October 2, 2011, immersed in another of
Matthew's complex Gospel parables. Sunday's Gospel parable is often
called the parable of the wicked tenants. Our Discussion Questions will guide your Sunday Bible Study with family, friends and church groups.



Jesus told these parables in answer to the question: "What is the kingdom of God like?"
As in

"Tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you."

The Parable of the Two Sons
for Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011, which is unique to the Gospel of Matthew is probably one of the most
easily understandable of all the parables of Jesus. It describes a
situation we can all identify with and one that we surely all have
experienced. Some call this four verse parable the Better of Two Bad
Sons. Our Discussion Questions will guide your Sunday Bible

"Are you envious because I am generous?"

It's September 18, 2011 - 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time - and this Sunday's gospel parable of the workers in the vineyard
serves as a corrective to false notions of entitlement and merit. The
story reflects the socio-economic background of Palestine at the time
of Jesus. The parable is offensive to us and it challenges our sense of
justice. Our Discussion Questions will guide your Sunday

"How often must I forgive?"

Sunday's Gospel (Matthew 18:21-35)
for Sept. 11, 2011 addresses the necessity of repentance and repeated forgiveness that are
required of those who call themselves Christian. We hear Jesus’
teaching on forgiveness. Peter poses the question, an entirely practical
one, by asking how many times we must forgive those who sin against us.
Our Discussion Questions will guide your Sunday Bible Study

"If your brother sins against you..."

Our Gospel this Sunday, Sept. 4, 2011 (23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time), is taken from a section of St Matthew’s Gospel in which he considers forgiveness in the community and how to deal with sinners. Our Discussion Questions will guide your Sunday Bible Study sessions with family, friends and church groups.

A Brother Who Has Sinned

Matthew
adapts sayings of the historical Jesus to address the

"Get behind me, Satan!"

This Sunday's Gospel for August 28, 2011 - 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time - from Matthew presents us with the first prediction of Jesus' passion. It serves as a corrective to an understanding of Jesus' messiahship as solely one of glory and triumph. Our Discussion Questions will guide your Sunday Bible Study sessions with family, friends and church groups.

From "Rock" to Scandalon

Last week

"Upon this rock I will build my church."

This Sunday, August 21, 2011 is the 21st Sunday in Ordinary time. And we consider a Gospel text that is crucial to the Church’s understanding of itself. The words of Jesus addressed to Peter, “You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church." Our Discussion Questions will guide your Sunday Bible Study sessions with family, friends and church groups.

"But who do you say that I am?"

"O woman, great is your faith!"

In this Sunday’s Gospel for August 14, 2011 - 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Jesus heals the daughter of the Canaanite woman because her faith was so great.  He rebuked the disciples because their faith was too little. Our Discussion Questions will guide your Sunday Bible Study sessions with family, friends and church groups.

These readings fare among the most difficult passages in the Bible.

"O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"

In Sunday's Gospel passage for August 7, 2011, 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, while his disciples depart in a boat, Jesus goes up on a mountain by himself to pray. When a storm arises during the night, Jesus comes toward the boat walking on the water. Our Discussion Questions will guide your Sunday Bible Study sessions with family, friends and church groups.

Where is God?

Life as an

"Give them some food yourselves."

The miracle of the multiplication of loaves and fish that is mentioned in this Sunday's Readings - July 31, 2011 - 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time - is so central to the gospel message that it is one of the few miracles found in all four gospels. It help us recognize the gifts we have been given and the responsibility we have to give them to others. Our Discussion Questions will guide your

"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field"

This Sunday's passage contains the last three of the set of seven parables that Matthew placed in the center of his gospel. The first two about the treasure in the field and the pearl of great price tell us about the inestimable value of the Kingdom. The third one about the dragnet tells us about the great diversity of its make up. This Sunday we have three parables set before us. Our

"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed"

Once again in this week's Gospel passage for July 17, 2011, 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time, images of growing trees, shrubs and plants provide us with powerful insights into the quiet and slow ways that God's Kingdom grows among us and within us. This Sunday we have three parables set before us. Our Discussion Questions will guide your Sunday Bible Study sessions with family, friends and church

"Whoever has ears ought to hear."

This Sunday's Parable of the Sower for July 10, 2011 - 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time - is plain. The seed sown is the word of God. The sower is our Lord Jesus Christ, by himself, or by his ministers. Our Discussion Questions will guide your Sunday Bible Study sessions with family, friends and church groups.

To respond to this parable adequately, we must view it from two different angles.

"For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."

The words of the Gospel this Sunday, July 3, 2011, are wonderfully comforting; they express the compassion of Christ not only for those who suffer or are crushed by the heavy loads of life, but also to the child-like, the innocent and the trusting. Our Discussion Questions will guide your Sunday Bible Study sessions with family, friends and church groups.

Come to me, all you who labor and

"Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life"

This Sunday, June 26, 2011, is Corpus Christi Sunday, a capstone of all the celebrations since Holy Week. It gives us the one very important matter that still needs to come before us: the sacrament of the Eucharist. Our Discussion Questions will guide your Sunday Bible Study sessions with family, friends and church groups.

The Church situates this Sunday's feast immediately after the

"God so loved the world that he gave his only Son"

This Sunday - June 19, 2011 - we celebrate the solemnity of the Blessed Trinity. The Triune nature of God is the principal mystery of the Catholic faith. Our Discussion Questions will guide your Sunday Bible Study sessions with family, friends and church groups.

The Very Mystery of God

What we know about God is not made up, not a fable invented by our ancestors. What we know about God is

“Receive the Holy Spirit."

This Sunday, June 12, 2011,  we celebrate Pentecost, the 50th day that signals the start of the universal mission of the Church -- a mission that overcomes human obstacles and has the Spirit as its driving force. Our Discussion Questions will guide your Sunday Bible Study sessions with family, friends and church groups.

"Receive the Holy Spirit."

Pentecost is not just another Sunday. Fr.

"Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations"

The Feast of the Ascension has got to be one of the most dramatic in the liturgical year. Not perhaps very dramatic in its liturgy which is the same as any other Sunday; but dramatic in what it is all about: the lifting up of the Risen Jesus to his place in heaven. Our Discussion Questions for June 5, 2011 will guide your Sunday Bible Study sessions with family, friends and church groups.

"He will give you another Advocate to be with you always"

This Sunday, May 29, 2011, is the last Sunday of Easter. We are being prepared for the Ascension of Jesus, which comes next week. He has risen from death and now he is ready to be human in another way, that is, to go to up to heaven, as we hope we will too. Our Discussion Questions will guide your Sunday Bible Study sessions with family, friends and church groups.

This week, the

"I am the way and the truth and the life."

In the Gospel for this Fifth Sunday in Easter, May 22, 2011, Jesus invites us to let go and trust in Him. He declares that He alone is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Our Discussion Questions will guide your Sunday Bible Study sessions with family, friends and church groups.

This Sunday's Gospel text is taken from St. John's account of the Last Supper. That the Church gives us this

"I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved."

In the Catholic tradition this Fourth Sunday after Easter - celebrated this year on May 15, 2011 - is called Good Shepherd Sunday. It is also kept as a Special Day of Prayer for Vocations to the Priesthood and the Religious Life. Our Discussion Questions will guide your Sunday Bible Study sessions with family, friends and church groups.

The Good Shepherd Discourse

God's image as

“Were not our hearts burning within us"

Last Sunday's Gospel was the Gospel of Doubting Thomas. This Sunday's Gospel - May 8, 20011, the Third Sunday of Easter - is the Gospel of the Confused Disciples. Luke's story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus focuses on the interpretation of scripture by the risen Jesus and the recognition of him in the breaking of the bread. Our Discussion Questions will guide your Sunday Bible

"Do not be unbelieving, but believe."

Last Sunday, the Lord signaled the apostles that though they had deserted Him on Good Friday, He forgave them. This Second Sunday of Easter, or Divine Mercy Sunday, Jesus sends Thomas the message that He forgives him for his disbelief in the Resurrection despite reliable eyewitnesses. Our Discussion Questions will guide your Sunday Bible Study sessions with family, friends and church groups.

"They have taken the Lord from the tomb"

This Sunday, this Easter 2011, is a day of Life and Joy — a day in which God gives new meaning to all of our lives in the Resurrection of Jesus. Our Discussion Questions will guide your online Sunday Bible Study sessions with your family, friends and church groups.

The Sacred Triduum

But before Easter comes the Triduum—Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday. During these days, the Church

"Hosanna to the Son of David"

It is a special liturgy, this Sunday of April 17, 2011, known as “Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion.” If you were tempted to think of it as just another Mass but with a few additions, prepare to drop that assumption. Passion Sunday is a very deep vision of the heart and soul of Christianity. Our Discussion Questions will guide your Online Sunday Bible Study sessions with your family, friends

"I am the resurrection and the life"

Sunday's pathos-filled Gospel story, the raising of Lazarus, is the longest continuous narrative in John's Gospel outside of the passion account. It is also the climax of the "signs" of Jesus. Our Discussion Questions for April 10, 2011 - the Fifth Sunday of Lent - will guide your Online Sunday Bible Study sessions with your family, friends and church groups.

Jesus Wept

The shortest line in

"I am the light of the world."

Sunday’s Gospel is about the cure of a blind man—and about the blindness of those who think they can see. Our Discussion Questions for April 3, 2011 - the Fourth Sunday of Lent - will guide your Online Sunday Bible Study sessions with your family, friends and church groups.

Light and darkness

The drama of John 9, the Man Born Blind, is the story of a simple man open to God’s presence and

"Whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst"

The theme of thirsting and water continues in this Sunday's fascinating and evocative Gospel story of the woman of Samaria and her encounter with Jesus at high noon. It's March 27, 2011, the Third Sunday in Lent. Our Discussion Questions will guide your Online Sunday Bible Study sessions with your family, friends and church groups.

The Samaritan Woman

Once again, Jesus is led by the Spirit

“This is my beloved Son, listen to him.”

Last week we saw Jesus being tempted just like the rest of us. It was so human. This Sunday - the Second Sunday of Lent -  we see Him transformed into dazzling light. Not so human. What is going on? Is He trying to teach us something? Our Discussion Questions will guide your Online Sunday Bible Study sessions with your family, friends and church groups.

Abraham, Moses Elijah and Jesus

Fr. Alex

"You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test."

In this Gospel for the First Sunday of Lent, March 13, 2011, the devil tempts Jesus to trade His oneness with God for selfish attention to created things. Our Discussion Questions will guide your Online Sunday Bible Study sessions with your family, friends and church groups.

The Scripture readings for this first Sunday of Lent immerse us into the depths of this penitential season. The readings

"Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name?"

This Sunday, March 6, 2011- 9th sunday in Ordinary time - we come to the very end of the Sermon on the Mount as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew. We are not surprised that the conclusion of this long sermon comes with an allusion to the Last Day. Our Discussion Questions will guide your Online Sunday Bible Study sessions with your family, friends and church groups.

Allow us to point out

"You cannot serve God and mammon."

The Gospel set before us this Sunday, February 27, 2011, continues Christ's teaching as given in the Sermon on the Mount. The extract is all about Divine Providence. Jesus does not deny the reality of human needs, but forbids making them the object of anxious care and, in effect, becoming their slave. In our modern consumerist society, it is a teaching that is frequently neglected - even by

"But I say to you, love your enemies"

The Gospel text for this Sunday, Feb. 20, 2011, continues with Jesus and His Sermon on the Mount. Christ is not finished. This Seventh Sunday in Ordinary time, He says His people must think not of their rights but of their duties as His followers. Our Discussion Questions will guide your Online Sunday Bible Study sessions with your family, friends and church groups.

"Love your Enemies"

There

"If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away."

This Sunday's Gospel is a continuation of the Sermon on the Mount and Matthew emphasizes the relation between Jewish Law and the teaching of Jesus. Our Discussion Questions will guide your Online Sunday Bible Study sessions with your family, friends and church groups.

"Cut it off!"

This is some very difficult material in today's Gospel. 'If anyone kills he will answer for it before the court.

"You are the light of the world."

In the Gospels of the last four Sundays we've been following the story of Jesus’ early career. First he went to be baptized. Then he moved to Capernaum when John the Baptist was killed, and he chose his apostles. Last Sunday we heard part of his “inaugural address,” the beatitudes. In this Sunday's Readings for Feb. 6, 2011 Jesus begins to instruct the disciples about how to be his followers. Our

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

If the sermon on the mount is a summary of all Christian doctrine, the beatitudes are a summary of the Sermon on the mount. In the Sunday Readings for Jan. 30, 2011 then, if anywhere, we have the essence of the Gospel. Our Discussion Questions will guide your Online Sunday Bible Study sessions with your family, friends and church groups.

We call it the Sermon on the Mount, a mount is just a

“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

In the Gospel for Sunday we see how Jesus picks up where John the Baptist left off. We are told that He has come to fulfill the scriptures, that He will bring light to the people; we are introduced to Jesus’ inner group of disciples and see how they are called. And we are told about His ministry of healing among the crowds that flocked to hear Him. Our Discussion Questions will guide your Online

"Behold, the Lamb of God"

The poinsettias are gone, the lights are down, the Christmas season is over. Now we move on with the very beginning of Jesus’ public life, usually referred to as his ministry. We come upon John the Baptist seeing Jesus and pointing to him, “Behold the Lamb of God.” Our Discussion Questions for January 16, 2011, the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, will guide your Online Sunday Bible Study

This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."

This weekend is the first Sunday of Ordinary Time. We inaugurate Ordinary Time by celebrating the Baptism of Our Lord. Before beginning his public ministry, Jesus was baptized. He considered Baptism so important that - even though he had no personal sins - he nevertheless submitted to the baptism of John. Our Discussion Questions for January 9, 2011 will guide your Online Sunday Bible Study