"Truly this man was the Son of God!"

Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem
was an act of superb bravado. He was coming onto center stage. This
was high noon. There was a price on His head. He was an outlaw wanted
dead or alive. Our Discussion Questions for April 1, 2012, Palm Sunday, will guide your Sunday Bible Study with family, friends and church groups.

Welcome
to Holy Week. This Sunday we receive a palm branch - in memory of

"Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies"

In this Sunday's Readings for Mar. 25, 2012, the Fifth Sunday in Lent, some Greeks who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover feast say to
Philip, "Sir, we would like to see Jesus." Jesus responds, "The hour has
come for the Son of Man to be glorified." Our Discussion Questions
will guide your Sunday Bible Study with family, friends and church groups.

Jesus did many good things for us

"Stop making my Father's house a marketplace."

The Gospel for this Third Sunday of Lent, March 11, 2012,  gives us a shocking picture of Jesus. The gentle savior has turned violent.
He erupts into anger as he sees merchants vend oxen, sheep and doves in
the temple, sees money-changers doing commerce in God’s house.  Our
Discussion Questions will guide your Sunday Bible Study with family, friends and church groups.



The account of the

"This is my beloved Son. Listen to him."

In our Readings for this Sunday, March 4, 2012 - the 2nd Sunday in Lent - we are presented with accounts of two extraordinary events. First we
have the story of the Sacrifice of Isaac and, in the Gospel, the story
of the Transfiguration. Our Discussion Questions will guide your Sunday Bible Study with family, friends and church groups.





"This is my beloved Son."





The
past week's Gospel

"Child, your sins are forgiven."

In last Sunday’s Gospel reading we had the story of the healing of the
leper and we reflected on the fact that, in its consequences, sin is a
sort of leprosy. In the Gospel story set before us this Sunday, Feb. 19, 2012, we see something similar. Here sin is clearly compared to paralysis. Our Discussion Questions will guide your Sunday Bible Study with family, friends and church groups.

Four

"He cured many who were sick with various diseases."

In this Sunday’s Readings, February 5, 2012, we are invited to reflect on the meaning of suffering in the life of the Christian. Our Discussion Questions will guide your Sunday Bible Study with family, friends and church groups.

Suffering in the Life of the Christian

Sunday's
Scripture readings find poor Job saying that life is nothing but
drudgery. Every so often, we also hear someone lament

"What is this? A new teaching with authority."

In this Sunday's Readings, January 29, 2011, the Gospel finds Jesus going to the synagogue in Capernaum with four of
his disciples where people are astonished that He teaches with such
authority. And then he casts out a demon from a possessed person. Our
Discussion Questions will guide your Sunday Bible Study with family, friends and church groups.

Jesus - The Holy One of God

What
is

“What are you looking for?”

In this Sunday's Readings - Second Sunday In Ordinary Time (2B), January 15, 2012 - John the Baptist looks hard at Jesus and says, ‘Look there is the Lamb
of God.’ The two disciples with him immediately follow Jesus. Our
Discussion Questions will guide your Sunday Bible Study with family, friends and church groups.

Behold the Lamb of God

At
the beginning of Advent we received a beautiful

"Where is the newborn king of the Jews?"

The Epiphany gospel
this Sunday, Jan. 8, 2011, is a continuation of the Christmas story in Matthew's
prologue to his gospel. This story is is portrayed by the coming of the
Three Wise Men from the East to do Him homage. Our Discussion Questions
will guide your Sunday Bible Study with family, friends and church groups.

The Greek word “epiphaneia” means “appearance” and in the western

"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

"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

"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

"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