The Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time [B]Hosea 2:16,17,21-22  +  2 Corinthians 3:1-6  +  Mark 2:18-22 Twenty-one of out of the seventy-three books that make up the Bible are letters, written by the apostles (most of them were written by Saint Paul).  These letters—written during the first seven decades of the Church—are like the letters of ..read more

The Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time [B]Isaiah 43:18-19,21-22,24-25  +  2 Corinthians 1:18-22  +  Mark 2:1-12 Most of have difficulty dealing with sickness and disease.  No one likes being sick, and it’s difficult to be with others who are sick, or who are suffering.  We want to be compassionate, but we sometimes feel lacking, because ..read more

The Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time [B]Jeremiah 31:7-9  +  Hebrews 5:1-6  +  Mark 10:46-52 Today’s Second Reading—from the New Testament Letter to the Hebrews—points our attention to the priesthood of Jesus Christ. This past week, the priests of our diocese gathered with the bishop for an annual conference.  It’s a time for continuing education, for ..read more

The Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time [B]Wisdom 2:12,17-20  +  James 3:16—4:3  +  Mark 9:30-37 The Cross is the heart of Jesus’ life.  We heard this in last Sunday’s Gospel passage, when Jesus declared:  “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.  For whoever wishes to save his ..read more

The Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time [B]Isaiah 50:5-9  +  James 2:14-18  +  Mark 8:27-35 There are two types of death.  One is much worse than the other.  Lots of folks work hard to avoid the one type of death, but not the other, which is strange.  It’s strange because the death they work to avoid ..read more

The Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time [B]Proverbs 9:1-6  +  Ephesians 5:15-20  +  John 6:51-58 Praying each set of mysteries of the Rosary is like climbing a mountain. The five mysteries of each set—whether you’re talking about the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, or Glorious Mysteries—are not five random, unconnected mysteries.  The five mysteries of each set tell ..read more

The Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time [B]Exodus 16:2-4,12-15  +  Ephesians 4:17,20-24  +  John 6:24-35 “I am the Bread of Life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” Today is the second of five Sundays when we hear from the sixth chapter of Saint John’s account of the ..read more

The Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time [B]II Kings 4:42-44  +  Ephesians 4:1-6  +  John 6:1-15 Some years back, three brother priests and I set out east along the highways and interstates of America to attend a conference in Louisville, Kentucky.  The round trip was more than 1500 miles, so the four of us prayed the ..read more

The Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time [B] Jeremiah 23:1-6  +  Ephesians 2:13-18  +  Mark 6:30-34 A few weeks ago, on June 25, I drove from my former parish to Eureka in order to drop off boxes of my belongings.  At the Copper Kettle in Eureka, three of us had lunch together:  the then-current, the newly appointed, and a previous pastor of Greenwood County:  namely, Father Nic, myself, and Father Mike Klag.  Some of the folks in the Copper Kettle might have called us the Three Amigos.  Some might have called us the Three Stooges.  But in fact, w ..read more

The Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time [B] Amos 7:12-15  +  Ephesians 1:3-14  +  Mark 6:7-13 “So they went off and preached repentance.” Sometimes it’s better to step back and consider Scripture in general, and sometimes it’s better to focus on one of the day’s Scripture passages.  Sometimes, it’s best to do both.  One of the saints of our Church can help us do so. Saint Thomas More, who lived in England in the 1500s, was a husband and father, lawyer and statesman.  St. Thomas was also devoted to learning more about his Catholic Faith.  He was chosen by t ..read more