Isaiah 52:13—53:12; Psalm 22; Hebrews 10:16-25; John 18:1—19:42 John’s Passion on this Good Friday brings us a Jesus who sounds almost too calm and collected compared to the one in Luke’s narrative. Perhaps that is part of what the evangelist wants to convey. He begins by telling us that upon the arrival of the hell …
The Word this Maundy Thursday – 04.17.25
Exodus 12:1-14; Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-17, 31b-35 The Holy Three-Day Feast - or the Paschal Triduum - begins with Jesus’ final commandment to those wishing to be known as his disciples: love one another in fullness as he loves us (John 13:1, 34). Nonetheless, the mandate to love as he did …
The Word this Sunday – 04.13.25
Palms to Passion Luke 19:28-40; Isaiah 50:4-9a; Psalm 31:9-16; Philippians 2:5-11; Luke 22:14—23:56 Holy Week arrives on this Palms to Passion Sunday. The believer may not lose sight that God in human form, the Lord, as the promised new thing that no one saw coming, is at the gates of Jerusalem - a city in …
The Word this Sunday – 04.06.25
5th Sunday in Lent Isaiah 43:16-21; Psalm 126; Philippians 3:4b-14; John 12:1-8 “… you do not always have me.” We will all wonder what Jesus means by it when we hear from the Gospel of John on this 5th Sunday in Lent. No, Jesus is not leaving the faithful abandoned. His farewell discourse will address …
The Word this Sunday – 03.30.25
4th Sunday in Lent Joshua 5:9-12; Psalm 32; 2 Corinthians 5:16-21; Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 The fourth Sunday in Lent brings us the parable of the prodigal son, which is also beloved and troublesome, depending on whom one identifies with. Those who have reached rock bottom and felt ashamed will feel comforted by the father, who …
The Word this Sunday – 03.23.25
3rd Sunday in Lent Isaiah 55:1-9; Psalm 63:1-8; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13; Luke 13:1-9 God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, and God’s ways are not our ways, proclaims the author of Isaiah 55 in verse 8. Pretty much everything having to do with mere mortals is about merit or the lack of it. We have heard …
The Word this Sunday – 03.16.25
2nd Sunday in Lent Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18, Psalm 27; Philippians 3:17—4:1; Luke 13:31-35 The gospel lesson for the second Sunday in Lent brings to us friendly Pharisees who warn Jesus about the already ongoing plots to kill him (31). The divine voice takes over entirely after sending a message to the conniving and subpar fox …
The Word this Sunday – 03.09.25
1st Sunday in Lent Deuteronomy 26:1-11; Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16; Romans 10:8b-13; Luke 4:1-13 The first Sunday in Lent brings Luke’s version of Jesus' temptation in the desert. When Luke mentions Jesus’ state of hunger in verse 2, it reminds me of the “Snickers Bar” commercial. We are usually not the same when we are hungry. …
The Word this Ash Wednesday – 03.05.25
Joel 2:1-2, 12-17; Psalm 51:1-17; 2 Cor. 5:20b—6:10; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 The season of Lent begins this Ash Wednesday when we are invited to remember our mortality: we come from the ground, and to the ground, we shall return. We are also invited to be seen by the One we can’t see. He does not …
The Word this Sunday – 03.02.25
The Transfiguration of Our Lord Exodus 34:29-35; Psalm 99; 2 Cor 3:12—4:2; Luke 9:28--43a When things get challenging, and we find ourselves in uncertain times, we are drawn to what makes us feel safe and protected. It is a natural human behavior. We reach this Sunday of Transfiguration feeling as much about our world. We …
Bridging Faith 