Posts Tagged ‘Reflections on the coming Sunday’s Gospel’
“Hear the Word!” by Bill Ayres: Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
A reading from the second Book of Kings (Chapter 5:14-17) In ancient times, lepers were considered unclean. They were avoided and were almost never in positions of power. Naaman was a leper but also was a commander in the army of the king of Aram. The king had such high regard for ...Read More
“Hear the Word!” by Bill Ayres: Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
A reading from the book of the Prophet Habakkuk (Chapter 1:2-3; 2:2-4) “How long O Lord? I cry for help but you do not listen! I cry out to you, ‘Violence!’ but you do not intervene. Why do you let me see ruin; why must I see misery?” Habakkuk was ...Read More
“Hear the Word!” by Bill Ayres: Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
A reading from the book of Amos (Chapter 6:1a, 4-7) Amos is condemning the rich and powerful in the Northern Kingdom of Israel just before they are invaded by the Babylonians and sent into exile, roughly 800 years before the birth of Jesus. Amos blames the elite for their uncaring and unjust ...Read More
“Hear the Word!” by Bill Ayres: Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
A reading from the book of Amos (Chapter 8:4-7) We tend to think of ancient Israel as a poor nation, and that is true. Most of the people were poor peasant farmers who barely got by and often were vulnerable to the whims of their landlords, seed providers, and more well-off merchants ...Read More
“Hear the Word!” by Bill Ayres: Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
A reading from the book of Exodus (Chapter 32:7-11, 13-14) This reading is about the infidelity of the people who were saved by God from slavery in Egypt. “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Go down at once to your people. … They have soon turned aside from the way I pointed out ...Read More
“Hear the Word!” by Bill Ayres: Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
A reading from the book of the prophet Sirach (Chapter 3:17-18, 20, 28-29) This is one of the few times in the liturgical cycles when we read from a book of Jewish writings that is not an accepted part of the Hebrew Bible. Yet, it is part of Jewish wisdom teaching. The ...Read More
“Hear the Word!” by Bill Ayres: Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
A reading from the book of the prophet Jeremiah (Chapter 38:4-6; 8-10) There is an old saying that “no prophet is honored or accepted in his own time.” That was certainly the case with Jeremiah who lived just before the Babylonian Exile of the Jewish people. Israel was surrounded by Egypt, Assyria, ...Read More
“Hear the Word!” by Bill Ayres: Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
A reading from the book of Wisdom (Chapter 18:6-9) This reading is from the Book of Wisdom, so what is the wisdom offered here? Perhaps it is faithfulness to God’s promises in the face of challenges and persecutions over a long period of time. That was certainly true for the ancient Israelites, ...Read More
“Hear the Word! by Bill Ayres: Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
A reading from the book of Ecclesiastes (Chapter 1:2; 2:21-23) This is a reading of uncertain origin. Some biblical scholars believe it was written about 300 years before the birth of Jesus, others say much earlier. “Qoheleth” is not a personal name but rather a title meaning teacher or preacher—a very gloomy ...Read More
“Hear the Word!” by Bill Ayres: Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
A reading from the book of Genesis (Chapter 18:1-10a) “The Lord appeared to Abraham by the terebinth of Mamre. … Looking up, Abraham saw three men standing nearby.” So, God appeared to Abraham, but not as one person but rather as three. It is hard to know who these men were except ...Read More
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