Readings: Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 5: 7-9; John 12: 20-33 Preacher: Gloria Ulterino This homily is different. It came in a flash! In the person of Prisca, a first century woman about whom I’ve researched and written. Why? Because, she seemed to fulfill God’s promise made to the prophet Jeremiah—then in exile, some 450 years before Jesus. Remember the words? “I will… read more →
Readings: 2 Chronicles 36:14-16,19-23; Ephesians 2;4-10; John 3:14-21 Preacher: Deirdre McKiernan Hetzler “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son…” that we might have eternal life… “God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love He had for us… brought us to life with Christ…By grace you have been saved.” In the middle of… read more →
Readings: Exodus 20: 1-17; 1 Corinthians 1: 22-25; John 2:13-25 Preacher: Margot Van Etten Are you surprised to hear this reading today? It’s halfway through Lent: why are we focusing on something we hear about during Holy Week? Actually, John, whose Gospel we hear today, does not set this during Holy Week. It happens near the beginning. So perhaps looking at… read more →
Readings: Genesis 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18; Roman’s 8: 31b-34; Mark 9: 2-10 Preacher: Sheryl Zabel Our homilist this weekend is Sheryl Zabel who was a liturgist in our diocese for years. While recovering from surgery she offers the following brief reflection on the readings for the second Sunday of Lent “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Famous… read more →
Readings: Genesis 9: 8-15; 1 Peter 3: 18-22; Mark 1: 12-15 Preacher: Patrick Fox As I began to think about our readings for this First Sunday of Lent in the midst of our present moment in time I found myself re-reading a poem from John O’Donohue. For Presence Awaken to the mystery of being here And enter the quiet immensity of… read more →
Readings: Leviticus 13: 1-2, 44-46; 1 Corinthians 10: 31-11:1; Mark 1: 40-45 Preacher: Deni Mack “I turn to you God in times of trouble.” That’s the beginning of the Psalm we just sang. We turn to God when we’re in need and when anyone is in trouble. At a seminary conference in 1977, Yolanda, a 79-year-old Mexican woman, told me she… read more →
Readings: Job 7: 1-4, 6-7; 1 Corinthians 9: 16-19, 22-23; Mark 1: 29-39 Preacher: Sr. Karen Dietz I know a woman in her mid-fifties who has been surrounded by demons and was just recently able to drive them away. Years ago, she was married and together they have two children. During their marriage, they struggled to make ends meet. There were… read more →
Readings: Deuteronomy 18: 15-20; 1 Corinthians 7: 32-35; Mark 1: 21-28 Preacher: Sr. Joan Sobala In the readings of the previous two Sundays, we heard stories of God calling people to follow, to listen, to act in certain ways. Samuel brought his innocence to God. “Speak, Lord, for your servant listens.” John the Baptist pointed out Jesus to his young disciples… read more →
Readings: Jonah 3:1-5, 10; 1 Corinthians 7: 29-31; Mark 1: 14-20 Preacher: Ruth Marchetti Today’s readings present us with perfect examples of the prophetic voice and a quick, affirmative response to God’s call. God calls Jonah and he immediately gets to work saving the people of Nineveh, who immediately shed their sinful ways. Similarly, Jesus proclaims the gospel and calls for… read more →
Readings: 1 Samuel 3: 3b-10, 19; 1 Corinthians 6: 13c-15a, 17-20; John: 1: 35-42 Preacher: Irene Goodwin Christmas is over, the trees have been taken down, lights turned off, and the kids are back to school. Back to the ordinary. In church we are also entering Ordinary Time. As we go through Ordinary Time, we find that it really is not… read more →