Word Wide Open: The Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) - 9/8/24

First Reading (Isaiah 35:4-7a)

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah.

Thus says the LORD:

Say to those whose hearts are frightened:

Be strong, fear not!

Here is your God,

he comes with vindication;

with divine recompense

he comes to save you.

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened,

the ears of the deaf be cleared;

then will the lame leap like a stag,

then the tongue of the mute will sing.

Streams will burst forth in the desert,

and rivers in the steppe.

The burning sands will become pools, 

and the thirsty ground, springs of water.

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? What causes fear in our hearts?

Second Reading (James 2:1-5)

A reading from the Letter of St. James. 

My brothers and sisters, show no partiality

as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.

For if a man with gold rings and fine clothes

comes into your assembly,

and a poor person in shabby clothes also comes in,

and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes

and say, “Sit here, please, ”

while you say to the poor one, “Stand there, ” or “Sit at my feet, ”

have you not made distinctions among yourselves

and become judges with evil designs?

Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters.

Did not God choose those who are poor in the world

to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom

that he promised to those who love him?

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? What divisions can we accidentally create?

Gospel (Mark 7:31-37)

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark.

Again Jesus left the district of Tyre

and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee,

into the district of the Decapolis. 

And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment

and begged him to lay his hand on him.

He took him off by himself away from the crowd. 

He put his finger into the man’s ears

and, spitting, touched his tongue;

then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him,

“Ephphatha!”— that is, “Be opened!” —

And immediately the man’s ears were opened,

his speech impediment was removed,

and he spoke plainly. 

He ordered them not to tell anyone. 

But the more he ordered them not to,

the more they proclaimed it. 

They were exceedingly astonished and they said,

“He has done all things well. 

He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? What are the things we should ask Jesus to heal us of? Why did Jesus tell them to not tell anyone?

Word Wide Open: The Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) - 9/1/24

First Reading (Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8)

A reading from the Book of Deuteronomy.

Moses said to the people:

"Now, Israel, hear the statutes and decrees

which I am teaching you to observe,

that you may live, and may enter in and take possession of the land

which the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you. 

In your observance of the commandments of the LORD, your God,

which I enjoin upon you,

you shall not add to what I command you nor subtract from it. 

Observe them carefully,

for thus will you give evidence

of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations,

who will hear of all these statutes and say,

'This great nation is truly a wise and intelligent people.'

For what great nation is there

that has gods so close to it as the LORD, our God, is to us

whenever we call upon him? 

Or what great nation has statutes and decrees

that are as just as this whole law

which I am setting before you today?"

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? Why does following the commandments keep us close to God?

Second Reading (James 1:17-18, 21b-22, 28)

A reading from the Letter of St. James. 

Brothers and sisters:

Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ. 

Dearest brothers and sisters:

All good giving and every perfect gift is from above,

coming down from the Father of lights,

with whom there is no alteration or shadow caused by change. 

He willed to give us birth by the word of truth

that we may be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you

and is able to save your souls.

Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves.

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this:

to care for orphans and widows in their affliction

and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? What does it mean to be doers of the word?

Gospel (Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23)

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark.

When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem

gathered around Jesus,

they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals

with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands. 

—For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews,

do not eat without carefully washing their hands,

keeping the tradition of the elders.

And on coming from the marketplace 

they do not eat without purifying themselves. 

And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed,

the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds. —

So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him,

"Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders

but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?" 

He responded,

"Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written:

This people honors me with their lips,

but their hearts are far from me;

in vain do they worship me,

teaching as doctrines human precepts.

You disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition."

He summoned the crowd again and said to them,

"Hear me, all of you, and understand. 

Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person;

but the things that come out from within are what defile.

"From within people, from their hearts,

come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,

adultery, greed, malice, deceit,

licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.

All these evils come from within and they defile."

The Gospel of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? What are sins that make us unclean internally? How can we make our faith more than actions?

Word Wide Open: The Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) - 8/25/24

First Reading (Joshua 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b)

A reading from the Book of Joshua.

Joshua gathered together all the tribes of Israel at Shechem,

summoning their elders, their leaders,

their judges, and their officers. 

When they stood in ranks before God,

Joshua addressed all the people:

"If it does not please you to serve the LORD,

decide today whom you will serve,

the gods your fathers served beyond the River

or the gods of the Amorites in whose country you are now dwelling. 

As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

But the people answered,

"Far be it from us to forsake the LORD

for the service of other gods. 

For it was the LORD, our God,

who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt,

out of a state of slavery. 

He performed those great miracles before our very eyes

and protected us along our entire journey

and among the peoples through whom we passed. 

Therefore we also will serve the LORD, for he is our God."

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? What false gods do we serve?

Second Reading (Ephesians 5:21-32)

A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians. 

Brothers and sisters:

Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ. 

Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord.

For the husband is head of his wife

just as Christ is head of the church,

he himself the savior of the body. 

As the church is subordinate to Christ,

so wives should be subordinate to their husbands in everything.

Husbands, love your wives,

even as Christ loved the church

and handed himself over for her to sanctify her,

cleansing her by the bath of water with the word,

that he might present to himself the church in splendor,

without spot or wrinkle or any such thing,

that she might be holy and without blemish. 

So also husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. 

He who loves his wife loves himself. 

For no one hates his own flesh

but rather nourishes and cherishes it, 

even as Christ does the church,

because we are members of his body.

For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother

and be joined to his wife,

and the two shall become one flesh.

This is a great mystery,

but I speak in reference to Christ and the church.

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? What does it mean to be subordinate to one another?

Gospel (John 6:60-69)

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John.

Many of Jesus' disciples who were listening said,

"This saying is hard; who can accept it?"

Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this,

he said to them, "Does this shock you?

What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending

to where he was before? 

It is the spirit that gives life,

while the flesh is of no avail.

The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life.

But there are some of you who do not believe."

Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe

and the one who would betray him. 

And he said,

"For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me

unless it is granted him by my Father."

As a result of this,

many of his disciples returned to their former way of life

and no longer accompanied him.

Jesus then said to the Twelve, "Do you also want to leave?" 

Simon Peter answered him, "Master, to whom shall we go? 

You have the words of eternal life. 

We have come to believe

and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God."

The Gospel of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? Why do people often leave their faith behind? How does the spirit give us life?

Word Wide Open: The Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) - 8/18/ 24

First Reading (Proverbs 9:1-6)

A reading from the Book of Proverbs.

Wisdom has built her house,

she has set up her seven columns;

she has dressed her meat, mixed her wine,

yes, she has spread her table.

She has sent out her maidens; she calls

from the heights out over the city:

"Let whoever is simple turn in here;

To the one who lacks understanding, she says,

Come, eat of my food,

and drink of the wine I have mixed!

Forsake foolishness that you may live;

advance in the way of understanding."

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? What foolishness can we fall into?

Second Reading (Ephesians 5:15-20)

A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians. 

Brothers and sisters:

Watch carefully how you live,

not as foolish persons but as wise,

making the most of the opportunity,

because the days are evil. 

Therefore, do not continue in ignorance,

but try to understand what is the will of the Lord. 

And do not get drunk on wine, in which lies debauchery,

but be filled with the Spirit,

addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,

singing and playing to the Lord in your hearts,

giving thanks always and for everything

in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? How do we make the most of every opportunity?

Gospel (John 6:51-58)

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John.

Jesus said to the crowds:

"I am the living bread that came down from heaven;

whoever eats this bread will live forever;

and the bread that I will give

is my flesh for the life of the world."

The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying,

"How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" 

Jesus said to them,

"Amen, amen, I say to you,

unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,

you do not have life within you. 

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood

has eternal life,

and I will raise him on the last day. 

For my flesh is true food,

and my blood is true drink. 

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood

remains in me and I in him. 

Just as the living Father sent me

and I have life because of the Father,

so also the one who feeds on me

will have life because of me. 

This is the bread that came down from heaven. 

Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died,

whoever eats this bread will live forever."

The Gospel of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? What does it mean that Jesus’ body is true food? What made our ancestors die?

Word Wide Open: The Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) - 8/11/24

First Reading (1 Kings 19:4-8)

A reading from the First Book of Kings.

Elijah went a day's journey into the desert,

until he came to a broom tree and sat beneath it. 

He prayed for death saying:

"This is enough, O LORD! 

Take my life, for I am no better than my fathers." 

He lay down and fell asleep under the broom tree,

but then an angel touched him and ordered him to get up and eat. 

Elijah looked and there at his head was a hearth cake

and a jug of water. 

After he ate and drank, he lay down again,

but the angel of the LORD came back a second time,

touched him, and ordered,

"Get up and eat, else the journey will be too long for you!" 

He got up, ate, and drank;

then strengthened by that food,

he walked forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God, Horeb.

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? Why should we turn to God during difficult times?

Second Reading (Ephesians 4:30 - 5:2)

A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians. 

Brothers and sisters:

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,

with which you were sealed for the day of redemption. 

All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling

must be removed from you, along with all malice. 

And be kind to one another, compassionate,

forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.

So be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love,

as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us

as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma.

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? Why is forgiveness so difficult for people today?

Gospel (John 6:41-51)

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John.

The Jews murmured about Jesus because he said,

"I am the bread that came down from heaven, "

and they said,

"Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? 

Do we not know his father and mother? 

Then how can he say,

'I have come down from heaven'?" 

Jesus answered and said to them,

"Stop murmuring among yourselves. 

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him,

and I will raise him on the last day. 

It is written in the prophets:

They shall all be taught by God.

Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me. 

Not that anyone has seen the Father

except the one who is from God;

he has seen the Father. 

Amen, amen, I say to you,

whoever believes has eternal life. 

I am the bread of life. 

Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died;

this is the bread that comes down from heaven

so that one may eat it and not die. 

I am the living bread that came down from heaven;

whoever eats this bread will live forever;

and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world."

The Gospel of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? What should we do when we have doubts about our faith? How does consuming the Eucharist make us live forever?

Word Wide Open: The Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) - 8/5/24

First Reading (Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15)

A reading from the Book of Exodus.

The whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron.

The Israelites said to them,

"Would that we had died at the LORD's hand in the land of Egypt,

as we sat by our fleshpots and ate our fill of bread!

But you had to lead us into this desert

to make the whole community die of famine!"

Then the LORD said to Moses,

"I will now rain down bread from heaven for you.

Each day the people are to go out and gather their daily portion;

thus will I test them,

to see whether they follow my instructions or not.

"I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites.

Tell them: In the evening twilight you shall eat flesh,

and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread,

so that you may know that I, the LORD, am your God."

In the evening quail came up and covered the camp.

In the morning a dew lay all about the camp,

and when the dew evaporated, there on the surface of the desert

were fine flakes like hoarfrost on the ground.

On seeing it, the Israelites asked one another, "What is this?"

for they did not know what it was.

But Moses told them,

"This is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat."

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? What are things we should ask God for?

Second Reading (Ephesians 4:17, 20-24)

A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians. 

Brothers and sisters:

I declare and testify in the Lord

that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do,

in the futility of their minds;

that is not how you learned Christ,

assuming that you have heard of him and were taught in him,

as truth is in Jesus,

that you should put away the old self of your former way of life,

corrupted through deceitful desires,

and be renewed in the spirit of your minds,

and put on the new self,

created in God's way in righteousness and holiness of truth.

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? What does it mean to live differently from the rest of the world?

Gospel (John 6:24-35)

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John.

When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there,

they themselves got into boats

and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

And when they found him across the sea they said to him,

"Rabbi, when did you get here?"

Jesus answered them and said,

"Amen, amen, I say to you,

you are looking for me not because you saw signs

but because you ate the loaves and were filled.

Do not work for food that perishes

but for the food that endures for eternal life,

which the Son of Man will give you.

For on him the Father, God, has set his seal."

So they said to him,

"What can we do to accomplish the works of God?"

Jesus answered and said to them,

"This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent."

So they said to him,

"What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you?

What can you do?

Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written:

He gave them bread from heaven to eat."

So Jesus said to them,

"Amen, amen, I say to you,

it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven;

my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.

For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven

and gives life to the world."

So they said to him,

"Sir, give us this bread always."

Jesus said to them,

"I am the bread of life;

whoever comes to me will never hunger,

and whoever believes in me will never thirst."

The Gospel of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? What are earthly things we settle for? In what ways does the Eucharist feed us?