Word Wide Open: The Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time (C) - 10/30/22

First Reading (Wisdom 11:22-12:2)

A reading from the Book of Wisdom.

Before the LORD the whole universe is as a grain from a balance

 or a drop of morning dew come down upon the earth.

 But you have mercy on all, because you can do all things;

 and you overlook people's sins that they may repent.

 For you love all things that are

 and loathe nothing that you have made;

 for what you hated, you would not have fashioned.

 And how could a thing remain, unless you willed it;

 or be preserved, had it not been called forth by you?

 But you spare all things, because they are yours,

 O LORD and lover of souls,

 for your imperishable spirit is in all things!

 Therefore you rebuke offenders little by little,

 warn them and remind them of the sins they are committing,

 that they may abandon their wickedness and believe in you, O LORD!

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? Does God overlook our sins when He forgives us? Does God still love things that have become evil?

Second Reading (2 Thessalonians 1:11-2:2)

A reading from the Second Letter of St. Paul to the Thessalonians. 

Brothers and sisters:

We always pray for you,

that our God may make you worthy of his calling

and powerfully bring to fulfillment every good purpose

and every effort of faith,

that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you,

and you in him,

in accord with the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ. 

We ask you, brothers and sisters,

with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ

and our assembling with him,

not to be shaken out of your minds suddenly, or to be alarmed

either by a "spirit," or by an oral statement,

or by a letter allegedly from us

to the effect that the day of the Lord is at hand.

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? How can God make our actions good? Why does the world make us anxious? How can we avoid that?

Gospel (Luke 19:1-10)

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke.

At that time, Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. 

Now a man there named Zacchaeus,

who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man,

was seeking to see who Jesus was;

but he could not see him because of the crowd,

for he was short in stature. 

So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus,

who was about to pass that way.

When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said,

"Zacchaeus, come down quickly,

for today I must stay at your house." 

And he came down quickly and received him with joy. 

When they all saw this, they began to grumble, saying,

"He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner." 

But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord,

"Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor,

and if I have extorted anything from anyone

I shall repay it four times over."

And Jesus said to him,

"Today salvation has come to this house

because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. 

For the Son of Man has come to seek

and to save what was lost."

The Gospel of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? What parts of our lives do we need to allow Jesus to enter? Why did so many people have a problem with what Jesus did? 

Word Wide Open: The Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time (C) - 10/23/22

 

First Reading (Sirach 32:12-14, 16-18)

A reading from the Book of Sirach.

The LORD is a God of justice,

 who knows no favorites.

 Though not unduly partial toward the weak,

 yet he hears the cry of the oppressed.

 The Lord is not deaf to the wail of the orphan,

 nor to the widow when she pours out her complaint.

 The one who serves God willingly is heard;

 his petition reaches the heavens.

 The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds;

 it does not rest till it reaches its goal,

 nor will it withdraw till the Most High responds,

 judges justly and affirms the right,

 and the Lord will not delay.

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? In what ways is God a god of justice? Why does God hear us better when we are closer to Him?

Second Reading (2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18)

A reading from the Second Letter of St. Paul to Timothy. 

Beloved:

I am already being poured out like a libation,

and the time of my departure is at hand.

I have competed well; I have finished the race;

I have kept the faith.

From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me,

which the Lord, the just judge,

will award to me on that day, and not only to me,

but to all who have longed for his appearance.

At my first defense no one appeared on my behalf,

but everyone deserted me.

May it not be held against them!

But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength,

so that through me the proclamation might be completed

and all the Gentiles might hear it.

And I was rescued from the lion's mouth.

The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat

and will bring me safe to his heavenly kingdom. 

To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? What does it mean to be poured like a libation? How do we do that in our own lives?

Gospel (Luke 18:9-14)

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke.

Jesus addressed this parable

to those who were convinced of their own righteousness

and despised everyone else. 

"Two people went up to the temple area to pray;

one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. 

The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself,

'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity --

greedy, dishonest, adulterous -- or even like this tax collector. 

I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.'

But the tax collector stood off at a distance

and would not even raise his eyes to heaven

but beat his breast and prayed,

'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.'

I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former;

for whoever exalts himself will be humbled,

and the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

The Gospel of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? Why do people often think Catholics are judgmental? What is humility and why is it so important to our faith?

Word Wide Open: The Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time (C) - 10/16/22

 

 

 

First Reading (Exodus 17:8-13)

A reading from the Book of Exodus.

In those days, Amalek came and waged war against Israel.
Moses, therefore, said to Joshua,
"Pick out certain men,
and tomorrow go out and engage Amalek in battle.
I will be standing on top of the hill
with the staff of God in my hand."
So Joshua did as Moses told him:
he engaged Amalek in battle
after Moses had climbed to the top of the hill with Aaron and Hur.
As long as Moses kept his hands raised up,
Israel had the better of the fight,
but when he let his hands rest,
Amalek had the better of the fight.
Moses'hands, however, grew tired;
so they put a rock in place for him to sit on.
Meanwhile Aaron and Hur supported his hands,
one on one side and one on the other,
so that his hands remained steady till sunset.
And Joshua mowed down Amalek and his people
with the edge of the sword.

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? How does God provide us strength during difficult times?

Second Reading (2 Timothy 3:14-4:2)

A reading from the Second Letter of St. Paul to Timothy. 

Beloved:
Remain faithful to what you have learned and believed,
because you know from whom you learned it,
and that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures,
which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation
through faith in Christ Jesus.
All Scripture is inspired by God
and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction,
and for training in righteousness,
so that one who belongs to God may be competent,
equipped for every good work.

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus,
who will judge the living and the dead,
and by his appearing and his kingly power:
proclaim the word;
be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient;
convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? Why do so many people struggle with remaining in the faith? How can we proclaim the word?

Gospel (Luke 18:1-8)

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke.

Jesus told his disciples a parable
about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.
He said, "There was a judge in a certain town
who neither feared God nor respected any human being.
And a widow in that town used to come to him and say,
'Render a just decision for me against my adversary.'
For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought,
'While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being,
because this widow keeps bothering me
I shall deliver a just decision for her
lest she finally come and strike me.'"
The Lord said, "Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says.
Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones
who call out to him day and night?
Will he be slow to answer them?
I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily.
But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

The Gospel of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? Is it possible to pray always? How can we make sure the Lord knows us?

Word Wide Open: The Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time (C) - 10/9/22

First Reading (2 Kings 5:14-17)

A reading from the Second Book of Kings.

Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times

at the word of Elisha, the man of God.

His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child,

and he was clean of his leprosy.

Naaman returned with his whole retinue to the man of God.

On his arrival he stood before Elisha and said,

"Now I know that there is no God in all the earth,

except in Israel.

Please accept a gift from your servant."

Elisha replied, "As the LORD lives whom I serve, I will not take it;"

and despite Naaman's urging, he still refused.

Naaman said: "If you will not accept,

please let me, your servant, have two mule-loads of earth,

for I will no longer offer holocaust or sacrifice

to any other god except to the LORD."

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? What are things we can sacrifice to help us get closer to God? 

Second Reading (2 Timothy 2:8-13)

A reading from the Second Letter of St. Paul to Timothy. 

Beloved:

Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David:

such is my gospel, for which I am suffering,

even to the point of chains, like a criminal.

But the word of God is not chained.

Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those who are chosen,

so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus,

together with eternal glory.

This saying is trustworthy:

If we have died with him

we shall also live with him;

if we persevere

we shall also reign with him.

But if we deny him

he will deny us.

If we are unfaithful

he remains faithful,

for he cannot deny himself.

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? How do we deny Jesus in our everyday lives? How do we die with Jesus?

Gospel (Luke 17:11-19)

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke.

As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem,

he traveled through Samaria and Galilee.

As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him.

They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying,

"Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!"

And when he saw them, he said,

"Go show yourselves to the priests."

As they were going they were cleansed. 

And one of them, realizing he had been healed,

returned, glorifying God in a loud voice;

and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. 

He was a Samaritan.

Jesus said in reply,

"Ten were cleansed, were they not?

Where are the other nine? 

Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?" 

Then he said to him, "Stand up and go;

your faith has saved you."

The Gospel of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? Why do we often miss the things God is doing in our lives? How does gratitude help us understand God's plan?