Word Wide Open: Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion (B) - 3/28/21

Gospel (Mark 14:1-15:47)

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John.

The Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread 

were to take place in two days’ time.

So the chief priests and the scribes were seeking a way 

to arrest him by treachery and put him to death.

They said, “Not during the festival, 

for fear that there may be a riot among the people.”

When he was in Bethany reclining at table 

in the house of Simon the leper, 

a woman came with an alabaster jar of perfumed oil,

costly genuine spikenard.

She broke the alabaster jar and poured it on his head.

There were some who were indignant.

“Why has there been this waste of perfumed oil?

It could have been sold for more than three hundred days’ wages 

and the money given to the poor.”

They were infuriated with her.

Jesus said, “Let her alone.

Why do you make trouble for her?

She has done a good thing for me.

The poor you will always have with you, 

and whenever you wish you can do good to them, 

but you will not always have me.

She has done what she could.

She has anticipated anointing my body for burial.

Amen, I say to you,

wherever the gospel is proclaimed to the whole world,

what she has done will be told in memory of her.”

Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, 

went off to the chief priests to hand him over to them.

When they heard him they were pleased and promised to pay him money.

Then he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.

On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, 

when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, 

his disciples said to him,

“Where do you want us to go

and prepare for you to eat the Passover?”

He sent two of his disciples and said to them, 

“Go into the city and a man will meet you,

carrying a jar of water.

Follow him.

Wherever he enters, say to the master of the house,

‘The Teacher says, “Where is my guest room

where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”’

Then he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready.

Make the preparations for us there.”

The disciples then went off, entered the city, 

and found it just as he had told them; 

and they prepared the Passover.

When it was evening, he came with the Twelve. 

And as they reclined at table and were eating, Jesus said,

“Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me, 

one who is eating with me.”

They began to be distressed and to say to him, one by one,

“Surely it is not I?”

He said to them,

“One of the Twelve, the one who dips with me into the dish.

For the Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him,

but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed.

It would be better for that man if he had never been born.”

While they were eating,

he took bread, said the blessing,

broke it, and gave it to them, and said, 

“Take it; this is my body.”

Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, 

and they all drank from it.

He said to them,

“This is my blood of the covenant,

which will be shed for many.

Amen, I say to you,

I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine 

until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

Then, after singing a hymn,

they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Then Jesus said to them, 

“All of you will have your faith shaken, for it is written:

    I will strike the shepherd,

        and the sheep will be dispersed.

But after I have been raised up,

I shall go before you to Galilee.”

Peter said to him, 

“Even though all should have their faith shaken,

mine will not be.”

Then Jesus said to him,

"Amen, I say to you, 

this very night before the cock crows twice

you will deny me three times.”

But he vehemently replied, 

“Even though I should have to die with you,

I will not deny you.”

And they all spoke similarly.

Then they came to a place named Gethsemane,

and he said to his disciples,

“Sit here while I pray.”

He took with him Peter, James, and John, 

and began to be troubled and distressed.

Then he said to them, “My soul is sorrowful even to death.

Remain here and keep watch.”

He advanced a little and fell to the ground and prayed

that if it were possible the hour might pass by him; 

he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible to you.

Take this cup away from me,

but not what I will but what you will.”

When he returned he found them asleep.

He said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep?

Could you not keep watch for one hour?

Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test.

The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”

Withdrawing again, he prayed, saying the same thing.

Then he returned once more and found them asleep, 

for they could not keep their eyes open 

and did not know what to answer him.

He returned a third time and said to them, 

“Are you still sleeping and taking your rest?

It is enough.  The hour has come.

Behold, the Son of Man is to be handed over to sinners.

Get up, let us go.

See, my betrayer is at hand.”

Then, while he was still speaking,

Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived, 

accompanied by a crowd with swords and clubs 

who had come from the chief priests,

the scribes, and the elders.

His betrayer had arranged a signal with them, saying, 

“The man I shall kiss is the one; 

arrest him and lead him away securely.”

He came and immediately went over to him and said,

“Rabbi.”  And he kissed him.

At this they laid hands on him and arrested him.

One of the bystanders drew his sword,

struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his ear.

Jesus said to them in reply,

“Have you come out as against a robber, 

with swords and clubs, to seize me?

Day after day I was with you teaching in the temple area, 

yet you did not arrest me; 

but that the Scriptures may be fulfilled.”

And they all left him and fled.

Now a young man followed him

wearing nothing but a linen cloth about his body.

They seized him,

but he left the cloth behind and ran off naked.

They led Jesus away to the high priest,

and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes came together.

Peter followed him at a distance into the high priest’s courtyard 

and was seated with the guards, warming himself at the fire.

The chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin

kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus 

in order to put him to death, but they found none.

Many gave false witness against him,

but their testimony did not agree.

Some took the stand and testified falsely against him,

 alleging, “We heard him say,

‘I will destroy this temple made with hands

and within three days I will build another

not made with hands.’”

Even so their testimony did not agree.

The high priest rose before the assembly and questioned Jesus,

saying, “Have you no answer?

What are these men testifying against you?”

But he was silent and answered nothing.

Again the high priest asked him and said to him, 

“Are you the Christ, the son of the Blessed One?”

Then Jesus answered, “I am;

and ‘you will see the Son of Man

seated at the right hand of the Power

and coming with the clouds of heaven.’”

At that the high priest tore his garments and said,

“What further need have we of witnesses?

You have heard the blasphemy.

What do you think?”

They all condemned him as deserving to die.

Some began to spit on him.

They blindfolded him and struck him and said to him, “Prophesy!”

And the guards greeted him with blows.

While Peter was below in the courtyard,

one of the high priest’s maids came along.

Seeing Peter warming himself,

she looked intently at him and said,

“You too were with the Nazarene, Jesus.”

But he denied it saying,

“I neither know nor understand what you are talking about.”

So he went out into the outer court.

Then the cock crowed.

The maid saw him and began again to say to the bystanders,

“This man is one of them.”

Once again he denied it.

A little later the bystanders said to Peter once more,

“Surely you are one of them; for you too are a Galilean.”

He began to curse and to swear, 

“I do not know this man about whom you are talking.”

And immediately a cock crowed a second time.

Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had said to him,

“Before the cock crows twice you will deny me three times.”

He broke down and wept.

As soon as morning came, 

the chief priests with the elders and the scribes, 

that is, the whole Sanhedrin held a council.

They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.

Pilate questioned him,

“Are you the king of the Jews?”

He said to him in reply, “You say so.”

The chief priests accused him of many things.

Again Pilate questioned him,

“Have you no answer?

See how many things they accuse you of.”

Jesus gave him no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.

Now on the occasion of the feast he used to release to them

one prisoner whom they requested.

A man called Barabbas was then in prison 

along with the rebels who had committed murder in a rebellion.

The crowd came forward and began to ask him

to do for them as he was accustomed.

Pilate answered, 

“Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?”

For he knew that it was out of envy 

that the chief priests had handed him over.

But the chief priests stirred up the crowd 

to have him release Barabbas for them instead.

Pilate again said to them in reply,

“Then what do you want me to do 

with the man you call the king of the Jews?”

They shouted again, “Crucify him.”

Pilate said to them, “Why?  What evil has he done?”

They only shouted the louder, “Crucify him.”

So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd,

released Barabbas to them and, after he had Jesus scourged,

handed him over to be crucified.

The soldiers led him away inside the palace, 

that is, the praetorium, and assembled the whole cohort.

They clothed him in purple and, 

weaving a crown of thorns, placed it on him.

They began to salute him with, "Hail, King of the Jews!” 

and kept striking his head with a reed and spitting upon him.

They knelt before him in homage.

And when they had mocked him,

they stripped him of the purple cloak,

dressed him in his own clothes,

and led him out to crucify him.

They pressed into service a passer-by, Simon,

a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country,

the father of Alexander and Rufus,

to carry his cross.

They brought him to the place of Golgotha

— which is translated Place of the Skull —,

They gave him wine drugged with myrrh,

but he did not take it.

Then they crucified him and divided his garments 

by casting lots for them to see what each should take.

It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him.

The inscription of the charge against him read,

“The King of the Jews.”

With him they crucified two revolutionaries, 

one on his right and one on his left.

Those passing by reviled him,

shaking their heads and saying,

“Aha!  You who would destroy the temple

and rebuild it in three days,

save yourself by coming down from the cross.”

Likewise the chief priests, with the scribes, 

mocked him among themselves and said, 

“He saved others; he cannot save himself.

Let the Christ, the King of Israel,

come down now from the cross

that we may see and believe.”

Those who were crucified with him also kept abusing him.

At noon darkness came over the whole land

until three in the afternoon.

And at three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 

“Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?”

which is translated,

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Some of the bystanders who heard it said, 

“Look, he is calling Elijah.”

One of them ran, soaked a sponge with wine, put it on a reed 

and gave it to him to drink saying, 

“Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to take him down.”

Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last.

        Here all kneel and pause for a short time.

The veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom.

When the centurion who stood facing him

saw how he  breathed his last he said, 

“Truly this man was the Son of God!”

There were also women looking on from a distance.

Among them were Mary Magdalene, 

Mary the mother of the younger James and of Joses, and Salome.

These women had followed him when he was in Galilee

and ministered to him.

There were also many other women

who had come up with him to Jerusalem.

When it was already evening,

since it was the day of preparation,

the day before the sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea,

a distinguished member of the council,

who was himself awaiting the kingdom of God,

came and courageously went to Pilate

and asked for the body of Jesus.

Pilate was amazed that he was already dead.

He summoned the centurion

and asked him if Jesus had already died.

And when he learned of it from the centurion, 

he gave the body to Joseph.

Having bought a linen cloth, he took him down,

wrapped him in the linen cloth,

and laid him in a tomb that had been hewn out of the rock.

Then he rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb.

Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses

watched where he was laid.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? What part of the Lord's passion struck you the most? How are we often like the apostles in this reading? What should we do if we are mocked for our faith? Why did Jesus have to die in order for our sins to be forgiven? How can this reading provide us hope?

Word Wide Open: The Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) - 3/21/21

 

First Reading (Jeremiah 31:31-34)

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah.

The days are coming, says the LORD, 

when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel 

and the house of Judah.

It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers

the day I took them by the hand 

to lead them forth from the land of Egypt; 

for they broke my covenant, 

and I had to show myself their master, says the LORD.

But this is the covenant that I will make 

with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD.

I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts; 

I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

No longer will they have need to teach their friends and relatives

how to know the LORD.

All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the LORD, 

for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more.

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? What is the new covenant? What does it mean to have the law of the Lord written on hearts?


Second Reading (Hebrews 5:7-9)

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

In the days when Christ Jesus was in the flesh, 

he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears 

to the one who was able to save him from death, 

and he was heard because of his reverence.

Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; 

and when he was made perfect, 

he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? How does obedience make us holier? 

Gospel (John 12:20-33)

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John.

Some Greeks who had come to worship at the Passover Feast

came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, 

and asked him, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.”

Philip went and told Andrew; 

then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.

Jesus answered them, 

“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

Amen, amen, I say to you, 

unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, 

it remains just a grain of wheat; 

but if it dies, it produces much fruit.

Whoever loves his life loses it,

and whoever hates his life in this world

will preserve it for eternal life.

Whoever serves me must follow me, 

and where I am, there also will my servant be.

The Father will honor whoever serves me.

“I am troubled now.  Yet what should I say?

‘Father, save me from this hour’?

But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour.

Father, glorify your name.”

Then a voice came from heaven, 

“I have glorified it and will glorify it again.”

The crowd there heard it and said it was thunder; 

but others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”

Jesus answered and said, 

“This voice did not come for my sake but for yours.

Now is the time of judgment on this world; 

now the ruler of this world will be driven out.

And when I am lifted up from the earth, 

I will draw everyone to myself.”

He said this indicating the kind of death he would die.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? In what ways are we called to lose our lives for the sake of heaven? What are the places Jesus wants us to be with Him? How does God continuously draw us closer to Himself?

Word Wide Open: The Fourth Sunday in Lent (B) - 3/14/21

First Reading (2 Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23)

A reading from the Second Book of Chronicles.

In those days, all the princes of Judah, the priests, and the people 

added infidelity to infidelity, 

practicing all the abominations of the nations 

and polluting the LORD’s temple 

which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.

Early and often did the LORD, the God of their fathers, 

send his messengers to them, 

for he had compassion on his people and his dwelling place.

But they mocked the messengers of God, 

despised his warnings, and scoffed at his prophets, 

until the anger of the LORD against his people was so inflamed 

that there was no remedy.

Their enemies burnt the house of God,

tore down the walls of Jerusalem, 

set all its palaces afire, 

and destroyed all its precious objects.

Those who escaped the sword were carried captive to Babylon, 

where they became servants of the king of the Chaldeans and his sons

until the kingdom of the Persians came to power.

All this was to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah: 

“Until the land has retrieved its lost sabbaths, 

during all the time it lies waste it shall have rest 

while seventy years are fulfilled.”

In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, 

in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, 

the LORD inspired King Cyrus of Persia 

to issue this proclamation throughout his kingdom, 

both by word of mouth and in writing: 

“Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia: 

All the kingdoms of the earth

the LORD, the God of heaven, has given to me, 

and he has also charged me to build him a house 

in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

Whoever, therefore, among you belongs to any part of his people, 

let him go up, and may his God be with him!”

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? Who are the messengers that God sends us? How do we fulfill the word of the Lord?


Second Reading (Ephesians 2:4-10)

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

Brothers and sisters:

God, who is rich in mercy, 

because of the great love he had for us, 

even when we were dead in our transgressions, 

brought us to life with Christ — by grace you have been saved —, 

raised us up with him, 

and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, 

that in the ages to come 

He might show the immeasurable riches of his grace 

in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, 

and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; 

it is not from works, so no one may boast.

For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works 

that God has prepared in advance,

that we should live in them

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 merciful? What does it take for us to be saved?

Gospel (John 3:14-21)

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John.

Jesus said to Nicodemus:

“Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, 

so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 

so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, 

so that everyone who believes in him might not perish 

but might have eternal life.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, 

but that the world might be saved through him.

Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, 

but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, 

because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

And this is the verdict,

that the light came into the world, 

but people preferred darkness to light,

because their works were evil.

For everyone who does wicked things hates the light

and does not come toward the light, 

so that his works might not be exposed.

But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, 

so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? How does believing in Jesus save us? Why do we often prefer darkness to light? How do we live the truth?

Word Wide Open: The Third Sunday of Lent (B) - 3/7/21

First Reading (Exodus 20:1-17)

A reading from the Book of Exodus.

In those days, God delivered all these commandments:

“I, the LORD, am your God, 

who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery.

You shall not have other gods besides me.

You shall not carve idols for yourselves 

in the shape of anything in the sky above 

or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth; 

you shall not bow down before them or worship them.

For I, the LORD, your God, am a jealous God, 

inflicting punishment for their fathers’ wickedness 

on the children of those who hate me, 

down to the third and fourth generation; 

but bestowing mercy down to the thousandth generation 

on the children of those who love me and keep my commandments.

“You shall not take the name of the LORD, your God, in vain.

For the LORD will not leave unpunished 

the one who takes his name in vain.

“Remember to keep holy the sabbath day.

Six days you may labor and do all your work, 

but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD, your God.

No work may be done then either by you, or your son or daughter, 

or your male or female slave, or your beast, 

or by the alien who lives with you.

In six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, 

the sea and all that is in them; 

but on the seventh day he rested.

That is why the LORD has blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.

“Honor your father and your mother, 

that you may have a long life in the land 

which the LORD, your God, is giving you.

You shall not kill.

You shall not commit adultery.

You shall not steal.

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.

You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, 

nor his male or female slave, nor his ox or ass, 

nor anything else that belongs to him.”

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? What does it mean that God is jealous? What do the 10 Commandments teach us about how to treat others?


Second Reading (1 Corinthians 1:22-25)

A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians.

Brothers and sisters:

Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 

but we proclaim Christ crucified, 

a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 

but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, 

Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, 

and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? How can we understand God's plans better?

Gospel (John 2:13-25)

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John.

Since the Passover of the Jews was near,

Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, 

as well as the money changers seated there.

He made a whip out of cords

and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, 

and spilled the coins of the money changers

and overturned their tables, 

and to those who sold doves he said,

“Take these out of here, 

and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.”

His disciples recalled the words of Scripture, 

Zeal for your house will consume me.

At this the Jews answered and said to him,

“What sign can you show us for doing this?”

Jesus answered and said to them, 

“Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.”

The Jews said, 

“This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, 

and you will raise it up in three days?”

But he was speaking about the temple of his body.

Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, 

his disciples remembered that he had said this, 

and they came to believe the Scripture 

and the word Jesus had spoken.

While he was in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, 

many began to believe in his name 

when they saw the signs he was doing.

But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all, 

and did not need anyone to testify about human nature.

He himself understood it well.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? Why was Jesus so upset in the temple? What is reverence? How can we live out the gift of Fear of the Lord more in our lives?

Word Wide Open: The Second Sunday of Lent (B) - 2/28/21

First Reading (Genesis 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18)

A reading from the Book of Leviticus.

God put Abraham to the test.

He called to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am!” he replied.

Then God said:

“Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love, 

and go to the land of Moriah.

There you shall offer him up as a holocaust 

on a height that I will point out to you.”

When they came to the place of which God had told him, 

Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it.

Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.

But the LORD’s messenger called to him from heaven, 

“Abraham, Abraham!”

“Here I am!” he answered.

“Do not lay your hand on the boy,” said the messenger.

“Do not do the least thing to him.

I know now how devoted you are to God, 

since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son.”

As Abraham looked about, 

he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket.

So he went and took the ram 

and offered it up as a holocaust in place of his son.

Again the LORD’s messenger called to Abraham from heaven and said: 

“I swear by myself, declares the LORD, 

that because you acted as you did 

in not withholding from me your beloved son, 

I will bless you abundantly 

and make your descendants as countless 

as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore; 

your descendants shall take possession 

of the gates of their enemies, 

and in your descendants all the nations of the earth

shall find blessing—

all this because you obeyed my command.”

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? In what ways does God put us to the test? How does God honor obedience?


Second Reading (Romans 8:31b-34)

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

Brothers and sisters:

If God is for us, who can be against us?

He who did not spare his own Son 

but handed him over for us all, 

how will he not also give us everything else along with him?

Who will bring a charge against God’s chosen ones?

It is God who acquits us, who will condemn?

Christ Jesus it is who died—or, rather, was raised— 

who also is at the right hand of God, 

who indeed intercedes for us.

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? How can God enter all the different parts of our lives? What does it mean that God alone can judge?

Gospel (Mark 9:2-10)

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark.

Jesus took Peter, James, and John 

and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves.

And he was transfigured before them, 

and his clothes became dazzling white, 

such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.

Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, 

and they were conversing with Jesus.

Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, 

“Rabbi, it is good that we are here!

Let us make three tents: 

one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.

Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; 

from the cloud came a voice, 

“This is my beloved Son.  Listen to him.”

Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone

but Jesus alone with them.

As they were coming down from the mountain,

he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone,

except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

So they kept the matter to themselves, 

questioning what rising from the dead meant.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? Why did the Transfiguration happen? How are we often like Peter? How does glorify our earthly bodies?

Word Wide Open: The Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) - 2/14/21

First Reading (Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46)

A reading from the Book of Leviticus.

The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,

“If someone has on his skin a scab or pustule or blotch

which appears to be the sore of leprosy,

he shall be brought to Aaron, the priest,

or to one of the priests among his descendants.

If the man is leprous and unclean,

the priest shall declare him unclean

by reason of the sore on his head.

“The one who bears the sore of leprosy

shall keep his garments rent and his head bare,

and shall muffle his beard;

he shall cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean!’

As long as the sore is on him he shall declare himself unclean,

since he is in fact unclean.

He shall dwell apart, making his abode outside the camp.”

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? How does sin make us unclean? What does Jesus do with uncleanliness? 


Second Reading (1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1)

A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians.

Brothers and sisters,

Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do,

do everything for the glory of God.

Avoid giving offense, whether to the Jews or Greeks or 

the church of God,

just as I try to please everyone in every way,

not seeking my own benefit but that of the many,

that they may be saved.

Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? How can everything we do glorify God?

Gospel (Mark 1:40-45)

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark.

A leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him and said,

“If you wish, you can make me clean.”

Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, 

touched him, and said to him, 

“I do will it. Be made clean.”

The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean.

Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once. 

He said to him, “See that you tell no one anything,

but go, show yourself to the priest 

and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed;

that will be proof for them.”

The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter.

He spread the report abroad

so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly.

He remained outside in deserted places,

and people kept coming to him from everywhere.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? How did the man know Jesus could make him clean? Why did Jesus want the leper to not tell anyone about his healing? In what ways does Jesus make us clean?

Word Wide Open: The Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) - 2/7/21

First Reading (Job 7:1-4, 6-7)

A reading from the Book of Job.

Job spoke, saying:

Is not man’s life on earth a drudgery?

    Are not his days those of hirelings?

He is a slave who longs for the shade,

    a hireling who waits for his wages.

So I have been assigned months of misery,

    and troubled nights have been allotted to me.

If in bed I say, “When shall I arise?”

    then the night drags on;

    I am filled with restlessness until the dawn.

My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle;

    they come to an end without hope.

Remember that my life is like the wind;

    I shall not see happiness again.

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? Why is despair so bad for us? Why does God allow suffering?


Second Reading (1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-33)

A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians.

Brothers and sisters:

If I preach the gospel, this is no reason for me to boast,

for an obligation has been imposed on me,

and woe to me if I do not preach it!

If I do so willingly, I have a recompense,

but if unwillingly, then I have been entrusted with a stewardship.

What then is my recompense?

That, when I preach,

I offer the gospel free of charge

so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.

Although I am free in regard to all,

I have made myself a slave to all

so as to win over as many as possible.

To the weak I became weak, to win over the weak.

I have become all things to all, to save at least some.

All this I do for the sake of the gospel,

so that I too may have a share in it.

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? Why are we obligated to share the Gospel? What does it mean to be a slave to all?

Gospel (Mark 1:29-39)

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark.

On leaving the synagogue

Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John.

Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever.

They immediately told him about her.

He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up.

Then the fever left her and she waited on them.

When it was evening, after sunset,

they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons.

The whole town was gathered at the door.

He cured many who were sick with various diseases,

and he drove out many demons,

not permitting them to speak because they knew him.

Rising very early before dawn, he left 

and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed.

Simon and those who were with him pursued him

and on finding him said, “Everyone is looking for you.”

He told them, “Let us go on to the nearby villages

that I may preach there also.

For this purpose have I come.”

So he went into their synagogues,

preaching and driving out demons throughout the whole of Galilee.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? Why did Jesus perform so many miracles? What are the reasons Jesus came to earth? How is everyone looking for God in one way or another?

Word Wide Open: The Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) - 1/31/21

First Reading (Deuteronomy 18:15-20)

A reading from the Book of Deuteronomy.

Moses spoke to all the people, saying:

“A prophet like me will the LORD, your God, raise up for you

from among your own kin;

to him you shall listen.

This is exactly what you requested of the LORD, your God, at Horeb

on the day of the assembly, when you said,

‘Let us not again hear the voice of the LORD, our God,

nor see this great fire any more, lest we die.’

And the LORD said to me, ‘This was well said.

I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their kin,

and will put my words into his mouth;

he shall tell them all that I command him.

Whoever will not listen to my words which he speaks in my name,

I myself will make him answer for it.

But if a prophet presumes to speak in my name

an oracle that I have not commanded him to speak,

or speaks in the name of other gods, he shall die.’”

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? What is fear of the Lord? Is God different in the Old testament?


Second Reading (1 Corinthians 7:32-35)

A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians.

Brothers and sisters:

I should like you to be free of anxieties.

An unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord,

how he may please the Lord.

But a married man is anxious about the things of the world,

how he may please his wife, and he is divided.

An unmarried woman or a virgin is anxious about the things of the Lord,

so that she may be holy in both body and spirit.

A married woman, on the other hand,

is anxious about the things of the world,

how she may please her husband. 

I am telling you this for your own benefit,

not to impose a restraint upon you,

but for the sake of propriety

and adherence to the Lord without distraction.

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? What are things that we are anxious about that we shouldn't be? How does God deliver us from anxiety?

Gospel (Mark 1:21-28)

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark.

Then they came to Capernaum,

and on the sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and taught.

The people were astonished at his teaching,

for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.

In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit;

he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?

Have you come to destroy us?

I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

Jesus rebuked him and said,

“Quiet!  Come out of him!”

The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.

All were amazed and asked one another,

“What is this?

A new teaching with authority.

He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.”

His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? Why was Jesus such a shocking figure? How did people know that Jesus had authority? How would you talk about Jesus to someone else?

Word Wide Open: The Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) - 1/24/21

First Reading (Jonah 3:1-5, 10)

A reading from the Book of Jonah.

The word of the LORD came to Jonah, saying:

“Set out for the great city of Nineveh,

and announce to it the message that I will tell you.”

So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh,

according to the LORD’S bidding.

Now Nineveh was an enormously large city;

it took three days to go through it.

Jonah began his journey through the city,

and had gone but a single day’s walk announcing,

“Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed, “

when the people of Nineveh believed God;

they proclaimed a fast

and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth.

When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way,

he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them;

he did not carry it out.

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? How can we preach God's word to others in a charitable way? Why does God show mercy in this reading?


Second Reading (1 Corinthians 7:29-31)

A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians.

I tell you, brothers and sisters, the time is running out.

From now on, let those having wives act as not having them,

those weeping as not weeping,

those rejoicing as not rejoicing,

those buying as not owning, 

those using the world as not using it fully.

For the world in its present form is passing away.

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? What does it mean that the world is passing away? 

Gospel (Mark 1:14-20)

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark.

After John had been arrested,

Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God:

“This is the time of fulfillment.

The kingdom of God is at hand.

Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

As he passed by the Sea of Galilee,

he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea;

they were fishermen.

Jesus said to them,

“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Then they abandoned their nets and followed him.

He walked along a little farther

and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.

They too were in a boat mending their nets.

Then he called them.

So they left their father Zebedee in the boat

along with the hired men and followed him.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? Why do these men follow Jesus so quickly? What does it mean to be a fisher of men? What do we have to leave behind in order to follow Christ?

Word Wide Open: The Second Sunday in Ordindary Time (B) - 1/17/21

First Reading (1 Samuel 3:3b-10, 19)

A reading from the First Book of Samuel.

Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the LORD

where the ark of God was.

The LORD called to Samuel, who answered, “Here I am.”

Samuel ran to Eli and said, “Here I am.  You called me.”

“I did not call you, “  Eli said.  “Go back to sleep.”

So he went back to sleep.

Again the LORD called Samuel, who rose and went to Eli.

“Here I am, “ he said.  “You called me.”

But Eli answered, “I did not call you, my son.  Go back to sleep.”

At that time Samuel was not familiar with the LORD,

because the LORD had not revealed anything to him as yet.

The LORD called Samuel again, for the third time.

Getting up and going to Eli, he said, “Here I am.  You called me.”

Then Eli understood that the LORD was calling the youth.

So he said to Samuel, “Go to sleep, and if you are called, reply,

Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.”

When Samuel went to sleep in his place,

the LORD came and revealed his presence,

calling out as before, “Samuel, Samuel!”

Samuel answered, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

Samuel grew up, and the LORD was with him,

not permitting any word of his to be without effect.

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? How can we get better at hearing God's voice? How can we be more present in our every day lives?

Second Reading (1 Corinthians 6:13c-15a, 17-20)

A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians.

Brothers and sisters:

The body is not for immorality, but for the Lord,

and the Lord is for the body;

God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power.

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?

But whoever is joined to the Lord becomes one Spirit with him.

Avoid immorality.

Every other sin a person commits is outside the body,

but the immoral person sins against his own body.

Do you not know that your body

is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you,

whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?

For you have been purchased at a price.

Therefore glorify God in your body. 

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? How do we use our bodies to glorify God? How does sin have a negative impact on our physical body?

Gospel (John 1:35-42)

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John.

John was standing with two of his disciples,

and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said,

“Behold, the Lamb of God.”

The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus.

Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them,

“What are you looking for?”

They said to him, “Rabbi” — which translated means Teacher —,

“where are you staying?”

He said to them, “Come, and you will see.”

So they went and saw where Jesus was staying,

and they stayed with him that day.

It was about four in the afternoon.

Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter,

was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus.

He first found his own brother Simon and told him,

“We have found the Messiah” — which is translated Christ —.

Then he brought him to Jesus.

Jesus looked at him and said,

“You are Simon the son of John;

you will be called Cephas” — which is translated Peter.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? Why does John call Jesus the Lamb of God? What were the disciples looking for and why? How did they know Jesus was the messiah? Why does Jesus change people's names?

Word Wide Open: The Baptism of the Lord (B) - 1/10/21

First Reading (Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7)

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah.

Thus says the LORD:

Here is my servant whom I uphold,

my chosen one with whom I am pleased,

upon whom I have put my spirit;

he shall bring forth justice to the nations,

not crying out, not shouting,

not making his voice heard in the street.

a bruised reed he shall not break,

and a smoldering wick he shall not quench,

until he establishes justice on the earth;

the coastlands will wait for his teaching.

I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice,

I have grasped you by the hand;

I formed you, and set you

as a covenant of the people,

a light for the nations,

to open the eyes of the blind,

to bring out prisoners from confinement,

and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? How does the Lord bring justice to the earth? What are things that the earth needs deliverance from today?

Second Reading (Acts 10:34-38)

A reading from the Acts of the Apsotles.

Peter proceeded to speak to those gathered

in the house of Cornelius, saying: 

“In truth, I see that God shows no partiality.

Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly

is acceptable to him.

You know the word that he sent to the Israelites 

as he proclaimed peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all, 

what has happened all over Judea, 

beginning in Galilee after the baptism

that John preached, 

how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth

with the Holy Spirit and power.

He went about doing good 

and healing all those oppressed by the devil, 

for God was with him.”

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? How does God treat every person the same? What does it mean to act uprightly?

Gospel (Mark 1:7-11)

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark.

This is what John the Baptist proclaimed: 

“One mightier than I is coming after me.

I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals.

I have baptized you with water; 

he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

It happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee 

and was baptized in the Jordan by John.

On coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open 

and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him.

And a voice came from the heavens, 

“You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? Why did Jesus have to be Baptized? Why do Catholics Baptize infants? What does Bapsti

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