Word Wide Open: The Third Sunday of Lent (B) - 3/3/24

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: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? What do the 10 Commandments teach us about how we should act and what our priorities should be?

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: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? What should we look for from God if not signs and wisdom?

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: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? What is Jesus so angry about in this reading? What is reverence and how do we grow in it?

Word Wide Open: The Second Sunday of Lent (B) - 2/25/24

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

A reading from the Book of Genesis.

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: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? Why does God test people like Abraham?

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: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? How can we respond better to those who are against the faith?

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: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? What do we learn about Jesus at the Transfiguration? What are mountain experiences like the Transfiguration?

Word Wide Open: The First Sunday of Lent (B) - 2/18/24

First Reading (Genesis 9:8-15)

A reading from the Book of Genesis.

God said to Noah and to his sons with him: 

"See, I am now establishing my covenant with you 

and your descendants after you 

and with every living creature that was with you: 

all the birds, and the various tame and wild animals 

that were with you and came out of the ark.

I will establish my covenant with you, 

that never again shall all bodily creatures be destroyed

by the waters of a flood; 

there shall not be another flood to devastate the earth."

God added:

"This is the sign that I am giving for all ages to come, 

of the covenant between me and you 

and every living creature with you: 

I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign

of the covenant between me and the earth.

When I bring clouds over the earth, 

and the bow appears in the clouds, 

I will recall the covenant I have made

between me and you and all living beings, 

so that the waters shall never again become a flood 

to destroy all mortal beings."

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? Are living things at odds with God? How can we have peace with God? 

Second Reading (1 Peter 3:18-22)

A reading from the First Letter of St. Peter. 

Beloved:

Christ suffered for sins once, 

the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous, 

that he might lead you to God.

Put to death in the flesh, 

he was brought to life in the Spirit.

In it he also went to preach to the spirits in prison, 

who had once been disobedient 

while God patiently waited in the days of Noah 

during the building of the ark, 

in which a few persons, eight in all,

were saved through water.

This prefigured baptism, which saves you now.

It is not a removal of dirt from the body 

but an appeal to God for a clear conscience, 

through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

who has gone into heaven

and is at the right hand of God, 

with angels, authorities, and powers subject to 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? How do we put the flesh to death?

Gospel (Mark 1:12-15)

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark.

The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, 

and he remained in the desert for forty days,

tempted by Satan.

He was among wild beasts,

and the angels ministered to him.

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."

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 we called to do when we are in the desert? What does it mean that it is the time of fulfillment?

Word Wide Open: The Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) - 2/11/24

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

A reading from the Book of Job.

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: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? How does our sin make us unclean and separate us from God?

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: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? How can we make everything we do about the glory of God? How do we imitate Christ?

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: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? Why are people so afraid to ask Jesus for big things? Why did Jesus want the leper to not tell anyone about being healed?

Word Wide Open: The Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time (B) - 2/4/24

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: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? Why does being separated from God make us restless?

Second Reading (1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23)

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: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? How can we be a slave to all like Paul? Why do we have an obligation to preach the Gospel as Christians?

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: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? What are the demons and temptations that plague our lives? How does Jesus heal us today?

Word Wide Open: The Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) - 1/28/24

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: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? Why do people often ignore the word of God?

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: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? How can we be freed of anxiety? What distracts us from the Lord?

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: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? How can we allow Jesus to have more authority in our lives?

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

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

A reading from the Book of the Prophet 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: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? Why was God going to destroy Nineveh? Was God different in the Old Testament?

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: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? How can we use the word fully? What will the world look like in a new form?

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: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? What does true repentance look like? What does it mean to truly follow Jesus? How can we be fishers of men?