Word Wide Open: The Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) - 8/29/21

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: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? How does living God's commandments help us live a better life?


Second Reading (James 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27)

A reading from the Letter of St. James.

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: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? What does it mean to be a doer 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: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? What are things that defile our hearts? How can we avoid negativity? 

Word Wide Open: Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (B) - 8/15/21

First Reading (Revelation 11:19a, 12:1-6a, 10ab)

A reading from the Book of Revelation.

God’s temple in heaven was opened,

and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple.

A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun,

with the moon under her feet,

and on her head a crown of twelve stars.

She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth.

Then another sign appeared in the sky;

it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns,

and on its heads were seven diadems.

Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky

and hurled them down to the earth.

Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth,

to devour her child when she gave birth.

She gave birth to a son, a male child,

destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod.

Her child was caught up to God and his throne.

The woman herself fled into the desert

where she had a place prepared by God.

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:

    “Now have salvation and power come,

        and the Kingdom of our God

        and the authority of his Anointed One.”

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? What do we learn about Mary from this reading?


Second Reading (1 Corinthians 15:20-27)

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

Brothers and sisters:

Christ has been raised from the dead,

the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

For since death came through man,

the resurrection of the dead came also through man.

For just as in Adam all die,

so too in Christ shall all be brought to life,

but each one in proper order:

Christ the firstfruits;

then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ;

then comes the end,

when he hands over the Kingdom to his God and Father,

when he has destroyed every sovereignty

and every authority and power.

For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.

The last enemy to be destroyed is death,

for “he subjected everything under his feet.”

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? How does Christ destroy death? How do we defeat death?

Gospel (Luke 1:39-56)

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke.

Mary set out

and traveled to the hill country in haste

to a town of Judah,

where she entered the house of Zechariah

and greeted Elizabeth.

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,

the infant leaped in her womb,

and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,

cried out in a loud voice and said,

“Blessed are you among women,

and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

And how does this happen to me,

that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,

the infant in my womb leaped for joy.

Blessed are you who believed

that what was spoken to you by the Lord

would be fulfilled.”

And Mary said:

    “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;

        my spirit rejoices in God my Savior

        for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

    From this day all generations will call me blessed:

        the Almighty has done great things for me

        and holy is his Name.

    He has mercy on those who fear him

        in every generation.

    He has shown the strength of his arm,

        and has scattered the proud in their conceit.

    He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,

        and has lifted up the lowly.

    He has filled the hungry with good things,

        and the rich he has sent away empty.

    He has come to the help of his servant Israel

        for he has remembered his promise of mercy,

        the promise he made to our fathers,

        to Abraham and his children forever.”

Mary remained with her about three months

and then returned to her home.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? What does the Holy Spirit reveal to Elizabeth about Mary? What does Mary say about God in this reading?

Word Wide Open: The Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) - 8/8/21

First Reading (1 Kings 19:4-8)

A reading from the Book of Exodus.

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: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? What are the missions God sends us on?


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: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? How does bitterness and anger draw us away from God? What does it mean to live in love?

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: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? Why do the followers initially question Jesus? How does the Eucharist give us eternal life? What does the Eucharist enable us to do in everyday life?

Word Wide Open: The Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) - 8/1/21

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: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? Why do we often blame God for our problems and sufferings? How does the manna in the desert prefigure the Eucharist?


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: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? How are we called to live differently than non-Christians? What are things we need to live behind to follow Christ?

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: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? What earthly things we settle for instead of God? What does the Bread of Life discourse teach us about the Eucharist?

Word Wide Open: The Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) - 7/25/21

First Reading (2 Kings 4:42-44)

A reading from the Second Book of Kings.

A man came from Baal-shalishah bringing to Elisha, the man of God,

twenty barley loaves made from the firstfruits,

and fresh grain in the ear. 

Elisha said, “Give it to the people to eat.” 

But his servant objected,

“How can I set this before a hundred people?” 

Elisha insisted, “Give it to the people to eat.” 

“For thus says the LORD,

‘They shall eat and there shall be some left over.’” 

And when they had eaten, there was some left over,

as the LORD had said.

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? What is the food God provides for us and what does it do for us?


Second Reading (Ephesians 4:1-6)

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

Brothers and sisters:

I, a prisoner for the Lord,

urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received,

with all humility and gentleness, with patience,

bearing with one another through love,

striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace:

one body and one Spirit,

as you were also called to the one hope of your call;

one Lord, one faith, one baptism;

one God and Father of all,

who is over all and through all and in all.

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? How do we live in a manner worthy of the call we have received? Why should we try to be more patient with others?

Gospel (John 6:1-15)

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John.

Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee. 

A large crowd followed him,

because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick. 

Jesus went up on the mountain,

and there he sat down with his disciples. 

The Jewish feast of Passover was near. 

When Jesus raised his eyes

and saw that a large crowd was coming to him,

he said to Philip,

“Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?” 

He said this to test him,

because he himself knew what he was going to do. 

Philip answered him,

“Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough

for each of them to have a little.” 

One of his disciples,

Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him,

“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish;

but what good are these for so many?” 

Jesus said, “Have the people recline.” 

Now there was a great deal of grass in that place. 

So the men reclined, about five thousand in number. 

Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks,

and distributed them to those who were reclining,

and also as much of the fish as they wanted. 

When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples,

“Gather the fragments left over,

so that nothing will be wasted.” 

So they collected them,

and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments 

from the five barley loaves

that had been more than they could eat. 

When the people saw the sign he had done, they said,

“This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world.” 

Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off

to make him king,

he withdrew again to the mountain alone.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? In what ways does God always provide for us? How does the Eucharist sustain us in faith? 

Word Wide Open: The Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) - 7/18/21

First Reading (Jeremiah 23:1-6)

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah.

Woe to the shepherds

who mislead and scatter the flock of my pasture,

says the LORD. 

Therefore, thus says the LORD, the God of Israel,

against the shepherds who shepherd my people:

You have scattered my sheep and driven them away. 

You have not cared for them,

but I will take care to punish your evil deeds. 

I myself will gather the remnant of my flock

from all the lands to which I have driven them

and bring them back to their meadow;

there they shall increase and multiply. 

I will appoint shepherds for them who will shepherd them

so that they need no longer fear and tremble;

and none shall be missing, says the LORD.

    Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD,

        when I will raise up a righteous shoot to David;

    as king he shall reign and govern wisely,

        he shall do what is just and right in the land.

    In his days Judah shall be saved,

        Israel shall dwell in security.

    This is the name they give him:

        “The LORD our justice.”

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? What makes a leader a good leader? How is Jesus the good shepherd?


Second Reading (Ephesians 2:13-18)

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

Brothers and sisters:

In Christ Jesus you who once were far off

have become near by the blood of Christ.

For he is our peace, he who made both one

and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his flesh,

abolishing the law with its commandments and legal claims,

that he might create in himself one new person in place of the two,

thus establishing peace,

and might reconcile both with God,

in one body, through the cross,

putting that enmity to death by it. 

He came and preached peace to you who were far off

and peace to those who were near,

for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? How does God draw us closer to Himself? How are we reconciled with God?

Gospel (Mark 6:30-34)

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark.

The apostles gathered together with Jesus

and reported all they had done and taught. 

He said to them,

“Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” 

People were coming and going in great numbers,

and they had no opportunity even to eat. 

So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place. 

People saw them leaving and many came to know about it. 

They hastened there on foot from all the towns

and arrived at the place before them.

When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,

his heart was moved with pity for them,

for they were like sheep without a shepherd;

and he began to teach them many things.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? Why is private prayer time so important? How does Jesus how us to love others?

Word Wide Open: The Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) - 7/11/21

First Reading (Amos 7:12-15)

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Amos.

Amaziah, priest of Bethel, said to Amos,

“Off with you, visionary, flee to the land of Judah! 

There earn your bread by prophesying,

but never again prophesy in Bethel;

for it is the king’s sanctuary and a royal temple.” 

Amos answered Amaziah, “I was no prophet,

nor have I belonged to a company of prophets;

I was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores. 

The LORD took me from following the flock, and said to me,

Go, prophesy to my people Israel.”

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? Why does God often call us out of our comfort zone? What are difficult things God asks us to do?


Second Reading (Ephesians 1:3-14)

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

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

who has blessed us in Christ

with every spiritual blessing in the heavens,

as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world,

to be holy and without blemish before him. 

In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ,

in accord with the favor of his will,

for the praise of the glory of his grace

that he granted us in the beloved.

In him we have redemption by his blood,

the forgiveness of transgressions,

in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us. 

In all wisdom and insight, he has made known to us

the mystery of his will in accord with his favor

that he set forth in him as a plan for the fullness of times,

to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth.

In him we were also chosen,

destined in accord with the purpose of the One

who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will,

so that we might exist for the praise of his glory,

we who first hoped in Christ. 

In him you also, who have heard the word of truth,

the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him,

were sealed with the promised holy Spirit,

which is the first installment of our inheritance

toward redemption as God’s possession, to the praise of his glory.

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 chosen before the foundation of the world? How do we achieve the purpose of the One?

Gospel (Mark 6:7-13)

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark.

Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two

and gave them authority over unclean spirits. 

He instructed them to take nothing for the journey

but a walking stick—

no food, no sack, no money in their belts. 

They were, however, to wear sandals

but not a second tunic. 

He said to them,

“Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave. 

Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you,

leave there and shake the dust off your feet

in testimony against them.” 

So they went off and preached repentance. 

The Twelve drove out many demons,

and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? What are the powers that Christ gives His people today? Why is relying on God for everything so difficult?

Word Wide Open: The Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) - 7/4/21

First Reading (Ezekiel 2:2-5)

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel.

As the LORD spoke to me, the spirit entered into me

    and set me on my feet,

    and I heard the one who was speaking say to me:

    Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites,

    rebels who have rebelled against me;

    they and their ancestors have revolted against me to this very day.

Hard of face and obstinate of heart

    are they to whom I am sending you. 

But you shall say to them: Thus says the LORD GOD! 

And whether they heed or resist—for they are a rebellious house—

    they shall know that a prophet has been among them.

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? Why do people often turn against God in times of suffering? Who are the messengers God sends today?


Second Reading (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

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

Brothers and sisters:

That I, Paul, might not become too elated,

because of the abundance of the revelations,

a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan,

to beat me, to keep me from being too elated. 

Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me,

but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you,

for power is made perfect in weakness.” 

I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses,

in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me. 

Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults,

hardships, persecutions, and constraints,

for the sake of Christ;

for when I am weak, then I am strong.

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? What are the thorns in our sides? What does it mean to be strong when you are weak?

Gospel (Mark 6:1-6)

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark.

Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples. 

When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue,

and many who heard him were astonished. 

They said, “Where did this man get all this? 

What kind of wisdom has been given him? 

What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! 

Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary,

and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? 

And are not his sisters here with us?” 

And they took offense at him. 

Jesus said to them,

“A prophet is not without honor except in his native place

and among his own kin and in his own house.” 

So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there,

apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them.

He was amazed at their lack of faith.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? How do we often underestimate God? How does a lack of faith slow us down? Why is sharing the faith with family so difficult?

Word Wide Open: The Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) - 6/13/21

 First Reading (Ezekiel 17:22-24)

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel.

Thus says the Lord GOD:

I, too, will take from the crest of the cedar,

    from its topmost branches tear off a tender shoot,

and plant it on a high and lofty mountain;

    on the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it.

It shall put forth branches and bear fruit,

    and become a majestic cedar.

Birds of every kind shall dwell beneath it,

    every winged thing in the shade of its boughs.

And all the trees of the field shall know

    that I, the LORD,

bring low the high tree,

    lift high the lowly tree,

wither up the green tree,

    and make the withered tree bloom.

As I, the LORD, have spoken, so will I do.

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? How does God reveal Himself through creation?


Second Reading (2 Corinthians 5:6-10)

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

Brothers and sisters:

We are always courageous,

although we know that while we are at home in the body

we are away from the Lord,

for we walk by faith, not by sight.

Yet we are courageous,

and we would rather leave the body and go home to the Lord.

Therefore, we aspire to please him, 

whether we are at home or away.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,

so that each may receive recompense,

according to what he did in the body, whether good or evil.

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 courageous? Why are we away from the Lord?

Gospel (Mark 4:26-34)

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark.

Jesus said to the crowds:

“This is how it is with the kingdom of God;

it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land

and would sleep and rise night and day

and through it all the seed would sprout and grow,

he knows not how.

Of its own accord the land yields fruit,

first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.

And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once,

for the harvest has come.”

He said,

“To what shall we compare the kingdom of God,

or what parable can we use for it?

It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground,

is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.

But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants

and puts forth large branches,

so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.”

With many such parables

he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it.

Without parables he did not speak to them,

but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? What is the Kingdom of God? Where does faith start? Why did Jesus speak in parables?

Word Wide Open: The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (B) - 6/6/21

First Reading (Exodus 24:3-8)

A reading from the Book of Exodus.

When Moses came to the people

and related all the words and ordinances of the LORD,

they all answered with one voice,

"We will do everything that the LORD has told us."

Moses then wrote down all the words of the LORD and,

rising early the next day,

he erected at the foot of the mountain an altar

and twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.

Then, having sent certain young men of the Israelites

to offer holocausts and sacrifice young bulls

as peace offerings to the LORD,

Moses took half of the blood and put it in large bowls;

the other half he splashed on the altar.

Taking the book of the covenant, he read it aloud to the people,

who answered, "All that the LORD has said, we will heed and do."

Then he took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, saying,

"This is the blood of the covenant

that the LORD has made with you

in accordance with all these words of his."

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? What does blood typically symbolize in the Bible? What is the purpose of a covenant?


Second Reading (Hebrews 9:11-15)

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

Brothers and sisters:

When Christ came as high priest

of the good things that have come to be,

passing through the greater and more perfect tabernacle

not made by hands, that is, not belonging to this creation,

he entered once for all into the sanctuary,

not with the blood of goats and calves

but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.

For if the blood of goats and bulls

and the sprinkling of a heifer's ashes

can sanctify those who are defiled

so that their flesh is cleansed,

how much more will the blood of Christ,

who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God,

cleanse our consciences from dead works

to worship the living God.

For this reason he is mediator of a new covenant:

since a death has taken place for deliverance

from transgressions under the first covenant,

those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance.

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? What is the eternal inheritance? What is the difference between the old covenant and the new covenant?

Gospel (Mark 14:12-16, 22-26)

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark.

On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread,

when they sacrificed the Passover lamb,

Jesus’ 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.

While they were eating,

he took bread, said the blessing,

broke it, 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.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? Why does our redemption require sacrifice? How does the shedding of Jesus' blood wash away our sins? Why is receiving the Eucharist frequently so important? 

Word Wide Open: The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity (B) - 5/26/21

 First Reading (Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40)

A reading from the Book of Deuteronomy.

Moses said to the people:

"Ask now of the days of old, before your time,

ever since God created man upon the earth;

ask from one end of the sky to the other:

Did anything so great ever happen before?

Was it ever heard of?

Did a people ever hear the voice of God

speaking from the midst of fire, as you did, and live?

Or did any god venture to go and take a nation for himself

from the midst of another nation,

by testings, by signs and wonders, by war,

with strong hand and outstretched arm, and by great terrors,

all of which the LORD, your God,

did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?

This is why you must now know,

and fix in your heart, that the LORD is God

in the heavens above and on earth below,

and that there is no other.

You must keep his statutes and commandments that I enjoin on you today,

that you and your children after you may prosper,

and that you may have long life on the land

which the LORD, your God, is giving you forever."

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? What has God promised His people? How does God protect His people throughout the ages?


Second Reading (Romans 8:14-17)

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

Brothers and sisters:

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,

but you received a Spirit of adoption,

through whom we cry, “Abba, Father!”

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit

that we are children of God,

and if children, then heirs,

heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ,

if only we suffer with him

so that we may also be glorified with him.

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? How does fear enslave us? How does suffering bring about glory?

Gospel (Matthew 28:16-20)

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew.

The eleven disciples went to Galilee,

to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.

When they all saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.

Then Jesus approached and said to them,

"All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations,

baptizing them in the name of the Father,

and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,

teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.

And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age."

The Gospel of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? What does it mean to be a disciple? How are we called to live differently as Catholics? How is Christ always with us?