this week's bulletin

FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT

March 17, 2024


THIS WEEK’S GOSPEL FOCUS: 

SUFFERING, SAVED

As we stand at the threshold of Holy Week, which begins in two weeks, we hear once again that life will have times of trial, but in Christ we are assured that the trial is not our final future.

 

 

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  • THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

    May 1, 2022

    The followers of Jesus have a new experience of what they encountered in him as disciples: the call to follow.

  • FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

    May 8, 2022

    Daily lives of sheep and shepherds in Jesus’ day were filled with hazards. The best protection was to stay close, stay in physical contact. It is no different for us today with our Good Shepherd.

  • fifth sunday in ordinary time

    May 15, 2022

    All words—even holy, sacred words—can suffer from overuse or misuse. When we say we’re going to glorify God, it must be with a sense of how much that calls upon us to do. Truly giving glory to God is not to be done light.

  • sixth sunday in ordinary time

    May 22, 2022

    Often the biggest obstacle to knowing God’s love in our lives is being able to believe that God can love us. We know God can love others, but when it comes to ourselves being loveable.

  • ASCENSION OF THE LORD

    May 29, 2022

    The light we experience day to day is a reminder of the light of Christ. Light from light, whose eternal light radiates into our earthly time.

     

  • PENTECOST SUNDAY

    June 5, 2022

    Fire. Wind. Giver of charismatic speech. We often think of the Spirit in big, dramatic ways. This might lead us to mission out on all the tender and gentle and quiet ways the Spirit, the Comforter, comes among us.

  • THE MOST HOLY TRINITY

    June 12, 2022

    When we get overly bound up in abstract concepts about the Trinity, we can lose sight of the fact that they are persons, bound together by love, delighting in each other. We’re invited to their party!

  • the most holy body and blood of christ

    June 19, 2022

    There are many who are physically gorged with more than enough food, yet they hunger spiritually Like Jesus, we can turn to those who come to have their daily hungers satisfied.


  • Thirteenth sunday in ordinary time

    June 26, 2022

    To follow Jesus means to be in constant discernment about which path to choose. There are no “higher” or “lower” paths, only paths that lead us to the work of

    God’s reign.

  • fourteenth sunday in ordinary time

    July 3, 2022

    As Jesus continues his journey to Jerusalem, he sends out some of his followers in a preview of what will be expected of them following the descent of the Spirit at Pentecost.

  • FIFTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

    July 10, 2022

    The parable of the good Samaritan is so familiar, and comes from so long ago, that we can forget that Jesus’ first hearers would have been shocked: an enemy-outcast is the hero of the story!

     

  • sixteenth sunday in ordinary time

    July 17, 2022

    Every one of us has a different set of gifts or abilities to make the world a better or more welcoming place for others.

     

  • SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

    July 24, 2022

    Upon hearing the Lord’s Prayer we may think Luke forgot part of it; but his briefer form gives the prayer more urgency, as Jesus continues to Jerusalem.

     

  • eighteenth sunday in ordinary time

    July 31, 2022

    Many things tug at us for our allegiance—some healthy, some not. Ultimately, only one of these can hold first place in our lives.

     

  • nineteenth sunday in ordinary time

    August 7, 2022

          Our word “remember” has its origins in the Latin word for being mindful: memor. Christians are called upon to be mindful again and again of the life and way of Jesus Christ, as we follow him daily.

  • twentieth sunday in ordinary time

    August 14, 2022

    Though Pentecost was months ago, Jesus reminds us that he came to set the world on fire. As members of the Church born at Pentecost, that is our work.

  • twenty first sunday in ordinary time

    August 21, 2022

    We pray for the reign of God: ”thy kingdom come.” Praying to God—keeping in touch—also happens when our lives reflect that reign, which welcomes in peoples of unimaginable diversity.

  • twenty second sunday in ordinary time

    August 28, 2022

    The word “humility” originates with the Latin “humus,” which means the ground or the earth. A truly humble person is one grounded in honesty.

  • TWENTY THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

    September 4, 2022

    In the same way we sometimes think that others are hearing us but not truly listening, God may likewise think the same; we hear, but don’t listen.

  • TWENTY FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

    September 11, 2022

    We can sometimes think too highly of ourselves, and at other times we have a falsely low self-image. God calls us to an honest evaluation of our lives.

  • TWENTY FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

    September 18, 2022

    Being made in the image of God doesn’t mean only our personal existence but also treating others in a God-like way.

  • twenty sixth sunday in ordinary time

    September 25, 2022

    The life of following is often expressed not in big gestures, but in small acts that reveal him to those around us.

     

  • TWENTY SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

    October 2, 2022

    It’s easy to become discouraged by the events of the world, but God’s word encourages us to move forward hopefully, toward a fulfillment of God’s vision for us.

  • twenty eighth sunday in ordinary time

    October 9, 2022

    It doesn’t take all that much to say “thank you” to God when something extraordinary happens. But do we have the mindfulness to express our gratitude for the smaller, commonplace blessings?

  • twenty ninth sunday in ordinary time

    October 16, 2022

    In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus goes off by himself to pray. As members of his Body, the Church, we follow his example, and remain in prayer—our contact with God.

     

  • THIRTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

    October 23, 2022

    It shouldn’t be that difficult to be humble when standing before God in prayer. However, in addition to telling God what “I” want/need, we must remember

    the needs of the world around us.

  • thirty first sunday in ordinary time

    October 30, 2022

    No doubt we’ve all come to the conclusion that God sees the world and others in a very different way than we do. Can we attempt, however, to see the world with God’s vision of love and mercy?

  • THIRTY SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

    November 6, 2022

    Attempting to understand the life beyond this life can be a challenge. We know that somehow we will still live, but in a completely new way. The Risen Christ shows us the way.

  • thirty third sunday in ordinary time

    November 13, 2022

    The readings at the end of the liturgical year always refocus us on the end of time. As frightening as they can sometimes be, we are always assured of the ultimate love we will know at the end.

  • jesus christ, king of the universe

    November 20, 2022

    This feast celebrates majesty in humility, strength in weakness, and power in gentleness. Are we able to live humble, weak, gentle lives as Jesus did—so one day we will be crowned with his glory?


  • FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

    November 27, 2022

    Unlike our everyday life, in which we can never fully prepare for crisis or emergency, we are able to prepare spiritually for the time of the Lord’s return.

  • SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT

    December 4, 2022

    Sometimes we do not like change, but when it comes to living more closely in the image of Christ, things about our lives do need to change. We cannot change our lives without a change of heart first.

  • third sunday of advent

    December 11, 2022

    This week we will hear what happens when the reign of God truly breaks into the world. Can we imagine a world or a life that looks like those signs

  • FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT

    December 18, 2022

    We hear about Jesus’ many ancestors in Matthew’s Gospel. Surely Jesus knew of these men and women, but he always lived focused on the future, building on what he had inherited.



  • NATIVITY OF THE LORD/CHRISTMAS DAY

    December 25, 2022

    All the ends of the earth see the saving power of God because God’s Light from Light, Jesus Christ, shines for all to see, and for all to be able to see.

  • MARY, MOTHER OF GOD/NEW YEAR'S DAY

    January 1, 2023

    This week we celebrate Mary, who held God’s mysteries and pondered them in her heart, and whose heart would be pierced in sorrow. Like Mary, we need to train our hearts to be given wholly to God. 

  • THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD

    January 8, 2023

    An epiphany is a moment of revelation that can occur when something long-expected finally happens, or when something completely unexpected breaks into our lives.

  • second sunday in ordinary time

    January 15, 2022

    This week we hear John the Baptist call Jesus the “Lamb of God,” we are set on a journey toward Ash Wednesday to discover who Jesus is — and who we are as well.

  • third sunday in ordinary time

    January 22, 2023

         There is no denying that the world, our society, our Church, are all in a state of factionalism. For Christians, fiercely belonging to a faction often means that we can only share a fraction of the Gospel.

  • fourth sunday in ordinary time

    January 29, 2023

         The Beatitudes in next week’s Gospel reading show us how to orient ourselves and to give ourselves an attitude toward living that is truly Christ-like.


  • fifth sunday in ordinary time

    February 5, 2023

         Though few of us are called to do grand and publicly glorious things for Christ, each of us is called upon to bring some goodness into the world and do a little bit better at it-every day.


  • sixth sunday in ordinary time

    February 12, 2023

         It is tempting to try and figure out the bare minimum that we can do and still think we are a follower of Christ. But he always challenges us to do more than the minimum, to stay away from the Tempter who leads us down that path.

  • seventh sunday in ordinary time

    February 19, 2023

         To love one’s enemies may be the most difficult teaching of Jesus, the one that leads many times to act in direct contradiction to the wisdom of the world. Yet that is at the heart of his message.

  • FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT

    February 26, 2023

         The fruit of the tree in Eden was good, but the eating of it wasn’t a good thing for Adam and Eve. In Christ we can discern both what is good and what will be good for us.

  • second sunday of lent

    March 5, 2023

         Though the Transfiguration was dazzling, Christ’s followers had to come to learn that no matter where they were, Christ their Light always remained with them, even when leaving the mountaintop. 

  • THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT

    March 12, 2023

    As our Lenten journey progresses, we strive to improve the manner in which we “see” with our hearts, hoping that, in the light of Christ, we can truly come to see the world as God does.


  • fourth sunday of lent

    March 19, 2023

    The most common substance on earth — water — is also the most precious. It is no wonder that the stories of our salvation feature it so frequently

  • fifth sunday of lent

    March 26, 2023

    Facing death of those we love or our own—is a profoundly human moment in every life, a moment into which we know Jesus will step.

  • palm sunday - the passion of the lord

    April 2, 2023

    The death of Jesus on the cross was not merely a dutiful Son fulfilling His role. It was a total self-emptying, self-surrender, self-giving sacrifice that led Him and us to resurrected life.

  • EASTER SUNDAY - THE RESURRECTION OF THE LORD

    April 9, 2023

    The Easter scriptures give us many role models to be people who give witness to the Resurrection. We must overcome fear and boldly speak what we have come to know through faith.

  • divine mercy sunday

    second sunday of easter

    April 16, 2023

    This Sunday, the very breath of Jesus bestows the Holy Spirit on the disciples. Like our own breath, the breath of the Spirit is absolutely essential to our ongoing lives as followers of Jesus.

  • third sunday of easter

    April 23, 2023

    The disciples knew Jesus in the breaking of the bread, but first, they had to come to know how he had broken open his own life. As we still break bread in his name, so must we break open our lives.

  • fourth sunday in ordinary time

    April 30, 2023

    Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is always with us and tends to us. But the members of his flock still fail to hear or know his voice and scatter off in many directions without knowing their shepherd is near.

  • FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

    May 7, 2023

    Like every other aspect of our lives, our spiritual lives go through times of growth and change, times that are not always easy. As the Church did from the beginning, we need to keep the Lord near.


  • SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

    May 14, 2023

    The Holy Spirit promised by Jesus gives us our purpose: to go out on the joyful mission of spreading the good news of salvation.

  • ascension of the lord

    May 21, 2023

    Even though Jesus has “gone away,” he is closer to us now than he could have been if he had physically remained on earth.

  • pentecost sunday

    May 28, 2023

    Like the gifts we receive for birthdays or on Christmas, the best way to show that we truly appreciate the gifts of the Spirit is to use them - and make them - Spirit-gifts for others.

  • the most holy trinity

    June 4, 2023

    When we know the Father’s grace, that grace as members of the Body of Christ, we are living in the grace of the Holy Spirit.

  • MOST HOLY BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST

    June 11, 2023

    In the Eucharistic elements, Christ feeds us with spiritual food and quenches our thirst with the cup of salvation. Thus, he continues to guide the Church.

  • eleventh sunday in ordinary time

    June 18, 2023

    Without cost, we have received. Without cost, we are to give. Do we open our hearts to one another with the same reckless mercy that God opens his heart to us? How quickly the world could change if we did.

  • twelfth sunday in ordinary time

    June 25, 2023

    Frequently the scriptures tell us not to be afraid, for we have God with us; As members of Christ’s flock, we are called to live this fearlessness.


  • THIRTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

    July 2, 2023

    Our lives are networks of relationships, which can change over the course of time. We are challenged in the changes to keep Christ as our primary relationship.

     

  • fourteenth sunday in ordinary time

    July 9, 2023

    Jesus continually surprised people with unexpected wisdom from unexpected sources. We still must be open to new knowledge coming to us from places we don’t expect. 

  • fifteenth sunday in ordinary time

    July 16, 2023

    Jesus taught in parables, often from the natural world. Our sacraments use things that come to us from the natural realm, too. All can lead us to imagine God’s reign among us.

  • sixteenth sunday in ordinary time

    July 23, 2023

    It can be easy to focus on what’s wrong in life and in the world. Some time spent focused on grace and goodness can lead us to a brighter day.

  • SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

    July 30, 2023

    Our covenant of love with God is our security and strength. May it also be the song that fills our hearts and lives each day.

  • TRANSFIGURATION OF THE LORD

    August 6, 2023

    We hear God’s affirming voice from heaven as Jesus is gloriously transfigured. Our own words and voices have the power to transform —for good or ill — those around us.

  • nineteenth sunday in ordinary time

    August 13, 2023

    We ask God to give us our daily bread, but prayer is another kind of nourishment also necessary for our spiritual life.

  • twentieth sunday in ordinary time

    August 20, 2023

    When we open our hearts to let in the reconciling power of God, we can discover how petty and useless many of our squabbles can be.

  • twenty first sunday in ordinary time

    August 27, 2023

    We live in a world filled with locks and keys, with all kinds of devices meant to keep others out. Prayer is a key we are given to open up our lives to God and others.

  • TWENTY SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

    September 3, 2023

    Though we’d prefer an always-easy life, life isn’t that way. A deepened relationship with God is the ultimate place to turn.

  • twenty third sunday in ordinary time

    September 10, 2023

    When there is discord in any relationship or group, it is difficult and necessary — because it is difficult to recall that we must still treat everyone respectfully, as an image of a loving God.

  • twenty fourth sunday in ordinary time

    September 17, 2023

    We think of extending forgiveness as an act of giving a gift to another person. But we also receive a gift when we forgive others.

  • twenty fifth sunday in ordinary time

    September 24, 2023

    Sometimes God seems to act unfairly, but it is really God’s generous justice in action. Perhaps having a bit more of God’s generous nature would help us to all be more just.

  • respect life sunday

    twenty sixth sunday in ordinary time

    October 1, 2023

    One of the hardest things to do is admit we’ve been wrong. But when we do, we often open up our lives to much affirmation.

  • twenty seventh sunday in ordinary time

    October 8, 2023

    There are two possible outlooks on most things in life: gratitude or entitlement. Viewing life gratefully helps us to live thankful lives, and avoid greed or jealousy.


  • TWENTY EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

    October 15, 2023

    Banquets or feasts are often used in scripture to tell us something about God’s reign in our midst. Called to an abundant feast, we are likewise called to be signs of that feast, and live by sharing abundantly. 

  • twenty ninth sunday in ordinary time

    October 22, 2023

    Sometimes those who challenge Jesus begin the conversation with false praise. Now, as then, Jesus doesn’t fall for insincere flattery.


  • thirtieth sunday in ordinary time

    October 29, 2023

    Love God. Love your neighbor. There are, essentially, two commandments, but even this short and simple list can sometimes be difficult to live out daily.


  • thirty first sunday in ordinary time

    November 5, 2023

    “Practice what you preach.” Though this saying has been around for a long time, we still have trouble doing it.

  • thirty second sunday in ordinary time

    November 12, 2023

    Everyone in this Gospel reading fell asleep. The real difference is that one group — though asleep — was prepared and ready to go whenever it was time.

  • thirty third sunday in ordinary time

    November 19, 2023

    Everyone has been given some gift or gifts by God. What differentiates us is the degree to which we use those gifts so they flourish and become of even greater use to those around us.

  • jesus christ, king of the universe

    November 26, 2023

    The Glory of Jesus our King isn’t something we merely sit back and admire. It envelops us, and its majesty transforms us until we become Christ-like through its presence and power.

     

  • first sunday of advent

    December 3, 2023

    The call to be watchful and alert is a call to readiness, not to let our spirits get sluggish and slip off into a state of un-consciousness. But it is hard at times to stay up, to keep watch. Is Jesus being unreasonable here?

  • SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT

    December 10, 2023

    John the Baptist is surely among scripture’s most challenging prophetic figures. To this day he points us to Christ and away from the world’s distractions.

  • third sunday of advent

    December 17, 2023

    As we prepare for the coming of Christ at Christmas, and anticipate his return in glory — no matter what our life situation — we are called upon to be prayerful people of joy!

  • fourth sunday of advent/christmas

    December 24/25, 2023

    Though David wanted to build a dwelling place for God to dwell in, God promised David something greater: a “house” that would last forever. In Christ, we find that promise fulfilled.

  • feast of the holy family

    December 31, 2023

    God doesn’t promise a life that is always easy, or never knows sadness or trials. What God does promise us in Christ is someone to share it all — the difficulties and the joys—no matter what.

  • epiphany of the lord

    January 7, 2024

    Whether it was Isaiah’s listeners wondering where God’s light was, or the Magi following a star to an unexpected place, or us trying to broaden our understanding of God’s mysteries, we know that God illumines the way.

  • second sunday in ordinary time

    January 14, 2024

    We are anointed with holy oil both at our Baptism and Confirmation. This makes us “anointed ones” for God. But the sheen of that oil disappears soon. What must remain is our living witness.

  • third sunday in ordinary time

    January 21, 2024

    Sometimes God calls us out of the patterns of our day-to-day existence to take on something new. Though we hesitate— we are content with life as it is — the call to turn our lives anew is not to be resisted.

  • fourth sunday in ordinary time

    January 28, 2024

    In both testaments of the Bible, there are struggles to understand how Divine Authority comes into the world. If we remain connected to the mission and message of Jesus, we have the authority to live as a disciple.

  • fifth sunday in ordinary time

    February 4, 2024

    The trials of Job led him to an even deeper insight into the ways and the wisdom of God. When life presents us with difficulties, we also can step back in faith, and search more deeply into God’s will.

  • SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

    February 11, 2024

    The Church — the Body of Christ — is like other bodies. We are often in need of healing and wholeness. This calls us to be humble enough to acknowledge

    our own needs, and to be Christ’s healing touch for others.

  • FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT

    February 18, 2024

    The theme of safe passage through destructive waters to a place of life and hope pervades our understanding of this baptismal season of Lent.

  • second sunday of lent

    February 25, 2023

    After Jesus’ trials in the desert, we hear of his Transfiguration. It was doing the Father’s will That he desired, not status, wealth or power.

  • THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT

    March 3, 2024

    Modern life offers us many things to be “zealous” about—things to commit our lives, energies, and resources to. But Jesus shows us there is only one thing that should inspire our zeal: God’s will.

  • fourth sunday of lent

    March 10, 2024

    The entire encounter between Jesus and Nicodemus takes place at night, yet Jesus is able to reveal light, and bring Nicodemus to the light.

  • fifth sunday in ordinary time

    March 17, 2024

    As we stand at the threshold of Holy Week, which begins in two weeks, we hear once again that life will have times of trial, but in Christ we are assured that the trial is not our final future.

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