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Showing posts from October, 2024

First Sunday of Advent (A)

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The Unknown Day and Hour   Lectionary: 1 Reading 1 -  Isaiah 2:1-5 Responsorial Psalm -  Psalm 122: 1-9 Reading 2 -  Romans 13:11-14 Alleluia -  Cf. Psalm 85:8 Gospel -  Matthew 24:37-44 '... Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.' Introduction  As we gather on this First Sunday of Advent , we also mark the beginning of the Church’s new liturgical calendar and a four-week preparation period leading up to Christmas. The word Advent comes from either of two Latin words, which simply mean “to come” (Ad-venire) or “to arrive” (Ad-ventus), and as early as the fourth (4th) century, Christians have had this special time of preparation towards Christmas. Of course, Advent is not merely a countdown to Christmas; Even as we begin the material preparations for the social celebration of Christmas, the liturgical celebrations of these weeks invite us to prepare ourselves for the coming of Jesus. But what does the co...
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Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle B)

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  Lectionary: 149 Reading 1 -  Jer 31:7-9 Responsorial Psalm -  Ps 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6 Reading 2 -  Heb 5:1-6 Alleluia -  Cf. 2 Tm 1:10 Gospel -  Mk 10:46-52 “Master, I want to see …”  You would think this would be obvious right? What else would a blind man ask for? Well … as you might expect, there is more to this story than that. To begin with, that was not the First thing that Bartimaeus asked for … that would be for mercy … just like what we heard in our first reading from the prophet Jeremiah … The LORD has saved his people, the remnant of Israel … I will gather them from the ends of the earth, the blind and the lame in their midst … I will console them and guide them … so that none shall stumble. It is because a promise such as this that a blind outcast could Expect God to hear him in his distress … so it should not be that surprising for Bartimaeus to have this in mind when he First cried out … Jesus, son of David, have pity on me. If we lo...
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Deacon Post-Ordination (The First Month)

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After Action Report It has been an interesting month following my ordination.  Immediately after the ceremony, I was handed my official letter of assignment, along with my enumerated faculties as a permanent deacon in good standing.  Everything there was as expected, with my subsequent debut as a deacon being the [required] thanksgiving mass for the 9 am service at my assigned parish.  The assignment letter specifies two immediate actions for me to take ... to respond to he bishop acknowledging that I have received this letter AND to develop a Contract of Diaconal Service detailing the expectations of my time [over the coming year] ... with no specific guidance for either. I had been working on my homily for the past few months, and with the benefit of an entire semester of homiletic training, I was fairly confident it would not be terrible ... but with almost no liturgical preparation, I was extremely nervous about everything else I would be expected to do ... even with...
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