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Showing posts from October, 2024

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

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The Pharisee and the Tax Collector   Lectionary: 150 Reading 1 -  Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18 [sic] Responsorial Psalm -  Psalm 34:2-3, 17-18, 19, 23 Reading 2 -  2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18 Alleluia -  2 Corinthians 5:19 Gospel -  Luke 18:9-14 '... for whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.' In today’s Gospel, Jesus presents us with the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. This story is closely connected to the one which comes just before it about the persistent widow who secures a just decision from a dishonest judge. While the first encourages us to pray and never give up. The second reminds us how, and in what manner, we ought to pray. However, to fully understand the example Jesus gives us, we should look more closely at first the century audience that He initially spoke to. A faithful Jew at that time would have assumed two things: That the Pharisee was a very holy and devout man.  And that...
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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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