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Showing posts from November, 2025

Fourth Sunday of Easter (Cycle A) "Good Shepherd Sunday"

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The Good Shepherd Lectionary:  49 Reading 1 -  Acts 2:14a, 36-41 Responsorial Psalm -  Psalm 23: 1-6 Reading 2 -  1 Peter 2:20b-25 Alleluia - John 10:14 Gospel -  John 10:1-10 I am the good shepherd, says the Lord! So we have reached the mid-point of the Easter Season and come to what is unofficially known as “Good Shepherd Sunday” because every year at this time we read from John 10, the famous “Good Shepherd Discourse.” For the most part, the readings are focused around the idea of Jesus Christ as our divine Shepherd. But what is a shepherd like? Now, let’s be honest: most of us have never actually spent much time with a literal sheep. We tend to romanticize them as fluffy, docile creatures on greeting cards. Case in point, despite having midwestern farmers as parents, my experience with sheep is limited to petting zoos and the movie Babe … where except for a very talented pig, Shepherds often drive sheep in different directions using dogs to intimidate them...
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First Sunday of Advent (Cycle 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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Sound of Silence (Weekend Retreat)

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A Silent Retreat with the Trappist Monks of St Joseph's SAINT JOSEPH’S ABBEY 167 North Spencer Road Spencer, MA 01562 508-885-8710 retreats@spencerabbey.org. '... Silence, all people, in the presence of the LORD, who stirs forth from his holy dwelling  ...' --  Zc 2:17 As part of our on-going formation, deacons are expected to go on a retreat at least once a year ... so with time running out, I joined four (4) of my classmates at Saint Joseph's Abbey for a late year "silent" retreat just before our first year was up.  Ironically ... the theme of the retreat was "Silence" and its relationship with Prayer ... made even more interesting given that Trappists are historically known for a way of life characterized by radical silence in the service of contemplative prayer (AKA The Silent Monks) to the point that, from the 17th century until the second half of the twentieth century, most would use "Trappist" sign language to avoid speaking at all...
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