Category Archives: Faith

Pentecost 22 B: Daily Resurrection and the Plague

Posted on October 20, 2021 by John

The readings for the 22nd Sunday after Pentecost are Old Testament      Jeremiah 31:7–9 Psalm                    Psalm 126 New Testament     Hebrews 7:23–28 Gospel                   Mark 10:46–52 I resolve to recite to myself the last three verses of Psalm 126 … Continue reading →

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Pentecost 20 B: Life or Death on the Oregon Trail

Posted on October 8, 2021 by John

The readings for the 20th Sunday after Pentecost are Old Testament      Amos 5:6–7, 10–15 Psalm                    Psalm 90:12–17 New Testament     Hebrews 4:12–16 Gospel                   Mark 10:17–31 If you were to travel the Oregon Trail, as thousands of desperate … Continue reading →

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Pentecost 18B: Friendship, Peace, and Social Distancing

Posted on September 22, 2021 by John

The readings for this 18th Sunday after Pentecost are Old Testament      Numbers 11:4–6, 10–16, 24–29 Psalm                    Psalm 19:7–14 New Testament     James 5:13–20 Gospel                   Mark 9:38–50 Are not the biggest twin challenges of this time the social … Continue reading →

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Pentecost 12B: Masks, Vaccines, and Neighbor-Love

Posted on August 13, 2021 by John

The Readings for the 12th Sunday after Pentecost are: Old Testament      Proverbs 9:1–6 Psalm                    Psalm 34:9–14 New Testament     Ephesians 5:15–20 Gospel                   John 6:51–58 Again, this week, I want to focus on the Ephesians lessons, which reads … Continue reading →

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Pentecost 6B: Boasting and Praying on a Pandemic Fourth

Posted on June 30, 2021 by John

The Second Reading for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost is 2 Corinthians 12:2-10 in which Paul demurs from boasting, says he could boast in his visions, but concludes that Christ’s refusal to remove his “thorn of the flesh” taught him … Continue reading →

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Easter 3 B: Ambiguity and the Sense and Sensibility of Faith

Posted on April 12, 2021 by John

The Readings for the Third Sunday of Easter are: First Reading         Acts 3:12–19 Psalm                    Psalm 4 New Testament     1 John 3:1–7 Gospel                   Luke 24:36b–48 Ambiguity drives us to distraction. We want black and white answers to … Continue reading →

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Palm/Passion Sunday B: Meaning Shines Out From Steadfastness

Posted on March 24, 2021 by John

The readings for the Liturgy of the Passion: Old Testament      Isaiah 50:4–9a Psalm                    Psalm 31:9–16 New Testament     Philippians 2:5–11 Gospel                   Mark 14:1–15:47 or Mark 15:1–39 (40–47) Friedrich Nietzsche was a harsh critic of religious belief; but … Continue reading →

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Lent 4 B: Poisonous Prevention

Posted on March 11, 2021 by John

These are the readings for the Fourth Sunday of Lent Old Testament      Numbers 21:4–9 Psalm                    Psalm 107:1–3, 17–22 New Testament     Ephesians 2:1–10 Gospel                   John 3:14–21 The Old Testament and Gospel readings both refer to famous cases … Continue reading →

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Lent 1 B: The Noah Covenant and the Pandemic

Posted on February 16, 2021 by John

This Sunday’s readings: Old Testament      Genesis 9:8–17 Psalm                    Psalm 25:1–10 New Testament     1 Peter 3:18–22 Gospel                   Mark 1:9–15 Last Sunday was Transfiguration, and we thought of that word of our time: “unprecedented.” The fire, the windstorm, … Continue reading →

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Christmas Eve B: On Them Light Has Shined

Posted on December 23, 2020 by John

The First Reading for Christmas Eve is Isaiah 9:2-7, which starts with this oracle: 2The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined. Here … Continue reading →

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