Know Before You Go

Fr. Charlie Bouchard, OP reflects on the idea of shepherds from the readings for the Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time. Our politicians are shepherds in a sense, but Jesus is our true Shepherd. Do we place the Gospel truth ahead of political truth?

Readings: Jeremiah 23:1–6; Ephesians 2:13–18; Mark 6:30–34

Br. Joe Trout breaks open the readings for the Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, tying the disparate readings together—Amos is not a professional prophet, just trying to do God's will; Jesus calls the apostles to trust him and follow his work; and Paul reminds us that it is God who lavishes grace upon us. Thus, we must ask ourselves: is this God working through me, or are these my own ideas that are getting in the way of God working through me?

Readings: Amos 7:12–15, Ephesians 1:3–14, Mark 6:7–13

Fr. Brendan Curran, OP breaks open the readings for the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, coming to us from the Shrine of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, a Mohawk saint who embodies the themes of the day—being a true prophet to the nations, seemingly weak and unimportant, and rejected by her own, but ultimately a powerful witness.

Readings: Ezekiel 2:2-5, 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, Mark 6:1-6

Fr. Brian Walker, OP breaks open the readings for the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, pointing out that when disaster strikes and no one has control over circumstances, we call it "an act of God." In these times, we need to turn to God, and knowing that with God's help, we don't have to simply accept these wrongs; we can challenge them and perhaps, with God's help, do something about them.

Based on Mark 5:21–43

Fr. James Marchionda, OP breaks open the readings for the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time, reminding us that God is always near, but always remains a mystery as well, because God, like suffering, is incomprehensible.

Readings: Job 38:1, 8–11, 2 Corinthians 5:14–17, Mark 4:35–41

Fr. Charlie Bouchard, OP breaks open the readings for the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, breaking open the parable of the mustard seed. Though it is not the smallest of seeds, it can grow wherever it finds itself. Can we see those seeds growing within ourselves?

Readings: Ezekiel 17:22–24, 2 Corinthians 5:6–10, Mark 4:26–34

Fr. Scott Steinkerchner, OP breaks open the readings for the Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, pointing out how there is more going on under the surface than meets the eye. In the first reading Adam and Eve play the blame game over who is at fault for eating the forbidden fruit, showing that there was already tension under the surface in the Garden of Eden. In the second reading, Paul tells the Corinthians that he is strengthened in his faith because he is suffering for them. And in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus' family thinks that he is out of his mind, and so Jesus breaks from them and proclaims that his real family are those who do the will of God.

Br. Joe Trout, OP breaks open the readings for the Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (often still called "Corpus Christi"), revealing the many-layered themes that reveal God's complete plan of salvation for the world—creating us in the image of God to be God's presence in the world and then giving us the Eucharist so that we can live up to this call.

Readings: Exodus 24:3–8, Hebrews 9:11–15, Mark 14:12–16, 22–26

Fr. Brendan Curran, OP breaks open the readings for Trinity Sunday. God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit points towards the abundance of God's presence as creator, redeemer, and sustainer.

Fr. Brian Walker, OP breaks open the readings for the Feast of Pentecost, remembering the gifts of the Spirit that transformed the community on that first Pentecost, and challenging each of us to allow those gifts to transform us with the gifts we need to become more than we are right now.

Fr. Scott Steinkerchner, OP breaks open the readings for the Feast of the Ascension, contrasting how the disciples were told to wait for the Holy Spirit, but were also to go out and use those gifts to preach the Good News to the ends of the earth.

Fr. Scott Steinkerchner, OP breaks open the readings for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, lifting up Jesus' comment: "This is my commandment: that you love one another as I have loved you." Trusting the love of God shown in Jesus and reflecting that love to others should be the center of our faith.

Readings: Acts 10:25-26,​34-35,​44-48, 1 John 4:7-10, John 15:9-17

Fr. Brendan Curran, OP breaks open the readings for the Fifth Sunday of Easter. Jesus tells us that he is the vine and we are the branches. We are bound to him and to one another, and if we stay so bound, we can produce much fruit. We are constantly threatened to give up and let ourselves be torn apart, but we need to stand against that.

Fr. Brian Walker, OP breaks open the readings for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Good Shepherd Sunday, reminding us that as Christians, we are all called to shepherd one another. Sometimes that can be unpleasant, or dirty, or smelly, but is is also rewarding and where we find our salvation.

Br. Joe Trout, OP breaks open the readings for the Third Sunday of Easter, exploring how the Resurrection shows that it was God's plan all along to bring back to life his beloved children, and that Jesus is the way God accomplishes it.

Fr. Scott Steinkerchner, OP breaks open the readings for the Second Sunday of Easter, challenging us to become part of the Good News by living the Resurrection.

Happy Easter to You and Yours! Today, Br. Joe Trout, OP breaks open the readings for Easter Sunday, pointing out that with the Resurrection, we enter the End Times, and every time we open ourselves to God coming "from above" we bring more life into the world.

Fr. Charlie Bouchard, OP breaks open the readings for this Palm Sunday, noticing how embodied all of the readings are. Jesus gave his body for our salvation. Can we give our bodies, just as they are, for the salvation and faith of others?

Fr. Scott Steinkerchner, OP breaks open the readings for the Fifth Sunday of Lent, pointing out what is different in the "new covenant" that the prophet Jeremiah says God will place in our hearts. Through embracing suffering we will learn obedience to God, as Jesus did, and God will give us the grace to endure and overcome.

Fr. Brendan Curran, OP shows the progression in the readings for this Sunday: the first reading shows the brokenness of our world; the second shows it's hope in the grace of God; and the Gospel presents the choice: Jesus came on the side of redemption, not condemnation–which side will we choose?

Br. Joe Trout, OP breaks open the readings for the Third Sunday of Lent, pointing out that when Jesus overturned the tables in the Temple, he was underscoring what had been lost in the understanding of the Ten Commandments—that our greatest gift is to spend time with the God who made and saves us. Opening ourselves to spending time with God without the distractions of pursuing other goals is how we both receive this gift from God and give this greatest gift to God.

Fr. Brian Walker, OP breaks open the readings for the Second Sunday of Lent, the sacrifice of Abraham and the Transfiguration, which challenge us to see the violence in our world and in ourselves, and work to change our hearts so that the world might be healed.

Fr. James Marchionda, OP breaks open the readings for the first Sunday of Lent where we hear of Jesus's temptation in the desert, where he was tempted to give up up on God. That is the basic temptation, and Jesus refused to let go of God. Can we hold on to our own faith as well, whatever hardships and challenges come our way?

Fr. Charles Bouchard, OP breaks open the readings for the Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time—the healing of lepers, noting that Jesus healed not just people's physical ailments, but their spiritual ailments as well, and anything that isolated them from other people. May we also work to reach out to people who are isolated, bringing them back in communion with others, so that we all might be a part of the Kingdom of God.