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This Sunday and next and the one after that, the first readings will be drawn from the books of prophets: Ezekiel, Amos and Jeremiah, in that order. Today, we hear the middle part of the story of God calling Ezekiel to be a prophet to his people. The first part of the story is a vivid chapter-long description of a vision of the LORD enthroned in glory above all creatures. In the third part, Ezekiel is given a sweet-tasting scroll to eat. This is a sign of the sweetness of God’s word and a promise that God will remain with Ezekiel, even when he is rejected by his own people, as today’s reading forewarns.
Thus does the first reading prepare us for what Jesus will encounter when he arrives in his hometown synagogue.
The second reading concludes the selections from Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians that the church has been reading over the last four Sundays. Nonetheless, Paul’s reflections on the power of Christ also prepare us for what Jesus experiences “in his native place,” as we shall hear in today’s reflection.
—BJ Brown

This Sunday’s readings can be found on the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ website.

Our first reading from the Book of Wisdom was chosen to introduce the gospel reading in which Jesus restores the daughter of Jairus to life. So our first reading is a reflection on the reality of death, but from a particular perspective. Since the Book of Wisdom was one of the last books of the Old Testament to be written—perhaps just fifty years before the birth of Christ, it builds on a well-developed theological tradition.
In the Book of Wisdom, death is not so much physical death that marks the end of natural life, but spiritual death that distances us from God. Sin and death are forces working together to crush the good. That’s the meaning behind the last line of the reading that they who belong in the company of the devil experience death. This discussion of death foreshadows what St. Paul will later say, that death is brought into the world as the partner of sin
In this light, the miracle Jesus performs in the gospel is a sign of how Jesus has overcome this power of death over us through his resurrection.
The second reading from St Paul’s correspondence with the Corinthian church was originally intended as what we would call today a “fundraising” letter. Paul is asking for financial support for the Jerusalem church which is on hard times because of a food shortage in the city. Note the motivation Paul appeals to: ca we are to model our generosity on the pattern that Jesus demonstrated in offering himself for our sake. Yet in deference to the needs of the prospective donors, Paul is not asking for the impossible, but just a response measured by prudence and generosity.
—Walter Modrys SJ

This Sunday’s readings can be found on the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ website.

Today’s first reading is taken from the second-to-last section of the Book of Job, when the Lord speaks directly to Job. It is only a small part of what the Lord reminds Job—all in all, it takes three chapters to describe the Creator’s power—not only over the sea, but over every created thing.
The responsorial psalm is also a small part of a longer work. Taken from a hymn of thanksgiving from all those who the Lord has “redeemed from trouble,” this section describes those imperiled on the seas. Read or heard together, the two readings focus our attention on how Jesus exercises the very power of God in today’s gospel story, which takes place on the sea of Galilee.
The second reading, meanwhile, continues on an independent course through Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. It is in many ways part of a love letter, as Paul documents his love for Jesus Christ and repeatedly tries to help the Corinthian community to share in that love.
—BJ Brown

This Sunday’s readings can be found on the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ website.

Ezekiel was an Old Testament prophet who loved to use extravagant imagery. In today’s first reading, Ezekiel gives us a picture of forest trees spouting all kinds of off shoots. In fact, he was alluding to the controversies and scandals that were going on in the local politics and foreign affairs of his day. But for us, we can relate this symbolism more broadly to what Jesus wants to say in today’s gospel. The way that trees sprout up and crops grow from seeds is a sign of how God’s grace works in the world: slowly, mysteriously, but powerfully and against all the obstacles that stand in the way. In the end, we trust that God’s cause will triumph, just as the farmer has to trust that the harvest will come in to feed his family.
The second reading is another one of those very personal comments from St. Paul concerning his courage and perseverance in the face of adversity. But Paul never boasts of his own experience to praise himself, but to offer himself as a source of encouragement to others. Here Paul sets his sight on his final standing before God, which gives him the courage to persevere in his ministry.
—Walter Modrys SJ

This Sunday’s readings can be found on the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ website.

This Sunday’s readings can be found on the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ website.

This Sunday’s readings can be found on the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ website.

Today the Easter season ends with the celebration of Pentecost. The Catholic Church celebrates this feast fifty days after Easter, reflecting Luke’s account of the first Pentecost that we hear in the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles. But the gospel reading, from John, sets the first Pentecost at the end of the day of Jesus’s resurrection, demonstrating the close connection between these events. Today’s reflection will explore Luke’s and John’s different accounts of the first Pentecost.
The second reading, from the First Letter to the Corinthians, is part of Paul’s effort to rein in the enthusiasm of that new Christian community—what one commentator calls the Corinthians’ “over-realized eschatology.” Paul asserts that the gifts of the Holy Spirit should not be a source of pride or the basis for claims to superiority; the Spirit’s gifts are meant to unify the community in service to others.
—BJ Brown

This Sunday’s readings can be found on the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ website.

Biblical commentators tell us that Luke was one of the most accomplished authors in the early Church. Each of the two books he wrote, his Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, begins with a formal introduction modeled on the classical style of ancient literature. In each, Luke addresses a man named Theophilus, which means literally, a “lover of God.” No one knows if this name refers to a real or fictitious person invented by Luke. But Luke was also a masterful theologian and managed to closely connect the ministry of Jesus with the early history of the Church. As we come to the end of the Easter Season, the Church will greatly rely on Luke’s writing to complete for us the full meaning of the story of Easter.
Our second reading presents a profound description of the Father’s work in the exaltation of Jesus. Though the language is dense, and the translation adopted by the Church perhaps not the most advantageous, it is worth reflecting closely on the message of this reading. Today’s reflection will try to provide a context for this reading that hopefully will aid our understanding.
Some background can be helpful for a greater appreciation of our gospel reading. The formal ending of Mark’s gospel strikes one as excessively abrupt. The gospel seems to end almost in mid-sentence. Even in antiquity, early scribes tried to soften this impression by adding alternate endings, mostly borrowed from one or other of the gospels of Matthew or Luke. What we have in today’s gospel reading is one of those “borrowed” endings. The gospel has been chosen for today because of the mention of the Ascension, which of course is recounted both in Matthew and in Luke. 
—Walter Modrys SJ

This week’s readings can be found on the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ website.

In today’s first reading we hear snippets of the story of Cornelius. This is a turning point for the first disciples; Cornelius was the first Gentile convert to the new gospel of Jesus Christ. Read the entire 10^th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles for both Peter’s masterful summary of the Good News in verses 34-44 and for the account of a conversion in Peter’s life that prepared him to welcome Cornelius and his household.
In the second reading, we continue our Easter season reflection on how God’s love is revealed to us in Jesus Christ. The first letter of John attunes our ears for the gospel according to John and its revelation of Jesus’s sole commandment, love one another as I love you.
—BJ Brown

Today’s readings can be found on the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ website.

Once again, the first reading begins in the middle of a story. This chapter of the Acts of the Apostles began with Saul “still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord.” By the passage read today, Saul has regained his sight and been baptized but has not yet changed his name. He travels to Jerusalem, the heart of the community he so recently persecuted. Not surprisingly, Saul receives a cool reception when he tries to join the disciples of Jesus, who he’d encountered on his way to Damascus. When he is accepted, Saul soon faces persecution in turn. Even so, today’s first reading ends with a description of the church at peace, a testimony to the consoling power of the Spirit whose coming we will soon celebrate at Pentecost.
Behind all that is said about love in today’s second reading lies another conflict with those who do not understand the good news of Jesus Christ, Son of God. But as in the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, the author of the first letter of John looks to the Spirit at work, supporting those who remain faithful believers.
Like last Sunday’s gospel about the Good Shepherd, today’s gospel begins with an “I am” statement, emphasizing Jesus’s unity with his Father—although today’s reflection will consider another image that lies within the invitation to remain united with Jesus, the true vine.
—BJ Brown

Today’s readings can be found on the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ website.