Today is the First Sunday of Advent, which marks the beginning of a new liturgical year. And just as everything else in our lives seems to be speeding up, the Church invites us to slow down. Over the next year, our lectionary readings will be drawing from the Gospel of Mark. And Jesus tells us in today’s gospel to, “watch!” What are we watching for during the season of Advent? Well, since the word “advent” means “beginning,” this ought to be for us something like New Year’s Day, when we make our…
As our liturgical year draws to a close, our readings focus us more and more on being prepared for the coming of Jesus. Holy Mother Church celebrates this with the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, which we will celebrate next Sunday. Our entire liturgical year culminates on the important reality that Jesus Christ is our King, and our readings encourage us to be prepared for the day of his arrival. We have heard this in a variety of parables that Jesus gives, particularly…
“For taking thought of wisdom is the perfection of prudence,
and whoever for her sake keeps vigil shall quickly be free from care….” These words taken from the Book of Wisdom speak of our relationship with the Holy Spirit, who is the giver of all wisdom. As Jesus says in the Gospel of John, “But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth” (Jn. 16:13). That is why seeking wisdom is the perfection of prudence. But, what is prudence? Prudence is practical reason. It is the…
Today, the Word of God speaks to us about the value of integrity: Integrity in who we are as people, integrity in what we say, and integrity in how we act. The prophet Malachi speaks of the lack of integrity the people had with respect to God. They were conspiring against the Lord and failing to honor the covenant. Jesus also identifies how the Pharisees are acting as hypocrites. They were seeking seats of honor, widening their phylacteries, and lengthening their tassels. In other words, all…
