Called to be good
Fourth Sunday of Easter – May 11, 2025 As we move into the middle of the Easter season and, for some, the warmth of summer, we might be feeling a post-meal nap coming on following last week’s breakfast on the … Read More
Breaking the fast
Third Sunday of Easter – May 4, 2025 “Come, have breakfast.” How often have we heard those words or something similar in our lifetime? Mothers, grandmothers, dads, lovers, hosts, all inviting us to eat. Strangers and soon-to-be-friends asking us to … Read More
Tell what you see
Second Sunday of Easter – April 27, 2025 Ten-year-old Laura Lentz’s father examined the letter she was writing to her favorite cousin. “All you do is write about yourself,” the future author recalled him saying. He placed another paper in … Read More
Here and now
Fifth Sunday of Lent – April 6, 2025 Last Sunday’s backstory of the Israelites crossing the Jordan River as they had once done at the Red Sea is a good lead-in to today’s first reading. But it also seems to … Read More
Rock bottom
Fourth Sunday of Lent – Mar 30, 2025 Led by Joshua, successor to Moses, and following the Ark of the Covenant, the Israelites finally arrive at the banks of the Jordan. Forty years earlier, they also stood on a shoreline … Read More
Give attention
Third Sunday of Lent – Mar 23, 2025 Burning bushes and barren fig trees, a call to lead and a call to repent. The connection between today’s first reading and its paired Gospel passage isn’t immediately obvious. Perhaps that is … Read More
Clouded Vision
Second Sunday of Lent – Mar 16, 2025 In his commentary on this passage (workingpreacher.com), biblical scholar Justin Michael Reed highlights a bias revealed in the omitted verses from today’s Genesis pericope. The catalyst for God’s promise to Abram of … Read More
On the precipice of new life
First Sunday of Lent – Mar 9, 2025 Some biblical scholars describe today’s passage from Deuteronomy as an early historical creed. Standing at the edge of the promised land, Moses teaches the Israelites the rituals that will help them remember … Read More
Rich in kindness
Ash Wednesday – Mar 5, 2025 Leadership gurus say that if you want to inspire change, “start with why.” Why is it important? Why does it matter? Why should anyone care? In today’s first reading, the prophet Joel lays out … Read More
The Fruit of our Lives
Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time – Mar 2, 2025 On this last Sunday before Lent, parishes are preparing to send their catechumens, whom they discern ready for initiation, to their bishop for election next week. At that rite, the bishop … Read More
Present in mystery
Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time – Feb 23, 2025 Jesus’s lessons this Sunday from his sermon on the plain are especially necessary today in our polarized church and nation. When people are entrenched in their own standpoints, unwilling to let … Read More
Side by side
Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time – Feb 16, 2025 Before the passage from today’s Gospel, we find Jesus choosing his twelve closest partners. Many more had begun following him, compelled by his miraculous healing power and ability to persuade, teach, … Read More
Gathered and blessed
Feast of the Presentation of the Lord – Feb 2, 2025 This year, several feasts and solemnities will interject a specific focus of the paschal mystery into the Sundays of Ordinary Time. Today is one of those feasts. Occurring 40 … Read More
Made for the occasion
Third Sunday of Ordinary Time – Jan 26, 2025 “Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that had been made for the occasion” (Neh 8:4). When Ezra read to the people from the book of the law, he did … Read More
Break forth in our midst
Second Sunday of Ordinary Time – Jan 19, 2025 What would have happened at the banquet if Mary had not paid attention to the kitchen staff and spoken up when she saw their urgent need? It was her intervention and … Read More
The closeness of God
Fourth Sunday of Advent – Dec 22, 2024 “Do not forget that closeness, proximity, was God’s most authentic language,” said Pope Francis. “That style of God, of closeness, went farther, farther and farther until it reached that great, essential closeness: … Read More
Make room for Christ’s joy
Third Sunday of Advent – Dec 15, 2024 Today we get the great opening line from the second reading: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I say it again: rejoice!” (Phil 4:4). Why is joy so important that Paul has to … Read More
Co-laboring with the Creator
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Dec 9, 2024 The annual singing of the Easter Exsultet proclaims, “O truly necessary sin of Adam, destroyed completely by the Death of Christ! O happy fault that earned … Read More
Destined for the joy of salvation
Second Sunday of Advent – Dec 8, 2024 In stark contrast to last Sunday, today’s set of readings are some of the most hope-filled and consoling poetry in our lectionary. From the lavish imagery of Baruch, to the tender affection … Read More
The good news of Advent
First Sunday of Advent – Dec 1, 2024 As she loaded her grocery bags into her car, my friend heard a street preacher make an odd comment as he tried to evangelize the shoppers in the busy parking lot. The … Read More
Changed into Christ’s presence
Thanksgiving Day – November 28, 2024 Most of us don’t get handwritten letters in the mail anymore. Instead, our mailboxes are filled with bills, ads, and end-of-the-year solicitations, and our inboxes numb us with spam, more ads, and work. In … Read More
Establish peace with peace
The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe – November 24, 2024 Seven years after World War I, Pope Pius XI instituted the feast of Christ the King. Earlier that year, Adolf Hitler published Mein Kampf, and … Read More
Wherever hope is dimmed
Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time – November 17, 2024 We come almost full circle since we began the Year of Mark, and today’s Gospel should sound familiar. The verses that follow this pericope were proclaimed on the First Sunday of … Read More
Giving your all
Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time – November 10, 2024 Many landmarks and much of the infrastructure we take for granted were built by persons enslaved and exploited by unjust systems. I think of the White House, of rail and roadways … Read More
Breaking the cycle
Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time – November 3, 2024 On this Sunday before Election Day in the United States, the Lectionary gives us a blessing in disguise. Today’s pericope of the greatest commandment is so familiar that we might miss … Read More
A great cloud of witnesses
Solemnity of All Saints and The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed – November 1-2, 2024 Time is a liturgical symbol created by God and regulated by the cosmos. In each particular day or season, in each minute or hour, … Read More
Following with joy
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time – October 27, 2024 At the edge of Jerusalem, after misunderstandings, disappointments, and misguided requests by Jesus’s followers and would-be disciples, we finally find a worthy companion for Christ on the road to the cross. … Read More
More than a metaphor
Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time – October 20, 2024 In Mark’s Gospel, the language about the cross and what it requires is violent and unambiguous. Jesus will suffer greatly and be rejected, killed, and handed over. He will give up … Read More
Doing the impossible
Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time – October 13, 2024 Does Jesus want us to sell everything we have to inherit eternal life? Or is this another hyperbole to get our attention? Recall that in the first Christian community, “no one … Read More
God gives us one another
Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time – October 6, 2024 Hopefully no one in their homily last week advocated for self-harm or mutilation as an actual response to human weakness. We do not interpret Scripture literally or use it to invoke … Read More
Boundless mercy
Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time – September 29, 2024 To really understand today’s Gospel and Jesus’s over-the-top rant, read the verses of Numbers 11 that lead up to today’s first reading pericope. Moses was fed up. He had had enough … Read More
Be last to be first
Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time – September 22, 2024 Last week Jesus left us with this paradox: Lose your life to save it. He continues this week saying that to be first, one must be last. All their bickering about … Read More
Courageous Followers
Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time – September 15, 2024 Look up a 2010 TED Talk called “How to Start a Movement.” In it, author and entrepreneur Derek Sivers analyzes a three-minute home video of an outdoor music festival. A shirtless … Read More
Being open
Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time – September 8, 2024 Have you ever been so frightened that your body shuts down? When fear turns to panic, a deafening “woosh” clogs your ears as your pulse pounds, your fists clench, and you … Read More
Necessary discernment
Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time – September 1, 2024 Jesus calls the Pharisees in today’s Gospel hypocrites. If we read the verses omitted from the Lectionary pericope, we see why. The Pharisees routinely took the commandment to honor one’s father … Read More
Without payment or merit
Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time – August 25, 2024 If you read the full account of today’s first reading from Joshua, chapter 24, it might make you think of the Easter Vigil. Joshua gathers the Israelites at Shechem, where the … Read More
At Wisdom’s table
Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time – August 18, 2024 The restaurant sign read, “We have no Wi-Fi. Talk to one another.” Next time you’re dining out, take a look. Couples gaze at their phones instead of each other. Kids play … Read More
Sacred and Worthy
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary – August 15, 2024 The holiness of the human body is central to today’s solemnity. Mary’s assumption “body and soul into heavenly glory” (Pius XII, Munificentissimus Deus) shows us that our earthly bodies are … Read More
Nourishment for the soul
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – August 11, 2024 “That’s it. I’m done!” I’m sure we’ve all felt like Elijah at some point: exhausted, afraid, tapped out, questioning our choices, catastrophizing the situation, and feeling sorry for ourselves or just … Read More
A gift freely given
Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – August 4, 2024 Do you know where your food comes from? When I was growing up, my grandmother grew a lot of the food we ate. I’d watch her spend hours making each meal … Read More
Subtle Pairings
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – July 28, 2024 Over five Sundays, we will feast from the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel and on Jesus’s revelation as the living bread from heaven. Even in this comfort food, there is so … Read More
True Shepherding
Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – July 21, 2024 Today, Jeremiah preaches scathing words against false shepherds who mislead and scatter the flock. After reading that passage, I wanted to send it to a few people with a note: “Woe … Read More
Is there dust on your feet?
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – July 14, 2024 Jesus sends us out into the world to announce the Gospel, and we should not be deterred when the message is not received. But there’s more the Spirit is saying to … Read More
Faithful Presence
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – June 30, 2024 Prophets gifted with wisdom or age know that true change is a marathon, a long-term, generational commitment to a goal they may never see fulfilled but work toward nonetheless. When the … Read More
Near enough
Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – June 30, 2024 “Please, come lay your hands on her that she may get well and live,” says Jairus to the one at the center of the crowd’s attention. Jesus will take his dead … Read More
In the midst of the tempest
Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time – June 23, 2024 Today, we might focus on Jesus’s power to calm life’s storms and give thanks for God’s care for us. But the Lectionary’s wisdom of putting various Scripture passages in conversation with … Read More
Woven together
Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time – June 16, 2024 The connection between this passage from Ezekiel and today’s pericope from Mark is all the tree and planting imagery. But the Gospel takes on even deeper meaning when we look at … Read More
Becoming one
Body and Blood of Christ – May 26, 2024 The longer we wait to bring back the Communion cup, the quicker we will forget why we need it. The most important reason to share the cup is that Jesus told … Read More
God is Close to Us
Most Holy Trinity – May 26, 2024 We might dust off our theology school notes and review the Catechism and other texts to help us explain the Holy Trinity for this Sunday’s liturgies. We need to do this to ensure … Read More
Step beyond the familiar
Pentecost Sunday – May 19, 2024 Many dioceses celebrate liturgy in a multitude of languages. The three major ones in mine are English, Spanish, and Vietnamese. When our Irish-born bishop was assigned to our diocese, he worked hard to learn … Read More
Wait for the spirit
Solemnity of the Ascension – May 12, 2024 We come to another symbolic number in Luke’s account. Just as Jesus was “led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days” (Lk 4:1–2) before his public ministry, so too did … Read More
Adjusting our orientation
The Seventh Sunday of Easter – B – May 12, 2024 We return to the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles this week, to the choosing of Judas Iscariot’s successor. There are a few things to note about … Read More
Redefine our relationships
The Sixth Sunday of Easter – B – May 5, 2024 Today when Christians are everywhere, it is hard to grasp the magnitude of what Peter experienced in Cornelius’s home. The revelation of Pentecost that took place at the beginning … Read More
Prune our hearts
The Fifth Sunday of Easter – B – April 28 2024 Much has happened in the Acts of the Apostles since last week’s passage. Peter, John, and the man they had healed are released from the religious leaders’ questioning but … Read More
Heed and follow
The Fourth Sunday of Easter – B – April 21 2024 We get another speech from Peter in today’s first reading but with a different context. Last week, Peter preached the Gospel to a crowd whose ears and hearts were … Read More
New life in Christ
The Third Sunday of Easter – B – April 14 2024 Disabled from birth, he couldn’t imagine what it was like to stand. But now he was walking and jumping and praising God! When he saw Peter and John at … Read More
We are Loved and Longed For
The Fifth Sunday of Lent – March 10, 2024 Today’s first reading continues our Lenten journey of restoration. The prophet Jeremiah’s writing focuses mostly on Judah’s faithlessness and exile. But this part, called the “Book of Comfort” (chapters 30–33), describes … Read More
Called home
The Fourth Sunday of Lent – March 10, 2024 The final section of today’s first reading is the Emperor of Persia’s decree allowing the exiled Jews to return to their homeland and rebuild their temple. After years of rule by … Read More
Let the Year A readings speak
The Third Sunday of Lent – March 3, 2024 “Why can’t we use Year B or C readings for the Scrutinies? We’ve written prayers to fit so the assembly wouldn’t miss out on them.” I hear this every time we’re … Read More
So that reason may give way
The Second Sunday of Lent – February 25, 2024 In the Sunday Lectionary, the first reading is meant to complement the Gospel pericope. Why then is the Transfiguration paired with the testing of Abraham? Both are “terrifying” in different ways. … Read More
What do the scrutinies do?
This Sunday at St. Columba, we will celebrate the first of three scrutinies with our catechumens — Tucker Pinochi and Elizabeth Chaponot. On the first Sunday of Lent, our catechumens were chosen for initiation at the Easter Vigil in the … Read More
The beauty of a covenant
The First Sunday of Lent – February 18, 2024 Last we heard these readings, the world was one year into a global pandemic. For many of us, it felt like we had been stuck in an ark all year while … Read More
Contrition that is perfected by love
Ash Wednesday – February 14, 2024 “There’s no crying in baseball!” we hear in A League of Their Own. But according to the prophet Joel, there sure need to be a few tears shed in repentance: “Even now, says the … Read More
Going further
The Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time – February 11, 2024 So far, Jesus has been moving about Galilee with relative freedom and ease. But after healing a leper, he experiences a reversal of roles. The leper, once isolated from public, … Read More
Raised up to serve
The Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time – February 4, 2024 If you’re tempted to make any mother-in-law jokes today, restrain yourself. The subject of Jesus’s first healing miracle in Mark’s Gospel—like all women in the Gospels—deserves more respect and serious … Read More
“Heal the wounds”
The Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time – January 28, 2024 Inaugurating his public ministry, Jesus proclaimed this message: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mk 1:15). Then … Read More
Where all can thrive
The Third Sunday in Ordinary Time – January 14, 2023 Most homilists preach about becoming “fishers of men” by either focusing on vocations to the priesthood or rippling out the call to discipleship to be an invitation for all who … Read More
Bulletin series to re-introduce communion from the cup
Insert 1 Sharing the Cup as God’s People As we prepare for the First Sunday of Advent, we will also resume the practice of sharing the communion cup. This is an important sign of our shared mission as the People … Read More
Teach as Jesus taught
The Second Sunday in Ordinary Time – January 14, 2023 When Jesus asks John’s disciples, “What are you looking for?” I’ve always been baffled by their non-sequitur response, “Where are you staying?” But the term “rabbi” is the bridge, connecting … Read More
Where God dwells and is found
The Fourth Sunday of Advent – December 3, 2023 No one else in the course of history other than Mary of Nazareth has ever or will ever give birth to Jesus, the Son of God. No one else will give … Read More
Remember the promises
The Third Sunday of Advent – December 3, 2023 Tell someone to “just be happy,” and you often get a cheesy, fake grin in return. The Third Sunday of Advent commands us, “Rejoice!” Unless we go deeper into why we … Read More
Don’t waste any time
The Second Sunday of Advent – December 3, 2023 By tradition, the opening lines of the Gospels correspond to their evangelist’s symbolic creature: Matthew is a winged human; Luke a winged bull; John’s symbol is an eagle. And today’s Gospel … Read More
In God’s image alone
The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary – December 3, 2023 How beautiful that we have so many images of Mary, the mother of Jesus! How wonderful that in every nation, language, and culture where the … Read More
Don’t be caught sleeping
The First Sunday of Advent – December 3, 2023 The thirteenth chapter of Mark’s Gospel is a strange place to begin Advent. Today’s passage comes right before Jesus’s passion, and the marking of the nightwatch hours foreshadows what comes next: … Read More
“When did we see you?”
The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe – November 26, 2023 “Lord, when did we see you?” ask the sheep and goats in today’s final parable of Matthew’s Gospel on this last Sunday of the liturgical … Read More
Wonder and Awe
33rd Sunday Ordinary Time – A – November 19, 2023 Don’t be tempted to give a simplistic interpretation of today’s Gospel that sounds like a lesson in good investment practices or a lead-in to the annual stewardship appeal. Instead, think … Read More
Witness to hope
32nd Sunday Ordinary Time – A – November 12, 2023 For those who live in earthquake country, the thought of “the big one” cannot consume our lives lest we live in constant fear. Similarly, I doubt today’s Gospel calls us … Read More
Humility and transparency
31st Sunday Ordinary Time – A – September 24, 2023 A wise bishop and canon lawyer once told me that canon law is ultimately meant to be pastoral, and when it ceases to be pastoral, it is no longer law. … Read More
From the beginning
Solemnity of All Saints and The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls) So much of our Christian faith is grounded in embracing death. In baptism we are plunged into fonts that often bear similarities to tombs. Saint days … Read More
Manifested in love
30th Sunday Ordinary Time – A – September 24, 2023 Today, Jesus reveals what faithfulness to God’s law looks like—complete and total love of God, neighbor, and self. Combining love of God (Dt 6:5) with love of one’s neighbor as … Read More
Called to engage
29th Sunday Ordinary Time – A – September 24, 2023 This week, the Pharisees and their own rivals, the Herodians, join forces to get Jesus to publicly implicate himself as anti-Roman, guaranteeing his arrest. However, Jesus leaves everyone amazed with … Read More
Relentless generosity
28th Sunday Ordinary Time – A – September 24, 2023 This Sunday’s parable of the wedding feast is a difficult one to preach. If we take the parable to be an allegory about God (the king) and who gets invited … Read More
What belongs to God
27th Sunday Ordinary Time – A – September 24, 2023 Jesus turns up the heat this week, recounting another parable to confront the chief priests and elders of Jerusalem. Because the lectionary pairs it with Isaiah’s song of the vineyard, … Read More
Who are we to judge
26th Sunday Ordinary Time – A – September 24, 2023 Jesus has finally arrived in Jerusalem, where he predicted he will suffer and die. Now he has overtaken the temple area, the center of commercial, political, and religious life. Amid … Read More
What will there be for us?
25th Sunday Ordinary Time – A – September 24, 2023 The parable of the workers in the vineyard and the generous landowner, found only in Matthew, is addressed first to Jesus’s disciples. In the scene right before it, Peter laments, … Read More
A generous heart
24th Sunday Ordinary Time – A – September 17, 2023 Some struggle with the Ignatian “Prayer for Generosity”: “Lord Jesus, teach me to be generous . . . to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not … Read More
Nothing is lost with God
23rd Sunday Ordinary Time – A – September 10, 2023 There comes a time in almost every relationship when you have to decide if it’s worth fighting for, because if you’re fighting, at least you’re engaging. The end is certain … Read More
The Turning Point
22nd Sunday Ordinary Time – A – September 3, 2023 Today’s Gospel passage is part two of last week’s and is the turning point for Matthew’s entire Gospel. From here on, the way leads directly to Jerusalem and the cross. … Read More
The Hidden Path
21st Sunday Ordinary Time – A – August 27, 2023 Today and the last two Sundays make up a Matthean story arc that begins and ends with parables about separating wheat from weeds and desirable fish from everything else caught … Read More
Great faith and determination
20th Sunday Ordinary Time – A – August 20, 2023 Although the unnamed Canaanite woman says little, it is enough to expand Jesus’s perspective. Matthew’s Gospel was originally written for a Jewish Christian community that was becoming more Gentile in … Read More
The promise given to all God’s children
Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary – A – August 15, 2023 Many paintings and sculptures depict a seated Mary and, on her lap, the child Jesus, no longer an infant at her breast but a man-child … Read More
Weathering the storms
19th Sunday Ordinary Time – A – August 13 2023 It’s natural to jump to the conclusion that Peter’s mistake was losing his focus on Jesus. However, Peter was sunk even before his feet got wet. To test the apparition … Read More
Closer to God
Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord – A – August 6, 2023 In Scripture’s symbolic language, mountains aren’t just places. They are experiences that put us closer to God. Think of Moses going up Mount Sinai to receive the … Read More
The hidden path
17th Sunday Ordinary Time – A – July 30, 2023 Today and the last two Sundays make up a Matthean story arc that begins and ends with parables about separating wheat from weeds and desirable fish from everything else caught … Read More
Increasing and flourishing
16th Sunday Ordinary Time – A – July 23, 2023 Attuned by last week’s commentary to go beyond merely judging the soil, we are ready to avoid a superficial reading of today’s parable that simply pits “us against them” in … Read More
Seeing ourselves in the sower
15th Sunday Ordinary Time – A – July 16, 2023 Most of today’s parable is about the soil. In the longer version, Jesus even gets into the weeds explaining the meaning of each type of ground. Clearly, we are meant … Read More
The measure of true discipleship
14th Sunday Ordinary Time – A – July 9, 2023 Just before Jesus offers his praise of the Father, proclaimed in today’s Gospel, he gives a long reproach of hypocritical and superficial disciples. These range from those who sought John … Read More
All the baptized are apostles
13th Sunday Ordinary Time – A – July 2, 2023 Today’s Gospel passage ends a section on the conditions disciples may face as they do Jesus’s mission in the world. Only those ready to give up everything to follow Jesus … Read More
Do not remain silent
12th Sunday Ordinary Time – A – June 25, 2023 The last time we proclaimed these readings was one month after George Floyd’s murder by police officers. Since that horrific day, many Catholic churches, bishops, and leaders have raised their … Read More
Chosen for the flock
11th Sunday Ordinary Time – A – June 18, 2023 Good teachers work for that moment when they recognize themselves in their students. They spend countless hours trying to be good examples for their apprentices, providing an environment to immerse … Read More
Eat, Drink, Feed
Body and Blood of Christ – A – June 11, 2023 We come to the midpoint of the United States bishops’ two-year Eucharistic Revival, begun last year and culminating in a national eucharistic congress in July 2024. Its purpose is … Read More
In the know
Most Holy Trinity – A – June 4, 2023 If there is one classic Christian meme, it might be “John 3:16.” Like any meme, it takes being “in the know” to get what the meme means (to use another meme, … Read More
Speaking freely
Pentecost Sunday – A – May 28, 2023 Why is there so much focus today on the disciples speaking “in different tongues” (Acts 2:4) and on the crowd hearing them each “in his own language” (Acts 2:6)? Why is this … Read More
Choosing a path
The Ascension of the Lord – May 21, 2023 Today’s Gospel is filled with “in-betweens.” The disciples worshipped and doubted; Jesus stands between heaven and earth; the disciples are ordered to come to this mountain and go to the ends … Read More
Love always comes first
Seventh Sunday of Easter – A – May 21, 2023 When university professors are about to retire, they often give a “last lecture” where they answer the question: “What would you say to your students if you had only one … Read More
Our advocate
Sixth Sunday of Easter – A – May 14, 2023 In his memoir Just Mercy, lawyer and social justice advocate Bryan Stevenson writes about women, men, and children wrongfully sentenced to death, abused in prison, or exploited by a criminal … Read More
Gathering to listen
Fifth Sunday of Easter – A – May 7, 2023 Who says the church doesn’t change? Today’s first reading shows us it can, but it also teaches us how. When conflict arose in the early church, the entire community with … Read More
Who keeps the gate?
Fourth Sunday of Easter – A – April 30, 2023 Did you notice the “gatekeeper” in verse 3 of today’s Gospel? Who is this? We could say it is the Father who is one with Jesus and opens the gate … Read More
“Stay with us”
Third Sunday of Easter – A – April 23, 2023 “The Master was walking with them along the way, and he himself was the way. . . . They were walking along, dead, with Christ alive, they were walking along, … Read More
Grounding our trust in Christ
Second Sunday of Easter – A – April 16, 2023 In Navigating Paul: An Introduction to Key Theological Concepts, Scripture scholar Jouette Bassler explains that the Greek root word pist encompasses more than its English counterpart “belief” implies. It includes … Read More
“Come out!”
Fifth Sunday of Lent – A Unless you have had elect celebrating the scrutinies, the last time your assembly heard this Gospel was at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March of 2020. Since then, we have had over … Read More
Faith seeks reason
Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord The first chapter of Luke’s Gospel gives us back-to-back annunciations with very different outcomes. First is the angel Gabriel’s announcement to Zechariah, which leaves him mute until the day of John’s birth. A … Read More
Not proof, but love
Fourth Sunday of Lent – A Who sinned? Isn’t this the one who used to beg? How were your eyes opened? Where is he? How can a sinful man do such things? What do you have to say about him? … Read More
Holy Ground
Third Sunday of Lent – A We were in Selma, Alabama, to see the Edmund Pettus Bridge and maybe have our flagging hope revived. He stood in our way beside a card table in the sweltering heat. A man of … Read More
Humanity, fully alive
Second Sunday of Lent – A Though long dead, Moses and Elijah, the great liberator and the prophet of the Jewish people, drop in to chat with Jesus, who emanates dazzling light before the disciples’ eyes. Then God’s voice booms … Read More
The commencement of our mission
First Sunday of Lent – A The Spirit leads Jesus into the desert after his baptism to be tested by the devil. This highlights two important aspects of faith. First, recall that one of Lent’s twofold characters is baptismal (see … Read More
Do Look Around
Ash Wednesday – Year A In the 2021 movie “Don’t Look Up,” a news anchor rebuffs his guest astronomers. Apparently, their announcement of a comet on course to destroy the Earth in six months is too depressing for his TV … Read More
Restraint and Generosity
7th Sunday of Ordinary Time – Year A On this last Sunday before Lent, we come to the climax of the “antitheses” in Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount. It is a fitting prelude to the penitential season in preparation for … Read More
Going Further
6th Sunday of Ordinary Time – Year A We come to a section of Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount that scholars call the “antitheses,” marked by the rhetorical pattern, “You have heard that it was said … But I say … Read More
Can we be salt and light?
5th Sunday of Ordinary Time – Year A Following on his underlying teaching of the beatitudes from last week, Jesus says to the crowd and to us this week: You are salt and light meant to glorify God by being … Read More
Who is advocating for those in need?
4th Sunday of Ordinary Time – Year A You’ve seen wall art and throw pillows displaying the word “blessed.” “Grateful and blessed,” “Too blessed to be stressed,” or just plain “Blessed!” It’s good to feel blessed, but that’s not the … Read More
Bonded to Christ’s Mission
3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time – Year A Last week we looked at why you should celebrate the Rite of Reception now so baptized Christians becoming Catholic can be brought to the eucharistic table without delay. In these Ordinary Time … Read More
Deepening the unity
2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time – A With only five and a half weeks before Ash Wednesday, you will want to make sure some important things get done now before you take a quick breather. One of these is receiving … Read More
Starting Over
Fourth Sunday of Advent – Year A Homilists and music ministers will constantly have to fight the human urge to think sequentially and impose a historical lens upon the liturgical year, treating the seasons as a diary of Jesus’s life. … Read More
Looking for others
Third Sunday of Advent – Year A “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” (Mt 11:3). If John the Baptist had doubts about Jesus, what hope is there for us to believe? For … Read More
Enmity is erased
Second Sunday of Advent – Year A The lectionary’s first reading and gospel pairing usually works, but not today. Isaiah’s radical “peaceable kingdom” has been so romanticized in our religious imagination that its eschatological meaning, in light of John the … Read More
Time to Prepare
First Sunday of Advent – Year A In addition to being a time to prepare for Christmas, Advent begins a new liturgical year, inviting us to reflect on the entire Christian journey of faith to its end goal. On the … Read More
We give thanks
Thanksgiving Day It’s fitting we close this basic instruction manual for liturgical music ministry on the day we give thanks as a nation, for giving thanks is the core of what we do as Christians. It is what celebrating the … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving Day (Canada) – Monday, 10 October 2022 Thanksgiving Day (USA) – Thursday, 24 November 2022 Thanksgiving Day (Australia) – Wednesday, 30 November 2022 So many choices. Pick one of these: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9. Ephesians 1:3-14. Colossians 3:12-17. Let Us … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Thirty-Fourth or Last Sunday in Ordinary Time
Thirty-Fourth or Last Sunday in Ordinary Time Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, Solemnity – 20 November 2022 2 Samuel 5:1-3. Psalm 122:1-2, 3-4, 4-5. Colossians 1:12-20. Luke 23:35-43. Who Is This Beloved Son? In today’s gospel, we … Read More
Jesus led from the cross
Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe We’ve explored some basic liturgical music skills, and with consistent attention, you will master these elements. But there’s one skill that will always challenge you. That is to lead as Jesus led … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time – 13 November 2022 and World Day of the Poor Malachi 3:19-20a. Psalm 98:5-6, 7-8, 9. 2 Thessalonians 3:7-12. Luke 21:5-19. Why Should We Care for the Poor? The first and gospel readings are responses … Read More
Understanding sacred silence
33rd Sunday Ordinary Time – C One significant element in both music and liturgy is silence. In musical performance and in ritual prayer, silence is more than the absence of sound or a passive pause in action. It is the … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Feast of The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica
The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica, Feast – Wednesday, 09 November 2022 Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12. Psalm 46:2, 3, 5-6, 8, 9. 1 Corinthians 3:9c-11, 16-17. John 2:13-22. Why Are Churches Important? Today we celebrate the dedication (setting aside for … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time – 06 November 2022 2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14. Psalm 17:1, 5-6, 8, 15. 2 Thessalonians 2:16–3:5. Luke 20:27-38. What Is This Resurrection? The Bible readings have something to say about faithfulness. The brothers Maccabees remain … Read More
The climax of the liturgical year
32nd Sunday Ordinary Time – C My piano teacher taught me that getting the notes right wasn’t enough to make music. I had to keep in mind the musical “line.” Every piece typically begins with a theme, builds it to … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Solemnity of All Saints and the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)
All Saints, Solemnity – Tuesday, 01 November 2022 Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14. Psalm 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6. 1 John 3:1-3. Matthew 5:1-12a. Do We Stand Among the Saints? Saintly, holy behavior is described in the gospel beatitudes today. The Second Letter of … Read More
A solemn litany
All Saints/All Souls The Litany of Saints is not a once-a-year text, but we sometimes think it is because we encounter it most often only at the Easter Vigil. But the Litany of Saints has a rich tradition of being … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time
Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time – 30 October 2022 Wisdom 11:22–12:2. Psalm 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13, 14. 2 Thessalonians 1:11–2:2. Luke 19:1-10. Whom Does Jesus Seek? The short of stature Zacchaeus runs ahead, climbs a tree, and seeks Jesus as … Read More
Presenting the sequences
31st Sunday Ordinary Time – C One way the church highlights the preeminence of the Easter season in the liturgical year is by prescribing two special sung texts called sequences to bookend the season on Easter Sunday and Pentecost Sunday. … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time – 23 October 2022 Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18. Psalm 34:2-3, 17-18, 19, 23. 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18. Luke 18:9-14. Does God Have Favorites? The first reading asserts that while God, indeed, attends to everyone, there is … Read More
The Sacrifice of Praise
30th Sunday Ordinary Time – C In the spirit of progressive solemnity, let’s look at texts that are only sung at the most important days of the liturgical year. These texts do not accompany any ritual action because the singing … Read More
Following “Progressive Solemnity”
29th Sunday Ordinary Time – C Not everything that can be sung should be sung, nor should it be sung the same way every time. We need to follow a principle of “progressive solemnity.” Think of it like musical dynamics … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time – 16 October 2022 Exodus 17:8-13. Psalm 121:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8. 2 Timothy 3:14–4:2. Luke 18:1-8. Is God Slow to Answer Prayer? Moses wearily struggles to keep his hands raised in prayer for the benefit … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time – 09 October 2022 2 Kings 5:14-17. Psalm 98:1, 2-3, 3-4. 2 Timothy 2:8-13. Luke 17:11-19. How Does Faith Save? In the first reading today, Naaman, the foreigner, wants two loads of earth for his … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time – 02 October 2022 Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4. Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9. 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14. Luke 17:5-10. What About Seed and Service? Here are two puzzling teachings for today. One, of mulberry tree and mustard … Read More
What you don’t sing
28th Sunday Ordinary Time – C We’ve focused on what to sing from the Mass ordinary and propers. Let’s take a look at what you don’t sing. This happens mostly in Advent and Lent. For some background, we turn to … Read More
The right thing for the right time
27th Sunday Ordinary Time – C This week, we look at the Mass “propers,” which, as the name suggests, are proper texts for a specific occurrence. In the Roman Missal and the Lectionary, each Mass has specific prayers and texts … Read More
Marking Time
26th Sunday Ordinary Time – C Music ministers are the liturgy’s time-keepers. At the most basic level, making music requires that we “keep time,” establishing pace by the number of beats per minute and dividing beats per measure into rhythms. … Read More
Growing from encounter to encounter
25th Sunday Ordinary Time – C If time is one way we encounter Christ, then that relationship deepens over time even if—perhaps because—we do the same rituals and tell the same stories year after year. It grows because we are … Read More
Becoming an excellent music director
24th Sunday Ordinary Time – C If you want to be an excellent music director, you need to master the Mass’s ritual book, the Roman Missal. Along with the Lectionary, the Roman Missal gives you the structure, rules, and guidelines … Read More
A lens for seeing the liturgical seasons
23rd Sunday Ordinary Time – C Catholics primarily engage the Bible not as individuals but through communal hearing of Scriptures within the assembly on a schedule determined by the liturgical calendar. The Catholic Lectionary organizes three or more biblical passages … Read More
The liturgical calendar is powerful
Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time We often fail to realize how powerful the liturgical calendar is. Beyond determining the day’s Mass, it shapes our Christian faith. When we attend to the liturgical calendar, we are formed by the mystery of … Read More
Three liturgical tools
21st Sunday Ordinary Time – C There are three liturgical tools you need to master to be a competent and credible liturgical music director, especially if you are in charge of choosing music for Mass or other sacraments. We’ll take … Read More
More than just religious words
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Songs for Catholic liturgy need more than just religious words. They need a specific “orientation.” Even when we focus on Mary or the saints, our liturgical orientation is always toward Christ in praise of … Read More
Liturgy is bigger than us
20th Sunday Ordinary Time – C With music and prayer, it’s easy to get defensive about our preferences. The mentor who handed me my first copy of the Vatican II documents knew, however, that those who prepare the assembly’s prayer … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – 31 July 2022 Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23. Psalm 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13. Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11. Luke 12:13-21. About Greed. Family quarrels, regrettably, are often about inheritance, about possessions. That should be mine, we may say. I … Read More
Opening our lives to the stranger
18th Sunday Ordinary Time – C Luke’s Gospel is not kind to the rich. From the first chapter’s warning in Mary’s canticle, the rich and mighty should expect fortunes turned upside-down in God’s reign. However, Jesus does not condemn the … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – 24 July 2022 Genesis 18:20-32. Psalm 138:1-2, 2-3, 6-7, 7-8. Colossians 2:12-14. Luke 11:1-13. About Praying. Abraham is persistent in his pleading with the Lord. And the Lord listens and relents. A disciple asks … Read More
The meaning of prayer
17th Sunday Ordinary Time – C Today’s Gospel passage is bookended by references to the Father in heaven. This gives us an insight into the meaning of prayer, which is less a set of words than it is an expression … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – 17 July 2022 Genesis 18:1-10a. Psalm 15:2-3, 3-4, 5. Colossians 1:24-28. Luke 10:38-42. About Worry and Anxiety. Jesus is invited to a home. Martha bustles about. Mary sits and listens. We do not know … Read More
Hospitality of home and heart
16th Sunday Ordinary Time – C As we reflect on this Sunday’s Gospel, let us avoid putting Martha or Mary into convenient boxes— Martha, the anxious, resentful host; Mary, the attentive but inconsiderate follower. Both are doing the work of … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – 10 July 2022 Deuteronomy 30:10-14. Psalm 69:14, 17, 30-31, 33-34, 36, 37. OR Psalm19:8, 9, 10, 11. Colossians 1:15-20. Luke 10:25-37. About Doing Likewise. Question 1: What must I do to inherit eternal life? … Read More
Can we be neighbors?
15th Sunday Ordinary Time – C Nowhere in today’s Gospel passage does Jesus describe the Samaritan as “good.” Instead, Jesus calls him “neighbor.” Similarly, the priest and the Levite were not judged “bad.” They just weren’t neighborly. Each of us … Read More
Leading music and prayer
19th Sunday Ordinary Time – C If you got into music ministry like I did, no one gave you an instruction manual. Maybe you had some musical training already, but you soon discovered that knowing how to make music didn’t … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – 03 July 2022 Isaiah 66:10-14c. Psalm 66:1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20. Galatians 6:14-18. Luke 10:1-12, 17-20. About Being Disciples. Jesus tells the chosen 72 where to go (ahead of him), what not to take … Read More
The Kingdom of Peace
14th Sunday Ordinary Time – C Our tendency to respond to rejection with force or hostility is strong. Just look at how many Twitter wars and Facebook fights even well-meaning Christians get into. And last week, the disciples would have … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles
Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles, Solemnity – Wednesday, 29 June 2022 At the Vigil Mass: Acts 3:1-10. Psalm 19: 2-3, 4-5. Galatians 1:11-20. John 21:15-19. At Mass during the Day: Acts 12:1-11. Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9. 2 Timothy 4:6-8, … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – 26 June 2022 1 Kings 19:16b, 19-21. Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11. Galatians 5:1, 13-18. Luke 9:51-62. About Our Journey. After his ministry in Galilee, Jesus sets his face for Jerusalem. Many disciples … Read More
We cannot be half-hearted
13th Sunday Ordinary Time – C We suffer at times from “imposter syndrome.” You know—that feeling you aren’t qualified for the job despite evidence of the contrary. It’s often an excuse to avoid the risk of doing something new and … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
Friday after the Second Sunday after Pentecost Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus – Friday, 24 Jun 2022 Ezekiel 34:11-16. Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6. Romans 5:5b-11. Luke 15:3-7. About Sheep and Shepherd. This Sacred Heart is filled … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist
The Nativity of St. John the Baptist, Solemnity – Transferred to Thursday, 23 June 2022 At the Vigil Mass: Jeremiah 1:4-10. Psalm 71:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 15, 17. 1 Peter 1:8-12. Luke 1:5-17. At Mass During the Day: Isaiah 49:1-6. Psalm … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) – 19 June 2022 Genesis 14:18-20. Psalm 110:1, 2, 3, 4. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. Sequence – Lauda Sion / Laud, O Zion. Luke 9:11b-17. About Dining in the … Read More
Being satisfied
Body and Blood of Christ – C If you like coffee like I do, you know what it’s like after going without for a long time and you take that first precious sip. Especially with fine coffee, but even with … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity – 12 June 2022 Proverbs 8:22-31. Psalm 8:4-5, 6-7, 8-9. Romans 5:1-5. John 16:12-15. About the News Story. Here is the gospel declaration, the Good News for today. Who? Father, Son, and Spirit – … Read More
A sign of love and service
Most Holy Trinity – C I learned to pray the liturgy of the hours from a priest at the Catholic campus ministry center where I worked as a college student. He taught us how to navigate the breviary with its … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for Pentecost Sunday
Pentecost Sunday (at the Vigil Mass) – Saturday evening, 04 June 2022 Extended Form 1. Genesis 11:1-9. Psalm 33:10-11, 12-13, 14-15. 2. Exodus 19:3-8a, 16-20b. Psalm: Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56. OR Psalm 19: 8, 9, 10, 11. 3. … Read More
Nothing will ever be the same again
Pentecost Sunday – C Whenever the Holy Spirit is present and active, something changes. In the Eucharist, simple bread and wine are transformed into the body and blood of Christ. With a blessing, ordinary water becomes a font for eternal … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for The Ascension of the Lord
The Ascension of the Lord – [Thursday, 26 May 2022 – only is some places or] Sunday, 29 May 2022 Acts 1:1-11. Psalm 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9. Ephesians 1:17-23. OR Hebrews 9:24-28; 10:19-23. Luke 24:46-53. Befriending God. Saint Luke addresses Theophilus … Read More
The heart of the Eucharist
Seventh Sunday of Easter – C The Easter season invites us to deepen our grasp of the paschal mystery and make it part of our lives. The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults gives us four ways to do this: … Read More
Come and fill our hearts
Pentecost Sunday – C Whenever the Holy Spirit is present and active, something changes. In the Eucharist, simple bread and wine are transformed into the body and blood of Christ. With a blessing, ordinary water becomes a font for eternal … Read More
The slow work of the Spirit
Ascension Sunday – C As a liturgical feast, the Solemnity of the Ascension is primarily the beginning of a nine-day novena in preparation for the Solemnity of Pentecost. (This is clearer in dioceses where Ascension remains on the Thursday of … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Sixth and Seventh Sundays of Easter
PRINTING NOTE: Check with pastor or pastoral administrator about which readings will be used for the Sixth and Seventh/Ascension Sundays of Easter Time in order to choose the appropriate bulletin shorts. The Lectionary for Mass gives this option: When the … Read More
Listen for the Spirit
Sixth Sunday of Easter – C Disagreements in the church are nothing new. Today’s first reading gives us a brief account of one of the first challenges the post-resurrection church faced as it grew beyond Jesus’s immediate circle of disciples. … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Fifth Sunday of Easter
Fifth Sunday of Easter – 15 May 2022 Acts 14:21-27. Psalm 145:8-9, 10-11, 12-13. Revelation 21:1-5a. John 13:31-33a, 34-35. Loving One Another. The gospel today is short and sweet. Glorify God – Jesus does it first and implies we should, … Read More
Let’s be recognized
Fifth Sunday of Easter – C “This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:35). If anyone read through some of our Catholic Facebook groups or Twitter feeds, they … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Fourth Sunday of Easter
Fourth Sunday of Easter – 08 May 2022 Acts 13:14, 43-52. Psalm 100:1-2, 3, 5. Revelation 7:9, 14b-17. John 10:27-30. Hearing the Voice of the Shepherd. Oh, to hear the voice of the One who keeps us safe. The One … Read More
Move forward with hope
Fourth Sunday of Easter – C In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus tries to give the crowd around him some insight into his true identity. But they cannot let go of their preconceived ideas about the Messiah. Even if he can … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Third Sunday of Easter
Third Sunday of Easter – 01 May 2022 Acts 5:27-32, 40b-41. Psalm 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-12, 13. Revelation 5:11-14. John 21-1-19. Serving Breakfast. In this third appearance of the risen Lord to his followers, Jesus prepares breakfast on the shore … Read More
A direct connection
Third Sunday of Easter – C The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults describes the Period of Post-Baptismal Catechesis or Mystagogy as “a time for the community and the neophytes together to grow in deepening their grasp of the paschal … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Second Sunday of Easter
Second Sunday of Easter (or of Divine Mercy) – 24 April 2022 Acts 5:12-16. Psalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24. Revelation 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19. John 20:19-31. Standing in Our Midst. Sometimes we just want proof. The words and witness of others is … Read More
Embrace the Paschal Mystery
Second Sunday of Easter – C Ask a roomful of average Catholics to describe the paschal mystery, and you’ll get some version of “the passion, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus.” This basic definition is certainly true, but what does … Read More
When we bow
Most Holy Trinity – C I learned to pray the liturgy of the hours from a priest at the Catholic campus ministry center where I worked as a college student. He taught us how to navigate the breviary with its … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for Holy Week and Easter
Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion – 10 April 2022 Procession: Luke 19:28-40. Mass: Isaiah 50:4-7. Psalm 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24. Philippians 2:6-11. Luke 22:14–23:56. Reflecting on the Procession. We read and hear the Passion Gospel today. But first, at … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Fifth Sunday of Lent
Fifth Sunday of Lent – 03 April 2022 Year C readings: Isaiah 43:16-21. Psalm 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6. Philippians 3:8-14. John 8:1-11. Reflecting on Shameful Acts. She is caught in adultery. They drag her before Jesus and the crowd, more … Read More
Straining forward
Fifth Sunday of Lent – C Let’s be honest. Many of us who have given our lives to the church are burnt out. We’re done for. Especially for music ministers, these past two years have been brutal. Anyone who has … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Fourth Sunday of Lent
Fourth Sunday of Lent – 27 March 2022 Year A readings: 1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a. Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6. Ephesians 5:8-14. John 9:1-41. Reflecting on Seeing. Since Jesus is the light of the world (look to the … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for The Annunciation of the Lord
The Annunciation of the Lord, Solemnity – Friday, 25 March 2022 Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:10. Psalm 40:7-8, 8-9, 10, 11. Hebrews 10:4-10. Luke 1:26-38. Reflecting on Speaking Angels. This angel speaks to Mary, not in a dream, but in person. What … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Third Sunday of Lent
Third Sunday of Lent – 20 March 2022 The Readings of Year A: When we celebrate the three scrutinies with the elect, the Church requires we use the Lectionary Year A readings. These ancient biblical texts – Woman at … Read More
The road to conversion
Fourth Sunday of Lent – C “Whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Cor 5:17). This Sunday marks a little over two years since the world was … Read More
The Creed enlightens our vision
Third Sunday of Lent – C During the Third Week of Lent, the elect to be initiated into Christ are presented the Creed. Just before the faithful proclaim it to them, the elect are instructed to “listen carefully to the … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Second Sunday of Lent
Second Sunday of Lent – 13 March 2022 Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18. Psalm 27:1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14. Philippians 3:17–4:1. Luke 9:28b-36. Reflecting on Transfiguration. Lent is not an end. It is a necessary transition, as it is every year, to the … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the First Sunday of Lent
First Sunday of Lent – 06 March 2022 Deuteronomy 26:4-10. Psalm 91:1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15. Romans 10:8-13. Luke 4:1-13. Reflecting on Baptism and Temptations. Luke’s gospel recounts that Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit at Jordan’s baptism, is led by … Read More
Observe and imitate
Second Sunday of Lent – C “Join with others in being imitators of me, brothers and sisters, and observe those who thus conduct themselves according to the model you have in us” (Phil 3:17), Saint Paul urges the church at … Read More
The Word of Faith
First Sunday of Lent – C The notes on a page are not the song, the printed rhythms and rests, not the music. No rules of theory or knowledge of music history can be mistaken for the moment a melody … Read More
Authentic Ambassadors
Ash Wednesday – C In baptism, the Spirit makes us ambassadors for Christ. To be an ambassador means we are sent to dwell in unfamiliar environments. Therefore, we are also diplomats committed to working together toward reconciliation through gracious and … Read More
Prepare for the Rite of Sending
8th Sunday Ordinary Time – C Next Sunday, catechumens around the world who are ready for initiation will be sent to the Rite of Election where their bishop will choose them for baptism this Easter. In the United States, the … Read More
The reign of abundance
7th Sunday Ordinary Time – C Luke’s sermon on the plain, begun last week, stretches over three Sundays in the lectionary. Today, Jesus continues teaching about the new kind of community that God’s reign is building. In the old, earthly … Read More
Be aware, be hopeful
6th Sunday Ordinary Time – C At first glance, Luke’s Beatitudes seem to make God’s reign a zero-sum game: if you’re poor now, wait and you’ll be rich in heaven; if you’re filled now, you’ll be hungry soon enough. But … Read More
Don’t miss the boat
5th Sunday Ordinary Time – C To treat today’s Gospel passage as a springboard for a talk on vocations would be to miss the boat, pun intended. The call of Peter, James, and John gives us so much more to … Read More
In line with the prophets
4th Sunday in Ordinary Time – C Today, in part two of last week’s passage, we hear the crowd’s reactions to Jesus’s one-sentence homily on Isaiah’s proclamation: “Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” The amazement of Jesus’s … Read More
Spirit and life
3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time – C Over the last few years, we’ve learned much about the power of words. When spoken aloud, they can heal or destroy, calm or incite, unite or divide. We have begun to understand as … Read More
Unwitnessed miracles
2nd Sunday Ordinary Time – C Today’s Gospel passage is the third “theophany” in the Epiphany triptych, made up of the divine manifestations to the Magi, at the Jordan, and now in Cana. One thread uniting these scenes is that … Read More
Greeted with blessings
Fourth Sunday of Advent – C The Filipino women in my family tend to be short, which makes some people think we are also quiet. But if you ever get invited to our family parties, you will hear us before … Read More
The Story of Guadalupe
Third Sunday Advent – C The temporal and sanctoral cycles of the liturgical calendar for this Sunday this year provide us multiple facets of the mystery of Christ. On the temporal calendar, it is the Third Sunday of Advent, and … Read More
“I Feel Seen”
Immaculate Conception Today’s Gospel passage focuses on the announcement of Jesus’s conception in Mary’s womb. However, today’s solemnity memorializes the church’s teaching that Mary herself was conceived in her mother, Anne’s womb, without original sin, the “happy fault” we inherited … Read More
Upending the System
Second Sunday Advent – C Unlike a chronology in which events unfold linearly, we hear the Sunday lectionary Gospel stories symbolically through the liturgical year. This is so we might recognize our place and connection to the events of salvation … Read More
The Paradox of God’s Reign
First Sunday Advent – C We Christians love a good paradox. At the start of each liturgical year, we begin with the end. While the world soothes us with serene Christmas images, the First Sunday of Advent warns us of … Read More
Gifts from God
Thanksgiving Day Although Advent begins next Sunday, the commercialized Christmas season epitomized by Black Friday sales and Cyber Monday deals has already started. This time of heightened buying and selling is a good foil for understanding how Christians are called … Read More
Why is a king from heaven different?
Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe We move from Mark’s Gospel to John’s on this final Sunday of the liturgical year. The question of kingship is Pilate’s focus in John’s narrative of the passion. But those with faith … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Thirty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Thirty-Fourth or Last Sunday in Ordinary Time Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, Solemnity – 21 November 2021 Daniel 7:13-14. Psalm 93:1, 1-2, 5. Revelation 1:5-8. John 18:33b-37. Alpha and Omega. Go look at the parish Easter Candle … Read More
Where will you see God’s glory?
33rd Sunday Ordinary Time Didn’t 2020 feel a bit like the apocalypse? The end of days described in today’s Gospel seems to represent that dumpster fire of a year. The tribulations of pandemic, racial injustice, sexism, political unrest, poverty, and … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time – 14 November 2021 Daniel 12:1-3. Psalm 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11. Hebrews 10:11-14, 18. Mark 13:24-32. and World Day of the Poor Is the End-Time Coming? The liturgical year of 2021 ends in 14 days. … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica
The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica, Feast – Tuesday, 09 November 2021 Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12. Psalm 46:2, 3, 5-6, 8, 9. 1 Corinthians 3:9c-11, 16-17. John 2:13-22. The Pope’s Cathedral Church. In this celebration of the Church for the … Read More
In line with Christ
32nd Sunday Ordinary Time Today’s Gospel paired with the story of the destitute widow who showed hospitality to Elijah highlights God’s care for the poor and the total trust they have in God. But there’s a more difficult message in … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time – 07 November 2021 1 Kings 17:10-16. Psalm 146:7, 8-9, 9-10. Hebrews 9:24-28. Mark 12:38-44. What Bothers Jesus. False piety and arrogant behavior are two things that bother Jesus in today’s gospel. He applauds, instead, … Read More
Imperfect lives
All Saints/All Souls [Content warning: sexual abuse] When an abuse scandal happens in which the abuser is an artist—a filmmaker, painter, writer, or composer—there is often the question of what to do with that person’s work. Toss it or, as … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Solemnity of All Saints and The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)
All Saints, Solemnity – Monday, 01 November 2021 Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14. Psalm 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6. 1 John 3:1-3. Matthew 5:1-12a. Nine Times Blessed. All the saints, those named as such and those many more known now by name only to … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time
Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time – 31 October 2021 Deuteronomy 6:2-6. Psalm 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51. Hebrews 7:23-28. Mark12:28b-34. What Matters the Most to God? The answer is simple: love God and love your neighbor as yourself. The practice is … Read More
Jesus is calling you
30th Sunday Ordinary Time The disciples on the road with Jesus, eyewitnesses to his miracles and privileged recipients of his teaching, should have been looking for Bartimaeus, but they were too focused on themselves and their own concerns. They didn’t … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time – 24 October 2021 Jeremiah 31:7-9. Psalm 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6. Hebrews 5:1-6. Mark 10:46-52. Enlightened Sight. The blind man will not be silenced today. Insistently he calls on Jesus by name. He asks for … Read More
No-turning-back moments
29th Sunday Ordinary Time On the way to Jerusalem, between two healings of blind men (in chapters 8 and 10), Mark repeats this pattern three times: Jesus reveals his destiny; the disciples misunderstand what that means; Jesus reorients them to … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time – 17 October 2021 Isaiah 53:10-11. Psalm 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22. Hebrews 4:14-16. Mark 10:35-45. What Do You Wish? We go to Jesus all the time, asking, pleading, wanting. We ask to be healthy; we … Read More
Called into relationship
28th Sunday Ordinary Time It can be comforting to treat today’s Gospel as another of Jesus’s hyperboles about the call to discipleship. However, we should not avoid its truth. The man in the Gospel seeking eternal life had observed all … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time – 10 October 2021 Wisdom 7:7-11. Psalm 90:12-13, 14-15, 16-17. Hebrews 4:12-13. Mark 10:17-30. Living for Eternal Life. Let us put ourselves into the gospel story today. All of us want to “inherit eternal life.” … Read More
God does not want us to be alone
27th Sunday Ordinary Time There is no getting around it. Today’s Gospel will hurt. Let us acknowledge that pain and admit there are no simple answers when families struggle with divorce. The lectionary allows a shorter version of today’s Gospel … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time – 03 October 2021 Genesis 2:18-24. Psalm 128:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6. Hebrews 2:9-11. Mark 10:2-16. Making, Testing, and Deciding. There are at least three take-aways from the readings today. In the making of man and … Read More
Avoiding “small-minded” discipleship
26th Sunday Ordinary Time Today, Jesus’s disciples complain about an outsider driving out demons, something they had failed at earlier in the chapter. But their complaint is not that this person was healing or does so in Jesus’s name. They … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time – 26 September 2021 Numbers 11:25-29. Psalm 19:8, 10, 12-13, 14. James 5:1-6. Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48. The More the Merrier. Who cares if other Christians are also doing the good things that Catholics do? … Read More
A shift in focus
25th Sunday Ordinary Time To get the full irony of the disciples’ argument today—who among them was the greatest—we need to know what happened in the section before and what we’ll hear in the following section of Mark’s ninth chapter. … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time – 19 September 2021 Wisdom 2:12, 17-20. Psalm 54:3-4, 5, 6-8. James 3:16–4:31. Mark 9:30-37. “I’m Better Than You.” Our lives are filled with all manner of put down, one upmanship, top dog behavior. When … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for The Exaltation of the Holy Cross
The Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Feast – Tuesday, 14 September 2021 Numbers 21:4b-9. Psalm 78:1-2, 34-35, 36-37, 38. Philippians 2:6-11. John 3:13-17. The Cross of Christ. We say: “We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by … Read More
At the Crossroads
24th Sunday Ordinary Time Today’s Gospel reading is the turning point in Mark’s narrative, where we hear for the first time since Mark 1:1 Jesus referred to as “Christ” and the cost of following him. From now on, Jesus’s road … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time – 12 September 2021 Isaiah 50:4c-9a. Psalm 116:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9. James 2:14-18. Mark 8:27-35. Deny. Take. Follow. On the long journey to Jerusalem, Jesus clarifies that following the Christ (Peter’s response to Who am … Read More
Messy but Life-Changing
23rd Sunday Ordinary Time “Be opened,” Jesus says to the man who was deaf and mute. But be opened to what? First, be opened to fullness of life. The man’s inability to hear or speak cut him off from the … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time – 05 September 2021 Isaiah 35:4-7a. Psalm 146:7, 8-9, 9-10. James 2:1-5. Mark 7:31-37. Be Opened! Jesus heals a deaf and mute man today who immediately speaks plainly. Before the Baptism of adults and after … Read More
True Observance
22nd Sunday Ordinary Time – B In Ordinary Time, the second reading usually does not relate to the other readings since it is semi-continuous, proclaimed from one chapter to the next over a course of weeks. On this Sunday, however, … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time – 29 August 2021 Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8. Psalm 15:2-3, 3-4, 4-5. James 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27. Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23. Call to Holiness. Sometimes law and custom can be so onerous, so heavy that we can … Read More
A tedious mission?
21st Sunday Ordinary Time – B Five Sundays ago, the crowd wanted to make Jesus king. Now, most of those who have stayed through his long sermon about bread from heaven and eating and drinking his own flesh and blood … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time
Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time – 22 August 2021 Joshua 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b. Psalm 34:2-3, 16-17, 18-19, 20-21. Ephesians 5:21-32. John 6:60-69. One Last Bread of Life Story. The gospel today is filled with doubt, murmuring, shock, and disbelief. So … Read More
Hope of Change
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary – B Virgin Mother, Bride of Christ, Mother of God—these are rich, profound, true titles for Mary. But the Magnificat gives us another, one just as true and deep. [T]he root of the name … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Solemnity – 15 August 2021 At the Vigil Mass on Saturday evening 1 Chronicles 15:3-4, 15-16; 16:1-2. Psalm 132:6-7, 9-10, 13-14. 1 Corinthians 15:54b-57. Luke 11:27-28. Mass during the Day Revelation 11:19a; 12:1-6a, … Read More
Allowing Space
19th Sunday Ordinary Time – B A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing. The knowledge itself is not dangerous—we should always strive to grow in knowledge—but relying on our knowledge alone is. That’s how today’s Gospel begins, with … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – 08 August 2021 1 Kings 19:4-8. Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9. Ephesians 4:30–5:2. John 6:41-51. “Stop Murmuring.” Elijah is running for his life from King Ahab and Jezebel because he told the truth. He … Read More
Upending the table
18th Sunday Ordinary Time – B In today’s revelation of Jesus’s true identity, the crowd (who stands in for us) misses the boat entirely. They keep asking Jesus the wrong questions: When did you get here? What can we do? … Read More
Beyond bread and wine
17th Sunday Ordinary Time – B Today we shift to John’s Gospel for a series of Sunday reflections on the bread of life. We will hear these passages as eucharistic, leading us perhaps to focus primarily on Communion. However, John … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – 01 August 2021 Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15. Psalm 78:3-4, 23-24, 25, 54. Ephesians 4:17, 20-24. John 6:24-35. More Than Manna, More Than Bread and Fish. During the Exodus, the Lord rained down bread (manna) each … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for The Transfiguration of the Lord
The Transfiguration of the Lord, Feast – Friday, 06 August 2021 Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14. Psalm 97:1-2, 5-6, 9. 2 Peter 1:16-19. Mark 9:2-10. Whiter Than White. Filled with light. Dazzling clothes. Jesus stands before them prefiguring resurrected life. Peter says, … Read More
Choosing your shepherd
16th Sunday Ordinary Time – B Last week Jesus sent out the disciples two by two on mission, and today they return with news of everything they did. But the Sunday lectionary omits an important subplot that takes place between … Read More
We need one another
15th Sunday Ordinary of Time – Year B Sensible shoes. That was the running joke growing up when fewer religious women were wearing habits. You could tell the sisters by their sensible shoes. There’s a bit of theological truth to … Read More
Faithful hearts
14th Sunday in Ordinary Time – B If we’re in this for fame and glory, then today’s Gospel should set us straight. Earlier in Jesus’s ministry, his family tried an intervention because “he is out of his mind” (Mark 3:21). … Read More
The whole truth
13th Sunday Ordinary Time – B What if we told the whole truth in our preaching, our praying, and our singing? The truth that, in our society, those with status and power can come forward publicly to plead for help, … Read More
To the end
12th Sunday Ordinary Time – B “Let us cross to the other side,” Jesus says to his disciples after a long day of teaching the crowds. This wasn’t just for a change of scenery. They were crossing the border into … Read More
God’s reign is wild
The 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time – B Around the corner from where I live is a farm right in the middle of the city. I know spring has come when everything from cars to sidewalks is coated in yellow … Read More
The mystery of a meal
Body and Blood of Christ – B We spend a lot of time explaining the Eucharist so that those who come to Communion understand what they are receiving. Sacramental law requires that one must have “sufficient knowledge and careful preparation … Read More
Christ our compass
Most Holy Trinity – B In five short verses, the conclusion of Matthew’s Gospel outlines the spectrum of the disciples’ experience so far. Amid the extremes of fidelity and betrayal, worship and doubt, Jesus stands like a center mark fixed … Read More
The Spirit of Truth will not be silenced
Pentecost Sunday – B Last year on Pentecost, protests broke out in Minneapolis and around the world in response to the torturous eight minute and 46 second recorded murder of George Floyd by a police officer. We all heard the … Read More
The Spirit’s Driving Wind
Ascension Sunday – B Today’s Gospel passage was not Mark’s original ending. That may have been lost, or the evangelist may have indeed intended to end at verse 8 with the disciples fleeing the empty tomb in fear and remaining … Read More
We are made holy
Seventh Sunday of Easter – B It’s not unusual to hear some version of “I come to Mass to get away from the world for one hour.” It comes sometimes as homiletic critique: “We shouldn’t be hearing about politics or … Read More
Love, plain and simple
Sixth Sunday of Easter – B Anne Lamott’s priest friend Tom told her, “You can safely assume you’ve created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do” (Bird by Bird, … Read More
Let us cling to the Vine
Fifth Sunday of Easter – B Today we hear Jesus’s last I AM statement in John’s Gospel: “I am the true vine.” As with last week’s Christological statement, we can fall into the trap of mishearing today’s Gospel as a … Read More
Shepherd to whom?
Fourth Sunday of Easter – B When we hear Jesus say, “I am the good shepherd,” it’s tempting to wander off into bucolic bliss. If we do that, we’re missing the radical point of this I AM statement. The startling … Read More
You are witnesses
Third Sunday of Easter – B Today’s Gospel passage ends with Jesus saying to his disciples (and to us), “You are witnesses of these things.” This is not a hope or desire. It’s not a premonition or an invitation. It … Read More
Resurrection does not erase suffering
Second Sunday of Easter – B On my travels, I often receive many requests from concerned parents asking me to pray for one or more of their children who have lost faith. Their sadness is tangible and free of anger … Read More
The Lord in their midst
Fifth Sunday of Lent – B “We would like to see Jesus.” That is the opening request given to the disciples in today’s Gospel by those from the outside of Jesus’s circle of followers. Throughout John’s Gospel, to see and … Read More
Faith is not a neutral act
Fourth Sunday of Lent – B From the beginning of this Lenten cycle of readings, we have heard a consistent message: faith in Jesus will convict us. Set against the Gospels we have heard this Lent, faith can no longer … Read More
Structures and Systems
Third Sunday of Lent – B The temple cleansing is found in all four Gospels. However, John puts this scene right after Jesus’s miracle at Cana at the start of his ministry. In the synoptics, it takes place at the … Read More
No transfiguration without the cross
Second Sunday of Lent – B The Transfiguration scene midway through Mark’s Gospel is the climactic crossroads where we must choose between staying in Galilee or going with Jesus to death in Jerusalem. In the previous chapter, Peter recognized Jesus’s … Read More
A Communal Effort
First Sunday of Lent – B We can get overly focused on individual sin and personal salvation during Lent. Yet one of the biggest lessons learned from last year’s Lent is that our well-being is intimately tied to the well-being … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time – 14 February 2021 Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46. Psalm 32:1-2, 5, 11. 1 Corinthians 10:31–11:1. Mark 1:40-45. Making Clean. Jesus was not afraid to touch the untouchable leper today. Jesus was unafraid to be cleaning and … Read More
Freed from sin
6th Sunday Ordinary Time This last Sunday before Lent ends the section of Mark’s Gospel in which Jesus’s healing ministry will soon take a turn. Instead of joining the crowd’s amazement in his curing of the sick, the scribes in … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time – 07 February 2021 Job 7:1-4, 6-7. Psalm 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6. 1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23. Mark 1:29-39. Pursuing Jesus. After curing Simon’s mother-in-law, Jesus, standing at the door, is teaching, healing, and casting out demons. … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
The Presentation of the Lord, Feast – Monday, 02 February 2021 Malachi 3:1-4. Psalm 24:7, 8, 9, 10. Hebrews 2:14-18. Luke 2:22-40. Waiting for That Day. In the simple act of bringing the eight-day old Jesus to the temple, Mary … Read More
Exploring the Anointing of the Sick
5th Sunday Ordinary Time Today’s set of readings, including the psalm, gives us an opportunity to explore the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. (The World Day of the Sick, February 11 each year, occurs later this week also.) … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time – 31 January 2021 Deuteronomy 18:15-20. Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 7-9. 1 Corinthians 7:32-35. Mark 1:21-28. Teaching with Authority. Jesus begins his ministry with us this liturgical year doing two things. He is teaching with authority … Read More
Teach with true Christ-like authority
4th Sunday Ordinary Time As a baby liturgist, I was in awe of those who could rattle off quick answers to whatever liturgical challenge you threw at them. They sounded so authoritative, especially when they cited the exact paragraph number … Read More
Be humble, walk together
3rd Sunday Ordinary Time Today is the first Sunday we hear from Mark’s Gospel, which will be our focus this Lectionary year. Mark’s tone and pace are unique. Details are sparse. Dialogues are quick. Jesus is always on the move. … Read More
“What are you looking for?”
2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time Today is an appropriate day to celebrate the Rite of Acceptance, which is the first public rite for unbaptized adults (and children of catechetical age) at the beginning of their formation in the Christian way … Read More
Wherever God’s people dwell
Fourth Sunday of Advent From the moment you enter its plaza and step through the main doors of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, you are surrounded by both religious and secular, Catholic and indigenous … Read More
A hard truth about being the true Church
Third Sunday of Advent “[T]he liturgy . . . is the outstanding means whereby the faithful may express in their lives, and manifest to others, the mystery of Christ and the real nature of the true Church” (“Constitution on the … Read More
Precious and Known
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Today’s solemnity celebrates the church’s teaching that from the moment of her conception, God favored Mary with the fullness of grace that she may be a fitting mother to the … Read More
Why communion ministers serve — a guide for trainers
One of my very first jobs as a liturgical leader was to train communion ministers. I was a college student in southern Missouri, and the local bishop had given permission for our Catholic student center to have lay communion ministers … Read More
What to say
Second Sunday of Advent One of the most important tools music ministers and presiders use is our voice. We warm up and strengthen our voices with vocal exercises. We practice out loud the prayers and readings and spend hours crafting … Read More
A Thanksgiving Prayer in Time of Pandemic
Click here to download this prayer in English as a PDF file. Haga clic aquí para ver la oración bilingüe en PDF. On this Thanksgiving Day like no other, even now, O God, your name is worthy to be … Read More
The Potter’s Wheel
First Sunday of Advent The start of a new liturgical year can lull us into a cyclical coma. Another First Sunday of Advent, Year B? Great! Guess we can do the same music from our 2017 planner. Copy and paste … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
Thirty-Fourth or Last Sunday in Ordinary Time – 22 November 2020 Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, Solemnity Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17. Psalm 23:1-2, 2-3, 5-6. 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28. Matthew 25:31-46. Six Grows to Nine. We get … Read More
Five roadblocks to better preaching
If you are a homilist, you know what it is like to look out at the assembly on Sunday and see a sluggish, disengaged assembly. Most people may not even be looking at you. And those who are, are staring … Read More
Do not retreat from the world
Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe On this last Sunday of the liturgical year, we proclaim what Pope Francis calls the “Great Criterion” (“Gaudete et Exsultate,” 95) from Matthew’s Gospel. True discipleship is not an ideology or piety … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time – 15 November 2020 and World Day of the Poor Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31. Psalm 128:1-2, 3, 4-5. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6. Matthew 25:14-30. Talents Given, Talents Returned. One more Kingdom of Heaven parable today. God … Read More
Train your lectors in this one most effective skill
Every year on the Third Sunday of Advent, I brace myself for disappointment. This day is called Gaudete Sunday, which means Rejoice Sunday. Every year, the readings emphasize rejoicing. And my favorite reading is from Year C, Philippians 4:47. It begins: … Read More
Lifting up the gifts and talents of the community
Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time I have a five-year-old nephew whose parents are both music ministers. Even before he was born, Jake was hearing music at Mass every week. Once he began interacting with us, I could tell he was … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica
The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica, Feast – Monday, 09 November 2020 Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12. Psalm 46:2, 3, 506, 8, 9. 1 Corinthians 3:9c-11, 16-17. John 2:13-22. Church Buildings and the Church. We hold in honor today the cathedral … Read More
Eight ways parishes can engage visitors during the pandemic
This is a crisis of hospitality in Catholic parishes in the United States. The share of Americans who are Catholic declined from 24% in 2007 to 21% in 2014, according to the Pew Research Center. This is a greater net … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time – 08 November 2020 Wisdom 6:12-16. Psalm 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. Matthew 25:1-13. Being with Jesus – or Not. The parable today of the ten lamp bearers is about vigilance. Not an … Read More
Look ahead to prepare
Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Like the five wise virgins, the best music directors are prepared and always looking ahead. Here are some ideas to make sure your lamps burn bright all year long. Get your personal liturgical calendar ready. … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)
The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls) – Monday, 02 November 2020 There are 31 possible Bible texts; check with the parish for the ones to be used. The Dead Matter. It is a good and holy … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Solemnity of All Saints
All Saints, Solemnity – Sunday, 01 November 2020 Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14. Psalm 24:1bc-2, 3-4ab, 5-6. 1 John 3:1-3. Matthew 5:1-12a. Saints Next Door. It can be easy to view the beatitudes as impossible goals for Kingdom of Heaven living. But … Read More
How to prepare the Liturgy of the Hours: Adapt the structure for cathedral style
If you’re like most music and liturgy coordinators, you’re working with a community that does not already have a regular practice of praying the Liturgy of the Hours together publicly. If this is your situation and you’re given the responsibility … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time – 25 October 2020 Exodus 22:20-26. Psalm 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51. 1 Thessalonians 1:5c-10. Matthew 22:34-40. Love God, Neighbor, Self. There are 613 Old Testament laws guiding faithful behavior. The Exodus writer tells us some: … Read More
Teaching Mourners the Language of Witness: How to Transform the Funeral Eulogy
As a liturgist, I believe it when the Order of Christian Funerals (OCF) says eulogies are not allowed. But when I die, I plan to have lots of stories told about me at my funeral. When it comes to eulogies, … Read More
More than just being kind
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time With Advent a month away, I remember last year an “Advent of Kindness” calendar on social media. I thought it was a nice idea. Each day suggested an act of kindness to do for Advent: … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time – 18 October 2020 Isaiah 45:1, 4-6. Psalm 96:1, 3, 4-5, 7-8, 9-10. 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5b. Matthew 22:15-21. The Things of God. We often encounter those who set traps for us. They speak in … Read More
Writing invocations for the Penitential Act, Form C
The Penitential Act has three forms: the Confiteor, a brief dialogue, or three invocations which are each followed by the assembly’s response of “Lord/Christ, have mercy” or “Kyrie/Christe, eleison.” We will focus on this third form. In the Roman Missal, … Read More
The Penitential Act
Say “penitential” and most people think of sin and an “I’m not worthy” attitude. Yet, the Penitential Act isn’t really penitential in that way. The Penitential Act and the Kyrie are primarily confessions of faith. Having gathered together to become … Read More
Your Christian responsibility
Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time I might lose some readers on this one, but it needs to be said. If you have been given the privilege and duty to vote in a local or national election, it is part of … Read More
Prayers for the upcoming election
Here are some intercessions for the upcoming elections that you can adapt for use in your Sunday and weekday Masses and in your own personal prayers. You can also click on any of the images above, then right-click to save … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time – 11 October 2020 Isaiah 25:6-10a. Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6. Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20. Matthew 22:1-14. Don’t Kill the Messenger. We have another Kingdom of God/Heaven parable today. It is about being gracious and prepared. … Read More
Our call to holiness
All Saints / All Souls With All Saints on Sunday this year, it’s the perfect opportunity to highlight today and tomorrow’s Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed with even more solemnity than usual. First, read or reread Pope Francis’s apostolic … Read More
Preparing for the feast
Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time God’s guest list to the heavenly banquet includes those you expect as well as some surprising characters. Every guest, however, should come prepared with the proper intentions, attitudes, and dispositions for the feast. The point … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time – 04 October 2020 Isaiah 5:1-7. Psalm 80:9, 12, 13-14, 15-16, 19-20. Philippians 4:6-9. Matthew 21:33-43. Belonging in the Kingdom of God. Although the parable today is about who properly oversees the work of the Kingdom … Read More
Blessing of Animals
Parishes often use the Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi (October 4) as a day to bless animals. The Church says that “according to the providence of the Creator, many animals have a certain role to play in human existence … Read More
How the liturgy teaches us what is most needed today
In a previous post, we began discussing what the new Directory for Catechesis says about our ministry as liturgical minsters. The directory tells us that we have to be witnesses to the mystery of Jesus Christ and lead others to … Read More
More than just singing the right notes
Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time The United States bishops wrote: “Charity, justice, and evangelization are thus the normal consequences of liturgical celebration.” They also said that the assembly’s singing shapes how they live their faith beyond the liturgy: “Particularly inspired … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time – 27 September 2020 Ezekiel 18:25-28. Psalm 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9. Philippians 2:1-11. Matthew 21:28-32. I Don’t Want To! Sometimes we bristle at being told what to do. We may say a yes or a no, … Read More
From word to action
Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time As music ministers and presiders, one of the main ways we express our faith in prayer is through words. Today’s Gospel, however, reminds us that words alone are not enough. Our actions reflecting our understanding … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time – 20 September 2020 Isaiah 55:6-9. Psalm 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18. Philippians 1:20c-24, 27a. Matthew 20:1-16a. How Things Work in the Kingdom of Heaven. This parable about kingdom living may rile us up. God is as … Read More
What the new Directory for Catechesis says about our ministry as liturgical ministers
The new Directory for Catechesis says some things that should interest liturgists and liturgy planners. For example, it says that all catechesis should be “inspired by the catechumenal model” (2). However, that does not mean that catechesis is supposed to … Read More
Priority Status
Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time I’m usually happy to let the last be first and the first go last. But take away one of my hard-earned travel perks that come with my airline’s priority status, and I become a raving … Read More
Forgiving readily
Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time One interesting part of traveling to different areas of the country is hearing the variety of speeds assemblies pray the Lord’s Prayer. (Only a liturgist would notice this!) One thing is the same almost everywhere: … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
The Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Feast –Monday, 14 September 2020 Numbers 21:4b-9. Psalm 78:1-2, 34-35, 36-37, 38. Philippians 2:6-11. John 3:13-17. The Cross. Not long ago, on 30 August to be exact, we were told by Jesus to take … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time – 13 September 2020 Sirach 27:30–28:7. Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12. Romans 14:7-9. Matthew 18:21-35. Seventy-Seven Times. When is enough enough? Can we be angry now? When can we stop forgiving? If we have to … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time – 06 September 2020 Ezekiel 33:7-9. Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9. Romans 13:8-10. Matthew 18:15-20. Christ Is Present. The readings today lay out our duty to dissuade the wicked from their ways (Ezekiel); to not harden … Read More
Liturgical adaptations during the pandemic
Q. I have two questions about liturgy during the pandemic. The first is about communion from the cup. Our parish has always offered both the body and blood of Christ to the assembly. Now, for safety reasons, we are considering … Read More
Polarization or dialogue?
Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time “Will the Catholic Church in the United States enter the new millennium as a church of promise? . . . Or will it become a church on the defensive, torn by dissension?” asked Cardinal Joseph … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time – 30 August 2020 Jeremiah 20:7-9. Psalm 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9. Romans 12:1-2. Matthew 16:21-27. Overcoming Obstacles. Jeremiah complains that because of the compelling presence of God within, he cannot not speak God’s message. Paul … Read More
The trembling beauty of Christ
22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time—A Today’s passage from Matthew is a turning point. It is the first time Jesus reveals the cost of discipleship. From now on, the focus will be on that cross until it becomes the way of … Read More
The four dangers of weak liturgy
Liturgy is weak when it is treated as a production — a show that has producers and consumers. The producers of a movie or a television show create something for an audience to watch. It is not uncommon to find … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time
Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time – 23 August 2020 Isaiah 22:19-23. Psalm 138:1-2, 2-3, 6, 8. Romans 11:33-36. Matthew 16:13-20. My Experience. Jesus asks today: Who am I? Peter blurts out: The Christ. In that response, he means the Messiah, … Read More
“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
21st Sunday in Ordinary Time—A As Catholics aligned with Peter, we know the answer to Jesus’s second question: “Who do you say that I am?” However, perhaps the more pressing question today is his first: “Who do people say that … Read More
Why does good liturgy matter?
There is a healthy spirit of American pride that tells us whatever we have should be the best we can manage or afford. We like to think of our own mother as the best cook in the neighborhood. Or our … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time – 16 August 2020 Isaiah 56:1, 6-7. Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8. Romans 11:13-15, 29-32. Matthew 15:21-28. Kyrie, Eleison. Isaiah reminds us today, in our time of trouble: Observe what is right, do what is … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Solemnity – Saturday, 15 August 2020 At the Vigil Mass on Friday 1 Chronicles 15:3-4, 15-16; 16:1-2. Psalm 132:6-7, 9-10, 13-14. 1 Corinthians 15:54b-57. Luke 11:27-28. Mass during the Day Revelation 11:19a; 12:1-6a, … Read More
We will need courage for parishes of the future
Way back before the pandemic, when we could still gather for liturgy, I was visiting a parish I had never been to before. The liturgy itself was dull and uninspired. The church was only half full, even though there were … Read More
Who has a right to God’s mercy and salvation?
20th Sunday in Ordinary Time—A Our churches are blessedly becoming more diverse as our neighborhoods continue to receive people from every race, language, and culture. But this has not come without challenges. Some parishioners have had to let go of … Read More
Glory in the goodness of God
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary—A “From this day all generations will call me blessed” (Lk 1:48). I’ve always had a hard time praying that line in the Magnificat. Isn’t Mary, meek and humble, being a bit boastful here? So … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – 09 August 2020 1 Kings 19:9a, 11-13a. Psalm 85:9, 10, 11-12, 13-14. Romans 9:1-5. Matthew 14:22-33. Jesus Shows Us God. In his time of trail, Elijah is looking for the Lord to save him. … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Transfiguration of the Lord
The Transfiguration of the Lord, Feast – Thursday, 06 August 2020 Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14. Psalm 97:1-2, 5-6, 9. 2 Peter 1:16-19. Matthew 17:1-9. Being Transformed. A truth of the Paschal Mystery (the dying and rising of Jesus the Christ) is … Read More
Turn to Christ, and follow
19th Sunday in Ordinary Time—A In Matthew, Mark, and John, Jesus’s miracles of feeding the multitude and walking on water are connected because both concern the disciple’s need to trust completely in him. In the first, we are called to … Read More
How to critically read blog posts and magazine articles about liturgy
The other day, someone asked me, “How do they know that the Bible is the most-read book in history?” “Who’s ‘they?’” I asked. “Everyone. I read it in a magazine article just the other day.” “What magazine?” I asked. It … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – 02 August 2020 Isaiah 55:1-3. Psalm 145:8-9, 15-16, 17-18. Romans 8:35, 37-39. Matthew 14:13-21. Nothing Can Separate Us! The first reading speaks of comfort foods. The second declares nothing can separate us from the … Read More
Liturgical principles to guide your planning
We tend to forget that there is no one single description of the Last Supper. St. Paul is the first of the New Testament writers to describe what happened, and he wasn’t even there. St. John is the last to … Read More
Offer your powerlessness to Jesus
18th Sunday in Ordinary Time—A Time and again, all over the United States, have I been refused food by the big house on the hill; and always have I received food from the little shack down by the creek or … Read More
Live in closeness
17th Sunday in Ordinary Time—A I’ve just listened to a podcast geared toward millennials (I’m not one) that teaches them life skills. Today’s episode was on how to study. In college, my study habits involved the usual mix of rereading, … Read More
Never lose hope
16th Sunday in Ordinary Time—A The church would be a great place if it weren’t for some of the people! Am I right? We can chuckle until we weep because of the truth in that thought. The continuing revelations of … Read More
How to help your priest or deacon improve his homilies
You might think you don’t have much influence on the homilies at your parish. But think again. One important principle from Vatican II was that all the faithful, by reason of their baptism, have the right and duty to participate … Read More
The purpose of the parts of the Mass we sing
One of the tragedies of the COVID-19 pandemic is that it prevented us from singing the liturgy. When we were all sheltering in place and only a cantor and a keyboard player were performing for streamed Masses, there was a … Read More
Liturgical flow: the missing piece to compelling liturgy (part 3)
Do you remember the last time you watched a movie that seemed to just plod along? Maybe you stuck it out to the end or maybe you gave up half way through. Contrast that with the last good movie you … Read More
Co-labor with God
15th Sunday in Ordinary Time—A Unlike human speech, God means what God says every time. In Hebrew, God’s word is dabar, a “word event.” God’s word happens and matters. More than that, in Christ, God’s Word becomes matter, a visible … Read More
Power and Meekness
14th Sunday in Ordinary Time—A “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened” (Mt 11:28). Maybe because it’s the Fourth of July weekend, I cannot help but hear within Jesus’s words still another invitation to the weary and … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus – Friday, 19 June 2020 Deuteronomy 7:6-11. Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 6, 8, 10. 1 John 4:7-16. Matthew 11:25-30. “Come to Me.” Jesus says to each of us and all of us today: … Read More
Liturgical flow: the missing piece to compelling Liturgy (part 2)
When a liturgy goes completely off the rails, we know what needs to be fixed. If the musicians are poorly trained, the lectors are lackluster, or the preaching is subpar, we know where to focus our energy. But sometimes all … Read More
Hospitality in our homes
13th Sunday in Ordinary Time—A Airbnb has renewed my faith in the kindness of strangers. Through this service, where ordinary folks open their homes to travelers, I have received some of the most gracious welcomes far from home. One exemplary … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time – 21 June 2020 Jeremiah 20:10-13. Psalm 69:8-10, 14, 17, 33-35. Romans 5:12-15. Matthew 10:26-33. “Do Not Be Afraid.” Who would count every single hair on our heads? God, who knows us better than we … Read More
A Prayer When One Cannot Receive Communion
Click to download as a PDF Click to download as a PDF More resources from GIA Publications, Inc., for worship and teaching at home
Bulletin Shorts for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi)
Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) – 14 June 2020 Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14b-16a. Psalm 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20. 1 Corinthians 10:16-17. Sequence – Lauda Sion / Laud, O Zion. John 6:51-58. Bread and Wine; Flesh … Read More
The fear of the Lord emboldens our hearts
12th Sunday in Ordinary Time—A I know nothing of what it is like to bear the responsibility and privilege of preaching the homily Sunday after Sunday, to carry the weight of a community’s hopes that they might hear a word … Read More
Liturgical flow: the missing piece to compelling liturgy (part 1)
Have you ever been to a liturgy where everything was going fine, but something didn’t feel quite right? The liturgical ministers were competent, the music sung well, even the preaching was pretty good. Everyone did his or her part, and … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity – 07 June 2020 Exodus 34:4b-6, 8-9. Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55. 2 Corinthians 13:11-13. John 3:16-18. Come Along with Us. Moses’ prayer on Mount Sinai is also our prayer: “O Lord, do come … Read More
We need each other
Pentecost Sunday – A – May 31, 2020 I grew up in a diverse neighborhood, hearing several languages other than English on a daily basis. So it’s wonderful to see parish communities embrace multicultural elements in their Pentecost liturgies. As … Read More
Involve everyone in worship: Singing our way to the Triduum — Part 4
To form a singing parish, parishes need to plan all year long for singing best and most at the highest celebration of the year. That means singing all year as rehearsal for the Triduum. By the time we get to … Read More
True food and drink
Body and Blood of Christ Twice today we hear how God fed the Israelites with “a food unknown to you and your fathers.” We see something similar in the Gospel when the Jews were dumbfounded at Jesus’s strange offer to … Read More
Involve everyone in worship: Triduum-centered liturgy every Sunday — Part 3
I remember a time when there was no Triduum. There was Lent, which started on Ash Wednesday and went all the way through Holy Saturday. And then there was Easter Sunday, when I once again got to eat chocolate and … Read More
We are drawn into the dance
Most Holy Trinity Have you ever lost yourself dancing? I don’t mean the uninhibited detachment of “dance as if no one is watching,” but the kind where the music beats inside you, coursing in rhythm to the blood in your … Read More
Involve everyone in worship: Planning for a great Triduum — Part 2
The time to begin planning Triduum is right after Triduum. That’s right — after. Begin with an evaluation of the Triduum just celebrated. Ideally, you would evaluate the entire Triduum, but parishes new to year-long Triduum planning may only have … Read More
Christ is not absent from the world
The Ascension of the Lord The solemnity of the Ascension draws our focus back to seeing Christ with the eyes of our hearts. With Thomas on the Second Sunday of Easter, we trained our eyes to see Christ’s presence in … Read More
Prepare for the coming of the Holy Spirit
Seventh Sunday of Easter – A – May 24, 2020 If you’re one of those lucky places in the United States that do get a Seventh Sunday of Easter, you’ll also have a chance to observe a novena in preparation … Read More
Involve everyone in worship: The Triduum is the key — Part 1
For communities that want to involve the whole community in worship, the guiding principle has to be that all liturgy is centered on the Triduum. The Triduum is the climactic three-days of the liturgical year that begins with the Mass … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Sixth Sunday of Easter
Sixth Sunday of Easter – 17 May 2020 Acts 8:5-8, 14-17. Psalm 66:1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20. 1 Peter 3:15-18. John 14:15-21. Not Orphaned! Because the risen Lord and the Spirit of Truth are always with us, we are not … Read More
Life in Christ is beautiful
Sixth Sunday of Easter – A – May 17, 2020 When encouraging people to evangelize and be public about their Christian faith, some will quote a verse from today’s second reading: “Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Fifth Sunday of Easter
Fifth Sunday of Easter – 10 May 2020 Acts 6:1-7. Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19. 1 Peter 2:4-9. John 14:1-12. Chosen, Royal, and Holy. Jesus tells the disciples during the Last Supper that they know the way – to God, to … Read More
How your ministry changes the flow of the Mass
Liturgy flows. It can flow like a stream on a summer day, or it can flow like molasses that has just been pulled from the refrigerator. How well or badly liturgy flows depends upon the skills of the pastoral leaders … Read More
The foundational role of the baptismal priesthood
Fifth Sunday of Easter – A – May 10, 2020 Although the term is never used in today’s first reading, it is traditionally seen as the Catholic origin of the diaconate. Lately, many theologians, committees, and leaders have been discussing … Read More
Improve parish worship by teaching households how to speak with symbols
What will happen when we are finally able to gather again for public liturgy? Will people return with such great anticipation and excitement that they will participate in the liturgy at deeper levels than ever before? Or will it be … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Fourth Sunday of Easter
Fourth Sunday of Easter – 03 May 2020 Acts 2:14a, 36-41. Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6. 1 Peter 2:20b-25. John 10:1-10. “I Am the Gate.” Doorways and gates can protect those within. This is the image of Jesus today – … Read More
Let us not be false shepherds
Fourth Sunday of Easter – A – May 3, 2020 It’s only human nature to feel defensive when someone calls you out for something you did wrong. When this happens to me, I am so quick to explain myself and … Read More
A Litany of Blessing in Time of Grief
How do you praise God in a time such as this? As Easter people, that is our call. Certainly our tradition of lament is one way, for even our outrage and outcry at God’s seeming absence are confessions of faith. … Read More
Seven must-read liturgical documents for pastoral leaders
As I write this, the parishes in my area of the country are entering the fourth week of the stringent shelter-in-place regulations required for stemming the COVID-19 pandemic. And it looks like we could be under quarantine for at least … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Third Sunday of Easter
Third Sunday of Easter – 26 April 2020 Acts 2:14, 22-33. Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 1. 1 Peter 1:17-21. Luke 24:13-35. Mystagogy on the Emmaus Story. (“Mystagogy” = to be led to, to encounter mystery.) Two dejected disciples, abandoning … Read More
“Stay with us.”
Third Sunday of Easter – A – April 26, 2020 I’ve learned to be a functional introvert, forcing myself to say hello to strangers and trying not to wiggle out of a conversation too quickly. I do it not because … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Second Sunday of Easter
Second Sunday of Easter (or of Divine Mercy) – 19 April 2020 Acts 2:42-47. Psalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24. 1 Peter 1:3-9. John 20:19-31. Unrestrained by Locked Doors. Locked doors are not good enough for keeping the Risen Jesus from us. … Read More
Drive-through communion, online absolution, and telephone confessions: what do we believe about sacraments?
The suspension of our normal liturgical life has caused two general reactions. On the one hand, there has been an effort to energize Christian households as domestic churches, resourcing them for the celebration of full, conscious, and active participation in … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord
Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord – Sunday, 12 April 2020 At the Mass during the Day Acts 10:34a, 37-43. Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23. Colossians 3:1-4. OR 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8. Sequence – Christians, to the Paschal Victim. John … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Easter Vigil
Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord – Saturday night, 11 April 2020 At the Easter Vigil in the Holy Night of Easter Genesis 1:1–2:2. Genesis 22:1-18. Exodus 14:15–15:1. Isaiah 54:5-14. Isaiah 55:1-11. Baruch 3:9-15, 32–4:4. Ezekiel 36:16-17a, 18-28. … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for Good Friday
Friday of the Passion of the Lord (Good Friday) – 10 April 2020 Isaiah 52:13–53:12. Psalm 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-16, 17, 25. Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9. John 18:1–19:42. Who Would Be So Obedient? Jesus would – even unto death! This high … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for Holy Thursday
Thursday of the Lord’s Supper – 09 April 2020 At the Evening Mass Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14. Psalm 116:12-13, 15-16bc, 17-18. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. John 13:1-15. Who Washes Feet During Supper? Jesus did it first – something only servants and slaves … Read More
Mercy is the face of Christ
Second Sunday of Easter It’s true that “seeing is believing.” But it depends on what you’re looking for. Before he would believe, Thomas needed to see concrete evidence of what the other disciples attested, “We have seen the Lord.” Seeing … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion
Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion – 05 April 2020 Procession: Matthew 21:1-11. Mass: Isaiah 50:4-7. Psalm 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24. Philippians 2:6-11. Matthew 26:14–27:66. Being Humble. Jesus Christ shows us how to be humble today. So humble, that he … Read More
Celebrating liturgy in our homes
This article was co-written by my friend, Terry Burrows, and me. Terry is the associate director of catechesis for the Diocese of Monterey. As we search for ways to stay connected to each other and our faith practices, many are … Read More
What are your parishioners looking for?
Fifth Sunday of Lent Some church leaders have proposed that the solution for stemming the rise in the number of those leaving the Catholic church is more rigorous, undiluted teaching of the faith. They call this evangelization. However it’s really … Read More
Santificando el Día del Señor cuando no podemos asistir a la Misa
Available in English here Para los cristianos, el domingo es un día como ningún otro día de la semana. Creemos que es el día de la fiesta original; el día del Creador; la Pascua semanal; el primer día; el octavo … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Fifth Sunday of Lent
Fifth Sunday of Lent – 29 March 2020 Ezekiel 37:12-14. Psalm 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8. Romans 8:8-11. John 11:1-45. Dying with Christ; Dying to Self. Even when his friends are disappointed with him and his disciples misunderstand him, Jesus is … Read More
Do we need another televised Mass? Liturgy in the time of coronavirus
In the United States as well as many other regions, we are in the midst of a health crisis due to the coronavirus outbreak. And that in turn has led to a spiritual crisis of sorts. Most dioceses in the … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord
The Annunciation of the Lord, Solemnity – Wednesday, 25 March 2020 Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:1. Psalm 40:7-8, 8-9, 10, 11. Hebrews 10:4-10. Luke 1:26-38. Still Paying Attention. Unlike Joseph, Mary engages in conversation with the angel. She ends up saying Yes, … Read More
Keeping Sunday holy when we cannot gather for Mass: Liturgy of the Hours
Disponible en español aquí For Christians, Sunday is unlike any other day of the week. We believe that Sunday is the original feast day; the day of the Creator’s work; the weekly Easter; the first day; the eighth day; the … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Fourth Sunday of Lent
Fourth Sunday of Lent – 22 March 2020 1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a. Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6. Ephesians 5:8-14. John 9:1-41. Seeing Christ. Even the blind man in today’s gospel sees Christ – and does what he is told … Read More
What we give up when we give up the cup
Large numbers of dioceses in the United States are banning communion from the cup for the faithful at Mass. While the reason given for the ban is to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, it seems to me that there … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Solemnity – Thursday, 19 March 2020 2 Samuel 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16. Psalm 89:2-3, 4-5, 27, 29. Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22. Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a. OR Luke 2:41-51a. Paying Attention and Looking for … Read More
“Thanks for seeing me.”
Fourth Sunday of Lent He stood on the street corner in his tattered coat, and I knew right away who and what he was. Sure enough, as I mentally tried to force the light to turn green, I heard, “Spare … Read More
Leave your fear behind
Third Sunday of Lent Beyond water, there’s a deeper image that runs throughout today’s readings: the hardened heart. The joyful hearts of the Israelites that had sung and danced by the seashore now were hardened by thirst. Their stony hearts … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Third Sunday of Lent
Third Sunday of Lent – 15 March 2020 Exodus 17:3-7. Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9. Romans 5:1-2, 5-8. John 4:5-42. Drinking in Christ. Let us not grumble like the people in the desert. For we stand in the grace of God … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Second Sunday of Lent
Second Sunday of Lent – 08 March 2020 Genesis 12:1-4a. Psalm 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22. 2 Timothy 1:8b-10. Matthew 17:1-9. It Is Good to Be Here. God says to each of us today: I will bless you; live a holy … Read More
Are you willing to take risks on your faith journey?
Second Sunday of Lent Last week we explored how mystagogy is a lifelong discipline for all the faithful. At its core, mystagogy asks: What happened? What does it mean? What will I do now? As we continue through the Year … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the First Sunday of Lent
First Sunday of Lent – 01 March 2020 Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7. Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 17. Romans 5:12-19. Matthew 4:1-11. Keep Grace Upfront. Transgression and sin play a big part in the garden of Eden story. So does grace – … Read More
Responding joyfully to God’s love
First Sunday of Lent It may seem strange to talk about mystagogy in Lent. But mystagogy is something all the faithful are called to do all the time. The United States bishops said that “mystagogy represents the Christian’s lifelong education … Read More
The ashes we bear mark us as one with the body of Christ
Ash Wednesday A few years ago, it felt like all of California was burning. Massive wildfires broke out up and down the state and burned for weeks. The fire that destroyed the town of Paradise in Northern California roared for … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday – 26 February 2020 Joel 2:12-18. Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 12-13, 14 and 17. 2 Corinthians 5:20–6:2. Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18. Lent Is Preparation. The gospel reminds us about these guides for Lent: (1) give alms in secret, (2) pray … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time – 23 February 2020 Leviticus 19:1-2, 17-18. Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 8, 10, 12-13. 1 Corinthians 3:16-23. Matthew 5:38-48. “The Lord is kind and merciful” [Psalm 103]. Jesus still teaches on the mount today. He moves … Read More
Is your liturgy remarkable?
A few years ago, the Pew Research Center reported that 28% of U.S. adults don’t attend church on Sunday because they don’t believe. So let’s imagine there are 1,000 Catholics in your parish boundaries who are not coming to Mass. … Read More
Feed my sheep: the second level of liturgical participation
I want to tell you about my “Peter, feed my sheep” moment. You remember the story. For the third time, Jesus asks Peter, “Do you love me?” Peter is getting a little ticked off because a.) Jesus already knows the … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time – 16 February 2020 Sirach 15:15-20. Psalm 119:1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34. 1 Corinthians 2:6-10. Matthew 5:17-37. Attending to Law. Both civil and Church law give us standards to guide our thought and behaviors. Outward acts … Read More
Consulting the Roman Missal when choosing liturgical music
Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time The dialogues and acclamations are the church’s first preference for what is sung at Mass (see last week and “Sing to the Lord,” 115). But how do you choose everything else? You probably already know … Read More
Where do you need to focus your own liturgical formation?
Pope Francis doesn’t often talk about liturgy, but when he does…wow! Last year he said this about the need for liturgical formation: We know that it is not enough to change the liturgical books to improve the quality of the … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time – 09 February 2020 Isaiah 58:7-10. Psalm 112:4-5, 6-7, 8-9. 1 Corinthians 2:1-5. Matthew 5:13-16. Being Salty. In old Roman times, soldiers were paid in salt (it is the root word for “salary”). We are … Read More
Outward manifestations of the inward movement of our hearts
Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Liturgical music communicates the story of the mystery of Christ, and the assembly in whom the Spirit dwells is the principal storyteller. The primary way they tell that story is by their “fully conscious, and … Read More
Four things the bishops expect us to know about liturgical participation
In 1996, I went to a movie theater in San Jose, California, to see Fargo. Fargo, as you probably know, is a black comedy focused on the investigation of a car salesman who hires two bumbling criminals to kidnap his … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
The Presentation of the Lord, Feast – Sunday, 02 February 2020 Malachi 3:1-4. Psalm 24:7, 8, 9, 10. Hebrews 2:14-8. Luke 2:22-40. Christ Is Present. Hebrews announces what we know: Jesus Christ had to become like us in every way … Read More
Choosing appropriate liturgical music
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time We’ve been reviewing principles for choosing liturgical music, starting with the “story” that liturgical music supports, which is the mystery of Christ revealed through the liturgical year. Now let’s look at the people who tell … Read More
The joy of the feast of the Presentation of the Lord
The Presentation of the Lord Several feasts and solemnities interject a specific focus of the paschal mystery into the steady pace of Ordinary Time. This Sunday is one of those feasts. Occurring 40 days after December 25, for some cultures, … Read More
After a 1,500 year gap, the church recovered its ancient method of joining believers to Christ
Father Augustine was sluggish getting ready for Mass. The strain of last night’s Easter Vigil—his 34th or 35th; he couldn’t remember—had significantly weakened him. But he had to celebrate Easter morning with the neophytes. After his brief homily, the catechumens … Read More
Pastoral liturgists are “keepers of the fire”: The third level of liturgical participation
We said earlier that there are three levels of liturgical participation: what happens, what gets accomplished, and why we do what we do. These three levels overlap, and everyone present is participating at all three levels all the time. But … Read More
The invitation of Ordinary Time
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Last week, we explored the flow of the liturgical seasons Advent-Christmas and Lent-Easter. In between these seasons are 33 to 34 weeks that make up Ordinary Time. Ordinary Time is not a liturgical season like … Read More
Prepare to tell the whole story
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Resources like GIA Quarterly are useful for helping you choose music. But you also want to understand the liturgical principles that will guide your choices. We’ll explore these over the next few weeks. Choosing liturgical … Read More
Moving from technique to artistry: Three levels of liturgical participation
In a previous post, we talked about how our liturgical ministry changes the world. We change the world by changing hearts. We change hearts by celebrating liturgy so authentically that it reveals the very nature of God and God’s love … Read More
Christmas Day Liturgy: Returning to Basics
If you’ve been preparing liturgy or music for a while, the details of the Christmas Day liturgies and the Christmas season may seem pretty familiar or even rote. If you feel this way, reviewing the basics of this season can … Read More
Living the Paschal Mystery: A Christmas Day Reflection
To the point It is no coincidence that the opening words of John’s Prologue proclaimed at Christmas, “In the beginning” (Jn 1:1), are the same words we hear at the Easter Vigil in the story of Creation from Genesis. John’s … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Fourth Sunday of Advent
Fourth Sunday of Advent – 22 December 2019 Isaiah 7:10-14. Psalm 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6. Romans 1:1-7. Matthew 1:18-24. To Dream and to Act. The promised Second Coming of Christ is assured in the reality of the first. This birth of … Read More
“Church in the night”
Fourth Sunday of Advent If you know any Filipinos in your community, you might have noticed a star-shaped lantern decorating their home during Advent and Christmas. These parols (“lanterns”) are usually made of bamboo frames covered with paper and tinsel. … Read More
How your liturgical ministry changes the world
Once upon a time, I knew a young priest who didn’t really like presiding at liturgy. He did a good job when he did preside, and he preached pretty well. But what he really wanted to do, what he said … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Third Sunday of Advent
Third Sunday of Advent – 15 December 2019 Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10. Psalm 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10. James 5:7-10. Matthew 11:2-11. Who Is the Messiah? When even the land sings God’s praise, how can we not do the same? When God comes … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Our Lady of Guadalupe, Feast – Thursday, 12 December 2019 Patronal Feastday of the Americas Zechariah 2:14-17. OR Revelation 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab. Judith 13:18bcde, 19. Luke 1:26-38. OR Luke 1:39-47. A Rose Filled Cloak. Roses in winter, a miraculous image … Read More
Don’t be afraid to rejoice!
Third Sunday of Advent Throughout Advent you might already have been singing “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” Or perhaps you have been waiting for today, Gaudete (“Rejoice”) Sunday, or for December 17, the traditional time the church begins singing the … Read More
Do you remember the liturgical revolution of Vatican II?
I was almost seven years old the first time I experienced Mass celebrated in English. My memory is fuzzy, but I looked up the date—First Sunday of Advent, 1964. In a previous post, we looked at some of the circumstances … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the Second Sunday of Advent
Second Sunday of Advent – 08 December 2019 Isaiah 11:1-10. Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17. Romans 15:4-9. Matthew 3:1-12. A Changed Mind Fosters a Changed Life. Who would want to be accused of being part of a brood of vipers? … Read More
When do we celebrate the Immaculate Conception this year?
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Last year, the Immaculate Conception fell on a Saturday. This year, December 8 is Sunday! Now what? Sunday is always a holy day of obligation. The Code of Canon Law … Read More
Bulletin Shorts for the First Sunday of Advent
First Sunday of Advent – 01 December 2019 Isaiah 2:1-5. Psalm 122:1-2, 3-4, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9. Romans 13:11-14. Matthew 24:37-44. Coming That Is Certain Yet Unknown. We begin a new liturgical year today, focusing on the parousia, the “end time”, … Read More
Crying out in the modern desert
Second Sunday of Advent By this time of year, the election campaign season in the United States will be in full swing. If it’s anything like recent years, it will be ugly, brutal, and on full display across our media … Read More
Plan for self-care and gratitude in the new liturgical year
First Sunday of Advent When digital planners and calendars weren’t yet the norm, I always looked forward to the ritual cracking open of my brand-new liturgical calendar ordo and my pristine dayplanner to make my first calendar entry for the … Read More
Liturgical participation: if you’re not doing, you’re not learning
My grandmother’s kitchen was the kind of place where the family would gather when we went to visit. The kitchen was too small for all of us, but it was where Grandma spent most of her time. So if you … Read More
How Madison Avenue is sabotaging our worship
When a young nurse named Sheila was asked about her religion, she said: I believe in God. I’m not a religious fanatic. I can’t remember the last time I went to church. My faith has carried me a long way. … Read More
Giving thanks with your whole self
Thanksgiving Day Most of us never get personal handwritten letters in the mail anymore. Instead, our postal mailboxes are filled with bills, ads, and end-of-the-year solicitations, and our electronic mailboxes numb us with spam, more ads, and work. In this … Read More
Divine glory, fully human
Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe The proclamation today of Jesus’s crucifixion reminds us that this solemnity of Christ as King of the Universe is not what one imagines is appropriate for royalty. Here, we have no trumpet … Read More
Peace in the midst of turmoil
Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time In our line of work, it can be easy to fall into a spirit of pessimism, crankiness, stress, or general worry. Especially this time of year, when the pressures of the secular calendar, our home … Read More
Don’t get distracted
Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Much can distract us from the main point tying today’s readings together. The gruesome torture and killing of seven brothers and their mother might lead us down the path of talking about religious persecution, or … Read More
“Let me be where you live.”
Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time My friends think my house is always neat and tidy. That’s because I only invite them over after I’ve spent hours cleaning up the mess and hiding everything else in closets, the oven, and behind … Read More
When DO the saints go marching in?
Solemnity of All Saints / The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed One of our most underused treasures is the Litany of Saints. Most of us pray it only at the Easter Vigil, unless there are no baptisms and the … Read More
A singing church is symbolic of the divine Trinity
To discover why we sing at Mass, we have to understand “sacrament.” We tend to think of sacraments as objects that we get. There are seven of them, and we get them at important moments in our lives. “Sacrament” has … Read More
How to not “save the liturgy”
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time I used to believe that I was nothing like the Pharisee in today’s parable—righteously smug as he measured his piety against the “rest of humanity”—until I realized I loved the liturgy more than I loved … Read More
Sunday of the Word of God—a renewed emphasis on scripture
On September 30, 2019, Pope Francis declared in an apostolic letter that “the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time is to be devoted to the celebration, study and dissemination of the Word of God” (Aperuit Illis, 3). This letter and the … Read More
Attuning ourselves to the needs of others
Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time I spent three months in Panama City, Panama, trying to learn Spanish. There are parts of the city that cater to tourists, where streets and sidewalks are clean and trash is swept up daily by … Read More
Emphasizing the highpoint of the Mass
Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time Being grateful to God is the core of our faith. We see this embodied in the great prayer of thanksgiving, the Eucharistic Prayer, which is described as the “center and highpoint of the entire celebration” … Read More
Singing with our ancestors in faith
Miriam collapsed on the seashore, her 86-year-old legs burning with pain and covered with mud. After seven days of evasive maneuvers on limited rations, she and her people had been trapped between the vast sea in front of them and … Read More
Nurturing a servant attitude in liturgical music
Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time When I was eight, I joined the choir at my parish in Los Angeles because I was certain a talent scout would discover me and make me a star! I’m sure none of you had … Read More
Do we care more for the liturgy than Lazarus just outside our door?
Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time There is a painting by 20th-century American artist Osvaldo Louis Guglielmi at the Milwaukee Art Museum titled “The Christening.” When I first saw it, I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. It’s not particularly … Read More
One body, many roles
Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time A common liturgical rule that almost every community breaks at some point is having a person serve in more than one liturgical ministry within the same Mass. You won’t find any liturgical book that specifically … Read More
God’s love is for the entire flock
Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time What about the ninety-nine sheep in today’s Gospel? Did they rejoice when their wayward companion came back? Or had they thought they had been ridden of him once and for all? An easy approach to … Read More
“Conform your life to the mystery of the Lord’s cross.”
Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time In the Rite of Ordination of a Priest, as the bishop hands over the bread and wine to the newly ordained, he says to him, “Understand what you do, imitate what you celebrate, and conform … Read More
Music is the sacramental sign of God’s love for us
Mrs. Johnson sat at the Baldwin upright and played three notes in a row that sounded like the NBC chimes. Knees locked, hands clenched at my sides, I tried to match the sounds with my quavering voice. “Again,” she said. … Read More
Why sing? Because God put a song in our hearts
One year, after my parents moved to a new state, I went to visit them for the Christmas holidays. We went to Mass on Christmas morning at their new parish. I was a little surprised at how poorly people sang. … Read More
What’s for Dinner? Four ways family meals teach us about Eucharist
If Julia Child is not a saint, she is at least a “blessed” in my book. She changed how Americans understand meal sharing, and meal sharing is central to our lives as Catholics. What Julia Child and the TV chefs … Read More
Scooch over, shift your perspective
Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time Want to know the best way to get a better sense of what your parish is really like? Sit in a place you’re not used to sitting. Or sit in the very back pew, or … Read More
Foster representation, not homogenization
Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time Today’s first reading presents us with an image of the diversity of God’s people, gathered from every nation and language. Many of our parishes in the United States are blessed with diverse communities of people, … Read More
Mary’s rallying cry is not for the faint of heart
Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Women’s roles in society and in the church have taken on a new meaning in the last few years. With the #metoo movement and a new awareness of how women have … Read More
Leaving our comfort zones
Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Jesus’s words today don’t bring much comfort. But our comfort isn’t the goal of faith in Christ. Following Christ will call us to do many uncomfortable things. Recall some of the gospels we’ve heard these … Read More
Christ comes when we least expect it
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time We can obviously read today’s readings with an eye toward the end times when Christ will return in glory. However, as people of faith living in the time between Christ’s Ascension and Second Coming, we … Read More
How to stop hoarding
Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Many of us whose primary work is in service to the church may never find ourselves rich in earthly treasure. And yet, there still is a warning for us in today’s parable of the rich … Read More
Do not grow tired. Sing with joy!
Before the Second Vatican Council, it would have been unusual to hear people in the assembly singing. Although official church documents encouraged the assembly to sing, much of the music was in Latin. An even greater barrier, however, was a … Read More
The surprising skill every liturgical musician needs
When we gather for Mass on Sunday, the church expects a high standard of celebration: In the earthly liturgy we take part in a foretaste of that heavenly liturgy which is celebrated in the holy city of Jerusalem toward which … Read More
To evangelize, open the doors and go out
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time In these summer months, your parish might be preparing to celebrate the Rite of Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens. This rite ritualizes an unbaptized seeker’s intention to follow Christ and the church’s acceptance of … Read More
We don’t just play songs at Mass
After Mass one Sunday, one of the worshipers was so moved by the music that he went home and wrote this in in journal: How I wept, deeply moved by your hymns, songs, and the voices that echoed through your … Read More
A healthy concern for the liturgy
Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Poor Martha! She’s always compared to Mary who seems to have done nothing to attend to the needs of dinner, and we laud Mary’s choice as though feeding one’s guest while the food was hot … Read More
How to prepare the Liturgy of the Hours: Know your assembly
In parish ministry, we often have opportunities to celebrate a communal liturgy that is not the Mass. These may be small group meetings, a school gathering, or a workshop setting where the assembly wants to pray something more than just … Read More
Embodied Mercy
Body and Blood of Christ In the Gospels, we often see Jesus put word and action together, where his action embodies his words. We see this most clearly in the Johannine Gospels whenever he said, “I am,” such as when … Read More
True Hospitality
The 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time In one of the Facebook groups I participate in, a friend posed the question, “How do I get my parishioners to be more hospitable?” People offered suggestions like scheduling hospitality teams, training ushers, asking … Read More
Liturgy is active contemplation
In a previous post, we discussed the quest for sacred silence in the liturgy. In contemporary worship, the rubrics of the church call for times of sacred silence. And very often, this rubric is ignored because either parishioners are unaware … Read More
The quest for sacred silence in the liturgy
We have all seen signs like “Do not litter” or “Keep off the grass.” These signs exist because people are littering and walking on the grass. The church has a “sign” like these. In a variety of forms, it says, … Read More
Dismissal matters for all of us
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time In communities where there are adults and children of catechetical age preparing for baptism, the church dismisses them before the Creed when they are present at Mass. This dismissal of catechumens is part of their … Read More
We Gather in Christ’s Name
Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time This week our nation celebrates Independence Day. The Sundays that surround that holiday sometimes become a testing ground for music ministers and liturgists. Should you include patriotic songs and other national symbols into the Mass … Read More
Prepare to resist “theme” Sundays
When I was a kid, I belonged to a Boy Scout troop sponsored by my parish. One of my favorite events was Scout Sunday. All of us would get dressed up in our uniforms, and we would march into church … Read More
Surrounded by the Spirit
Most Holy Trinity With the Father and the Son taking “top billing,” the third Person of the Trinity sometimes gets left out from our liturgical focus, relegated to being imagined simply as a bird or confined only to Pentecost and … Read More
Embrace the mystery of the Holy Spirit
Pentecost How do you picture the Holy Spirit? We can imagine a haloed bird hovering or “tongues as of fire.” We can sense the Spirit as wind in its many forms: breath, breeze, gusts, air. But how do you describe … Read More
The point at which most Masses unravel
While I am sure it is not true at your parish, most Masses I participate in tend come apart at the communion rite. A liturgy can be going along just great, and then the wheels fall off the liturgical bus … Read More
Joyfully living the commission
Ascension This Ascension, let us focus less on where Christ went and more on what Christ did. Christ entered heaven’s sanctuary that we might “have confidence of entrance . . . by the new and living way he opened for … Read More
How will your Pentecost liturgy define your idea of “church?”
Seventh Sunday of Easter As we near Pentecost, some parishes may be preparing to incorporate various languages and cultural elements into the Mass. Many of these communities are already multicultural, so intercultural worship is a necessity for their unity. On … Read More
A five-percent challenge for presiders
Recently, an article addressed to priests who improvise at Mass appeared in America magazine. I agree with a lot of the points the author made, but the article itself didn’t seem to offer much practical advice. The overall point was … Read More
Why you should rethink the choir’s summer break
Sixth Sunday of Easter Some parishes give the choir a “break” during the summer. Rest is important. Even God rested! But we might rethink this practice of giving music ministers a formal break from the Sunday Mass. One reason is … Read More
A five-percent challenge for liturgical musicians
Following on a previous post, I want to look at how parish music leaders can help turn Ordinary Time liturgy into an extraordinary experience of worship. There are two essential keys to making this happen: Yearn for the assembly to … Read More
Help your neophytes celebrate through the whole Easter season!
Fifth Sunday of Easter While everyone else is starting to look forward to summer, we’ve only come to the halfway point of Easter! Especially because Easter Sunday came so late this year, we might start to feel a bit like … Read More
How to turn Ordinary Time into Extraordinary Time — a five-percent challenge
As we approach summer and that long stretch of Ordinary Time Sundays in the liturgical calendar, we can take a fresh look at what “ordinary” worship should be like. In the liturgical calendar, “ordinary” refers to the order of the … Read More
Our diversity is our strength
Fourth Sunday of Easter At the 2016 national meeting of the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions, Mark R. Francis, CSV, said in his keynote: “Liturgy in our multicultural church needs to help us get over the presumption that our particular … Read More
The healing power of just eating together
Third Sunday of Easter Eating is a small, good thing in a time like this” (Raymond Carver, “A Small, Good Thing,” Cathedral, 1983). This line in the final scene of Carver’s short story is the turning point toward reconciliation and … Read More
A Prayer for Notre Dame in Paris – Une Prière pour Notre Dame en Paris
I have never been to Notre Dame in Paris. Still, my heart breaks for all of us. (Download this prayer in English and French here.) Une Prière pour Notre Dame en Paris A Prayer for Notre Dame in Paris … Read More
All language in the liturgy is ritual language
Many years ago, attended a regional theater matinée of Shakespeare’s Richard III. As I settled into my center seat, I heard a small commotion behind me. A bus-load of middle school students began filling in the back rows. Richard III … Read More
Five reasons to embrace mystagogical preaching
Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday) In Easter, the newly baptized begin to experience the world and their faith through the lens of the sacraments they have celebrated. They hone this new perception in the Sunday Masses of the … Read More
Liturgy survey results
Last month, I asked many of you to complete an online survey that included a question about your biggest challenge. Sixty-five people responded to the survey. Of those, twenty people (about 30%) listed communications issues as the thing that caused … Read More
How each episode of the liturgy heals the world
As I write this, we are two days away from Opening Day. If you are a baseball fan, you immediately know that by “Opening Day,” I mean the day regular season Major League Baseball begins — usually during the first … Read More
How is your music ministry serving the people of God?
Fifth Sunday of Lent We approach the summit of this annual ascent to the holy mountain of Easter. Let us, as music ministers, reflect on how we have served the people of God in this ministry of prayer and proclamation. … Read More
Embraced by God’s Mercy
Fourth Sunday of Lent We come to the midway point of Lent on this Laetare (“rejoice”) Sunday. And what rejoicing do we have today in our readings! Having squandered all he had, the prodigal son finds a banquet prepared for … Read More
The necessity of Year A readings for the Scrutinies
Third Sunday of Lent Starting this Sunday, the church celebrates the first of three scrutinies for the elect—adults and children of catechetical age who will be baptized this Easter. These rites use the readings for year A even in years … Read More
Letting darkness reveal new truths
Second Sunday of Lent In today’s readings, God’s presence is revealed within darkness. Only when night fell did the Lord appear to a terrified Abram to make the covenant with him and his descendants. From the very cloud that had … Read More
The complete beginner’s guide to identifying the climax of the liturgy
When I was about six or seven years old, my mother made a big bowl of popcorn and sat down on the couch with me and my two brothers. CBS was airing The Wizard of Oz, and we watched it … Read More
Liturgy is the story the whole world is longing to hear
Everyone who shows up at Mass next Sunday will be looking for a good story. They may not say it that way. They may say they are looking for some quiet time with God; or as sense of community; or … Read More
Renewed promises, renewed strength
First Sunday of Lent The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy describes Lent’s twofold nature: “[B]y recalling or preparing for baptism and by penance, it disposes the faithful, who more diligently hear the word of God and devote themselves to prayer, … Read More
The Time is Now
Ash Wednesday In his last public address before dying from cancer in 1996, Joseph Cardinal Bernadin urged his flock in the Archdiocese of Chicago to live in unity with Christ and with one another, saying, “A dying person does not … Read More
Liturgical Music: Prayer through the Eyes and Ears of a Pastoral Musician
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God” (Col. 3:16). As a liturgical musician, I often … Read More
Good liturgy can make the world a better place
Some days… Some days I just want to go home and pull a blanket over my head. I care about liturgy — a lot. I believe liturgy changes us. And when we are changed, we can change the world. But … Read More
Liturgy requires humility
I think most of us would agree with the statement the liturgy requires humility — until it is required of us. I remember the first liturgy committee I formed after I was hired as a parish liturgist. The pastor had … Read More
Called by name
The Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time Next Sunday, catechumens around the world who have been deemed ready for initiation will be sent to their local cathedral to give their names to their bishop and thus be chosen for baptism this … Read More
Why the church thinks it is so important that your parishioners sing at Mass
Yesterday someone from my homeowners association taped a flyer to my door listing 16 things we’re not supposed to flush down the drain, including bandage wrappings, car oil, paper towels, and toys. I assume the reason they did that is … Read More
Keep it simple this Triduum
The Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Last week we talked about avoiding historicizing the Triduum. When we try too hard to reenact the past, showing what we believe it to have looked like in the Upper Room, in the garden … Read More
The Triduum isn’t a dramatic reenactment
The Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time As part of your preparation for Lent, Holy Week, and Easter, be sure to read or reread the “Circular Letter Concerning the Preparation and Celebration of the Easter Feasts” (Paschale Solemnitatis), issued by the … Read More
Why you should personally invite your liturgical ministers for the Triduum
The Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time It’s less than four weeks to Lent, but don’t let that distract you from your long-term advance planning of this year’s Triduum because what you do during Lent can become part of your Triduum … Read More
How to unite the Triduum (in the minds of your parishioners)
The Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time It feels far away, but today marks ten weeks to Holy Week. If you haven’t already, now is the time to prepare for the Triduum. For the next several weeks, let’s look at a … Read More
The primacy of the assembly in the liturgy
The Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Sometimes I hear liturgical ministers say something like, “I’m not doing anything at Mass today because I wasn’t scheduled.” I’ll even hear something similar from clergy if they’re not concelebrating or assisting at the … Read More
Thinking creatively about ordination
The Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Members of the church are incorporated into an order, giving them particular rights and responsibilities. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) describes this incorporation as an ordinatio. We’re familiar with the English use … Read More
Responding to the Christmas message
Readings for Christmas Day, Mass at Dawn The story of Christmas does not end with the angels’ song glorifying God. Here we see the shepherds’ response to the revelation given to them by that heavenly host. They “went in haste,” … Read More
Welcoming the stranger with an open heart
The Fourth Sunday in Advent A popular late Advent custom among some Hispanic communities is Las Posadas, which means “the inns.” For nine evenings, starting on December 16, neighborhoods remember the journey of Mary, pregnant with Jesus, and Joseph as … Read More
Let your joy be known through your kindness
The Third Sunday of Advent I was surprised to find reviews of my local church on Tripadvisor one day. The reviews read a lot like others for must-see tourist sites, but they also reiterated a truth: People won’t remember what … Read More
On being good co-laborers with God
The Second Sunday of Advent In today’s second reading from Paul’s letter to the Philippians, we hear: “I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day … Read More
Reviewing the calendar rubrics
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Because the Immaculate Conception falls on a Saturday this year, you’ll likely get some questions asking if it is still a holy day of obligation. So it’s a good time … Read More
Watching (ourselves) and waiting
The First Sunday of Advent It’s easy at Advent to become a bit overzealous with our rubrics around these four short weeks. Of course we should encourage one another to observe the distinct spirit of Advent and not let too … Read More
We follow a different kind of leader
Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe Good kings, rulers, and leaders testify to the truth. They speak the hard words no one else wants to say, and they see beyond the superficial and temporary to utter the profound … Read More
Giving thanks through prayer
Readings for Thanksgiving Day On this day, many will gather with friends and family at table, and will want to mark that time with some form of meal blessing. Unless a family is already used to praying at home together, … Read More
Facing our deepest fears
Readings for the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time Bad news sells. Just turn on the TV, scroll through your social media feed, or check the show times for the latest dystopian, nature striking back, zombie apocalypse blockbuster. One recent media … Read More
Does your liturgy tell a good story?
I don’t think we can understand liturgy until we understand that it is a storytelling process. And then we have to understand the story liturgy tells and what the story does. Why understanding liturgy as “story” is so important It … Read More
“What does the Gospel ask us to give that we cannot afford?”
Readings for the Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time I used to work for a bishop who took great pride in his homilies. He would type them out then mark the places where he planned to pause and the phrases he … Read More
Love is the Law
Readings for the Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time Love God, and love your neighbor as yourself. How clearly Jesus distills the law. Yet, every so often our behavior might teach that love of God and neighbor don’t actually have to … Read More
Embracing Sister Death
Solemnity of All Saints / The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls) Death is never easy to face, so we avoid it. We keep aging at bay with creams and dyes and never talk of preparing for death. … Read More
What do you want Jesus to do for you?
Readings for the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time On back to back Sundays, we hear Jesus ask, “What do you want me to do for you?” Last week, James and John sought glory; this week, Bartimaeus seeks healing. The same … Read More
A Blessing for Friends
Friendship is such a precious gift. When one finds a good friend, we find a pathway to God. I had written this blessing as a birthday gift for a good friend a while back. May it be a gift for … Read More
The desire for greatness
Readings for the Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time James and John get put in a bad light because of their request in today’s Gospel. How dare they seek glory by asking for places at Jesus’s side! However, Saint John Chrysostom, … Read More
Is your liturgy capturing the attention of your parishioners?
Where were you when you got your first iPhone (or iPhone knock-off)? In 2007, Steve Jobs forever changed how we think about phones. At that moment, three kinds of people engaged with the new phone. Techies The techies got out … Read More
The law of the community
Readings for the Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Rules can be hard to follow. On the other hand, they sometimes are too easy to break. We’ve all encountered a coordinator who goes absolutely “by the book” with no leeway for … Read More
What are you hoarding?
Readings for the Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time I hate to admit it, but I am a bit of a hoarder. I’m nowhere near the level of hoarding you see on reality shows where the health department and dump trucks … Read More
Be open to radical change
Readings for the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Before they are baptized, an adult celebrates the ephphatha rite. In it, the presider touches the person’s ears and lips and says, “Be opened that you may profess the faith you hear, … Read More
Let strong symbols teach the liturgy
One of my biggest gripes is the use (or misuse) of the “teaching Mass.” To me, it feels like preparing a feast for your beloved — perhaps for a significant anniversary or to celebrate a big promotion — and then … Read More
How the Mass moves us
Sarah, a lifelong Catholic, was feeling a little awkward and confused. She had invited her friend, Julie, to go to Mass with her. Now they were having coffee after the liturgy, and Julie had asked why Catholics did all that … Read More
What’s in a name?
Readings for the Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist Each of us probably has a story behind our name. On this solemnity, we hear the wondrous backstory of the naming of John the Baptist. I know it’s … Read More
Sign of life and of sacrifice
Readings for Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Year B Blood is such a visceral thing. Seeing it out in the open usually means something is wrong. Blood simply is not meant to be outside of … Read More
The Trinity is a mystery even a child could understand
Readings for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, Year B About Liturgy Homilists often dread preparing the homily for this Sunday’s solemnity because it is so easy to get caught up in trying to explain either a mathematical conundrum … Read More
Blessing for a pastor or other staff person leaving the parish
When a pastor or other staff person leaves a parish, it is often a time of sadness, but also an opportunity to send them with our prayers and God’s blessings into whatever new community or ministry God is calling them. … Read More
Pentecost will not be tamed by our balloons
Readings for Pentecost Sunday, Mass during the day, Year B I would like to suggest that today’s popular image of Pentecost as the “birthday of the church” is not helpful. The problem comes when we start to associate the symbols … Read More
Moveable Feasts
Readings for the Solemnity of the Ascension, Year B About Liturgy Why do some places celebrate Ascension on Thursday while others move it to the following Sunday? The Synoptic Gospels give us the tradition of placing the Ascension forty days … Read More
Why words in the liturgy need to be ritual words
Mark Twain once wrote, “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter—it’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.” In liturgy, if you are trying to get lightening to strike, … Read More
Can you love another without being their friend?
Readings for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year B Anyone who has been in a long-term relationship knows that loving another person is as much about daily reconciling as it is about feeling love. Perhaps that is why Jesus today … Read More
Reading the GIRM
In my first year of college, just 15 years after the close of Vatican II, I volunteered to be a communion minister at our campus ministry center. I had served as a communion minister in high school, but only at … Read More
Thanksgiving for the Blessing of Work
The first time I realized that the Church has something to say about the dignity of work was when I first read Lumen Gentium, Gaudium et Spes and Pope John Paul II’s Laborem Exercens. Those documents helped me see that … Read More
Being witnesses for Christ and one another
Readings for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year B About Liturgy We know well that to be disciples we are to be witnesses for Christ. Yet we are also called to be witnesses for one another, speaking on behalf of … Read More
Why we don’t have eulogies in Catholic funerals
This is an excellent summary of why we do not have eulogies in Catholic funerals. The speaker is Fr. Bill Burke, Director of the National Liturgy Office of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Saint Expeditus – A Saint for Procrastinators
You won’t find his feast day on your liturgical calendar, but four days after tax day in the U.S. is always a great day to remember this apocryphal saint. And to paraphrase what we say about good stories, all saint … Read More
Vocation is more than just priesthood
Readings for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year B One unfortunate outcome of connecting the image of the Good Shepherd from today’s Gospel so heavily to priesthood is that the Fourth Sunday of Easter has at times been overshadowed by … Read More
Change is hard: five questions every new parish leader must ask
One of my first jobs after college was in campus ministry. The Newman House was an actual house just off campus. It was also the residence for the priest-director. The most memorable feature of the house was its red door. … Read More
From altar to table: Christ present there
Readings for the Third Sunday of Easter, Year B About Liturgy Let us continue our mystagogical reflection on the symbols of Easter. We see in today’s gospel the risen Christ ask for something to eat, and he eats what is … Read More
Why go to Mass?
Why do people go to Mass? Why do you go to Mass? If you ask people — or yourself — that question, you will likely hear that people are in church to receive comfort, to be with friends, to receive … Read More
Seeing isn’t always believing
Readings for the Second Sunday of Easter, Year B We’ll never know if Thomas put his finger into Jesus’s nail marks or touched the open wound at his side. John’s gospel today never says he did, although many artists have … Read More
A Prayer When You Have Nothing Left to Give
Prayer When You Have Nothing Left to Give Lord, I have nothing left to give. I’m exhausted and worn out. Yet so many still ask for more. Grant me that last ounce of strength that sustained you on the cross … Read More
The cost of obedience
As liturgists, we can sometimes fall into the sin of rubricism disguised as reverence. However, we cannot follow the Gospel by becoming legalists, nitpicking the rules and measuring piety by the number of rubrics followed. Rather, we only truly obey … Read More
The urgency of the liturgy
Readings for the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B At the height of public protest in the United States against a travel ban that seemed to be targeting Muslim countries, the Lectionary readings that Sunday spoke of justice, mercy, … Read More
If you’re looking for Jesus, just look at the person in front of you
Readings for the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B A note: Several events converged this week that have caused me to add a note to the commentary for this Sunday’s readings. First, I received in the mail the poster … Read More
The Gathering Song
The Gathering Song is one of the most important pieces of music of the Mass. This is because it sets the whole tone for the liturgy in a similar way that the overture sets the mood for an opera or … Read More
Keep your eyes on Christ: An Epiphany reflection
I was invited to give the reflection at Morning Prayer for the Diocese of Reno annual diocesan conference last Saturday, January 6, 2018. It’s always a wonderful gathering with excellent speakers and an enthusiastic assembly. Monique Jacobs and her team always … Read More
What Lies Beneath: Finding Easter in Christmas
Stare at a Christmas tree sometime. Or step back from your front door and take another look at your Christmas wreath. Once you get past the initial thought of “yet another Christmas season,” what do you see? Do you see … Read More
A prayer when you have nothing left to give and a blessing when you’re exhausted
As we enter into the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, right on the heels of the shortest Advent possible, here are two offerings that might sustain you if you find yourself weary and depleted from all you do … Read More
Christmas: The Vigil Mass – Living Liturgy: Traditions and Genealogies
Reflecting on the Gospel and Living the Paschal Mystery To ponder and pray: Christmas is a season for traditions. We return to familiar rituals of our childhood. We renew the bonds of friendship through customs of gathering and greeting. And … Read More
Be extra kind to your music director and liturgist this Christmas: An open letter
Dear friends in Christ, Christmas is always a beautiful time to be with the people we love both at home and in our church communities, and I pray that these upcoming days of Christmas are filled with peace and grace … Read More
Advent 04B – Living Liturgy: The gradual nature of seasons
About Liturgy The gradual nature of seasons: Our secular calendar marks the days one season ends and another begins. Yet in our daily life, that line is not as sharply defined. Fall colors gradually turn to winter cold as, day by … Read More
Surviving the Fourth Sunday of Advent-Christmas Eve-Day Marathon
Readings for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year B If you’re a parish minister, today will probably be a marathon for you. With the Fourth Sunday of Advent falling on the same day as Christmas Eve, many of us will … Read More
Advent 03B – Living Liturgy: Liturgy doesn’t lie
About Liturgy Liturgy doesn’t lie: In today’s gospel, John the Baptist testifies to the light “so that all might believe through him.” In other words, he was to tell the truth about the light. At the midway point of Advent, today’s … Read More
Leave the vinegar at home this Sunday
Readings for the Third Sunday of Advent, Year B Leave it to Pope Francis to give us an authoritative papal document with the colorful word “sourpuss” in its official English translation. He wrote the original text of Evangelii Gaudium (“Joy … Read More
An Advent Marian Penitential Prayer Service
Advent has a twofold character: [I]t is a time of preparation for the Solemnities of Christmas, in which the First Coming of the Son of God to humanity is remembered, and likewise a time when, by remembrance of this, minds … Read More
Advent 02B – Living Liturgy: Roaring like a lion
About Liturgy Roaring like a lion: Have you ever seen an ambo, gospel book, or another item in your church decorated with four winged creatures? Take a closer look. You’ll probably find a human, a lion, a bull, and an eagle. … Read More
Comfort: It’s not about you
Readings for the Second Sunday of Advent, Year B After Hurricane Katrina ravaged the cities along the Louisiana coastline, a Christian church wanted to bring comfort to the people living there. The parishioners saw homes lost to flooding and people … Read More
Divine mercy is all around us
Readings for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception Beyond our focus on Mary and her sinless nature from the moment of her conception, on this day, I also like to remember her parents, Joachim and Anne. It’s as much their … Read More
Advent 01B – Living Liturgy: What Matters Most
About Liturgy What matters most: Despite our expectation that Advent is a quieter time, this first Sunday of the new liturgical year is a flurry of activity in parishes. We switch out old missalettes, worship aids, and liturgical calendars. The environment … Read More
It’s okay if you can’t slow down this Advent
Readings for the First Sunday of Advent, Year B Maybe you’ve seen the Internet meme of Jesus at a closed door ready to knock. The caption says: “Jesus is coming. Look busy!” No matter what we do, it’s hard to … Read More
For the next time I see Christ
Readings for the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, Year A I see them, Lord, every morning, standing on the same street corner. They hold their tattered signs— “will work for food”— with every bit of … Read More
Three ingredients for every good meal
Readings for Thanksgiving Day, USA There are three things that happen at every good meal. First, there is communion in all its aspects, not just eating food but also reconciling with those we don’t get along with or would rather … Read More
Don’t give your oil away
Readings for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A “Don’t give your oil away.” A wise woman said that to me many years ago when I was discerning a vocation as a lay woman in the church. At the … Read More
Clericalism isn’t just for clerics
Readings for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A One need not be ordained to participate in clericalism. You can find it in any liturgical minister who sees themselves as set apart for their own benefit. However, to be … Read More
Doorways, litanies, and other thin places of the liturgy
Readings for the Solemnity of All Saints Readings for the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls) These dual feasts of All Saints and All Souls give us an opportunity to reflect on symbols of liminality. One such symbol … Read More
A Child’s Prayer Before Trick-or-Treating
God, bless all the people we will meet. Let our visit with them be a pleasant treat. Whatever the costumes we wear tonight, may we all be clothed with Christ’s light. Protect us from danger and the devil’s ways, that … Read More
A liturgist’s prayer
It can become quite easy for liturgists to fall prey to the sin of idolatry, making the things of the liturgy—rules and rubrics, symbols and actions, all the things of the senses—greater than the work of the Holy Spirit. Don’t … Read More
How children really learn who their neighbor is
Readings for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A Recently, I was on a shuttle bus at the airport, going from terminal to terminal. As the shuttle driver drove, he announced the names of the airlines at the upcoming … Read More
Citizens of two cities
Readings for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A One of the last documents to be promulgated from Vatican II is Gaudium et spes, the Constitution on the Church in the Modern World. Today’s Gospel might be a good … Read More
What not to wear to church
Readings for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A Some might be tempted to use the longer version of today’s Gospel to talk about “proper” dress in church. I know that some church leaders have been lauded for making … Read More
Reaping what we sow
Readings for the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A You reap what you sow. We see that clearly in the Gospel today. The violence and greed of the tenants blinded them to the foolishness of their plan. How could … Read More
Three ways Catholics can respond to gun violence – infographic
The most recent events in Las Vegas involving gun violence have put the spotlight on not only lawmakers but also on people of goodwill who genuinely want to offer prayers and thoughts for those affected by such overwhelming tragedy. As … Read More
Prayer in Time of Violence
I have to admit, God, that sometimes it’s hard to even call your name. On days like this I can’t help but think that if you had been there, we wouldn’t be here— —here in a world where so much … Read More
When doing ministry is not doing the Father’s will
Readings for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A Like many of you, I have spent most of my adult life doing something for the church—choosing and rehearsing music for Mass, preparing liturgies and liturgical ministers, teaching and writing … Read More
The privilege of opportunity
Readings for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A In today’s Gospel, one aspect of the landowner’s generosity is often overlooked. Not only did he give all the workers a just wage; he also gave everyone, even those who … Read More
A Year of Mercy isn’t enough
Readings for the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A It has been almost a year since Pope Francis closed the extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy in December, 2016. Perhaps we might take stock to see if anything about the … Read More
WWJD on the www?
Readings for the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A As immediate, remote, and anonymous communication has become so easy to do in our culture, something has shifted in us for the worse. Just read the comments on many Catholic … Read More
A Prayer for Dreamers
God of our waking and our sleeping, in every age, you have spoken to your prophets in dreams and visions and have promised that our sons and daughters shall prophesy through your Spirit. Through the dreams of young Joseph, you … Read More
Anything but this
Readings for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A Take up your cross and follow me. We may have heard these words many times, and we might easily say yes to this invitation. In reality, these words aren’t calling … Read More
Faith by heart
Readings for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A Have you ever met someone who responds to questions of faith with answers that sound like they come from a textbook? They may have a deep personal faith, but they … Read More
Does liturgy have anything to do with justice?
I am saddened that some who love the liturgy and love the church and care deeply about the injustice that plagues our world today still believe liturgy has no connection to justice. Some of them say things like, “Liturgy is … Read More
The courage to speak and the courage to be changed
Readings for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A The healing given to the Canaanite woman’s daughter is certainly a key focus for today. Yet we have clues in the first reading and responsorial psalm that draw our attention … Read More
Marian songs and devotions at Mass
Before you schedule the “Ave Maria” or plan to pray the Hail Mary during Mass for the Solemnity of the Assumption (or any Marian feast day), read the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of Sacraments’ document called … Read More
Six places in the Mass to make liturgy more reverent
If you ever feel that your parish Mass isn’t reverent enough, a good way to assess what’s wrong is to see if you’re observing the prescribed silences. The General Instruction on the Roman Missal, #45, says there should be silence: … Read More
A plea to listen to the tiny whisper in the storm of racism
A plea in light of Charlottesville, Virginia, and the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A Dear bishops, priests, and deacons, and any who will be preaching this Sunday, I know you’ve worked hard already on your homily for … Read More
A Sample Lenten Reconciliation Service
“When a number of penitents assemble at the same time to receive sacramental reconciliation, it is fitting that they be prepared for the sacrament by a celebration of the word of God. Those who will receive the sacrament at another … Read More
Music Ministry – Tip #2: Receive Communion with the Assembly
Here is one simple thing you can do to make your parish’s celebration of Mass even better: Share in Communion when the Assembly is sharing Communion. Long ago, when I was still a baby music minister, our choir would finish … Read More
Music Ministry – Tip #1: Start the Communion song immediately
Here is one simple thing you can do to make your parish’s celebration of Mass even better: Start the Communion song immediately. When I first became a music minister, our choir didn’t want to begin the Communion song until “after … Read More
The Presentation of Gifts
From the beginning of our Church, bread and wine have been brought forward by the people for the celebration of the Eucharist. In apostolic times, these gatherings took place in homes and privately-owned meeting rooms, and this presentation of gifts … Read More
Blessings for the Domestic Church
Every moment, joyful or painful, ordinary or amazing, is an opportunity for a blessing. To bless is to praise God always. To bless is to know that with God, “no thought of ours is left unguarded, no tear unheeded, no … Read More