Tag Archives: penance

During the season of Lent, the Office of Readings gives us long narratives from the book of Exodus. We think Ten Commandments, plus the hundreds that follow. But much of the first half of the book continues the Genesis narrative. … Continue reading →

Parish reconciliation this past weekend, and an eye-opener for me. The pastor chose two readings from the First Sunday of Advent this year. I’m familiar with the citations here, “rend the heavens and come down,” the no-ear, no-eye passage, and … Continue reading →

In preparing my parish’s summer Bible study, I’ve gone deeper into the book of Job than ever. In the midst of the whining, lament, sarcasm, accusations, and preaching, I’ve found the occasional gem. What do you make of this passage? … Continue reading →

A similar passage may be found in Mark, at 12:28-34. We covered that one on this post. The Lucan parallel is in verses 25-28 of that Gospel’s tenth chapter. That brief passage is not given as an option in the … Continue reading →

Continuing from the first part of Micah, chapter six, we come to the conclusion offered by the prophet on the question of what should we do to be just, in the right, or “good” in God’s eyes. Earlier the prophet … Continue reading →

The final scene of Luke 15 gets a lot of mileage these days. I’m not sure it can be overstated. Jesus is clearly poking at Pharisees and scribes for whom this story was created in the first place. Like he … Continue reading →

My wife remarked on the promos for the upcoming tv production, The Story of God. If we want insight about God off the tube, the parables of Luke 15 tell us quite a lot. While he was still a long … Continue reading →

We continue with our brief reflection on the parable of the two sons. In the last post, we left off with a stranger in an alien land. Suddenly, his experience inspires a sense of loss. It seems sudden, and can … Continue reading →

The longest parable of the Lord is cited as much as ever these days by the proponents of mercy. This familiar story is also recommended for use in the Rite of Penance. Does that familiarity damage the power of the … Continue reading →

What a powerful and wrenching option for the Rite of Penance. It certainly keeps our thoughts on the suffering, yet merciful Christ. This reading is proclaimed every Good Friday. I remember a student lector from my days at Michigan State’s … Continue reading →

The Palm Sunday Psalm is one of the choices in the Rite of Penance. In the ritual book, it is joined by Isaiah 53, the canticle of 1 Peter (used as a reading) and Mark’s account of the final prediction of the … Continue reading →

Saint Augustine identified seven psalms as “penitential.” The 32nd is one of four of those utilized for the Rite of Penance. (Psalms 6, 91, and 102 were not chosen–perhaps possible inclusions for the next edition of the Rite.) Nine years … Continue reading →

Scripture scholars categorize the 90th psalm as a communal lament. Sounds about right for the Rite of Penance. The given antiphon in the rite is: Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we will sing for joy! Do Catholics … Continue reading →

We covered this psalm in our funeral series here. It’s an acrostic meditation, each line begins with a progressive letter in the Hebrew alphabet. These compositions are not usually as tight as others, and the 25th Psalm does tend to … Continue reading →

Verses 3-11 are used for the Easter Vigil. As for the funeral Mass pericope, it ends with verse 9. The opening difference is that first line, a question from Saint Paul: How can we who died to sin yet live … Continue reading →