Preaching – 1st Sunday Lent (B)
USCCB PODCAST
Sunday Readings
PLANNING
- First readings for Lent in Cycle B focus our attention on covenants with God. This week we hear about God’s covenant with Noah after the flood. Next Sunday we will hear of God’s covenant with Abraham and his descendants. The Third Sunday of Lent brings us the terms of the covenant God made with Moses after the Exodus. The first reading for the Fourth Sunday of Lent sees the destruction of Jerusalem and the Israelites’ exile as a result of unfaithfulness to the covenant.
- Of course, this theme will only last for the first two Sundays if you have catechumens ready for the final stage of their preparation for the Easter sacraments. In that case, the readings for the Third, Fourth and Fifth Sundays of Lent will come from Cycle A, at least at whatever Masses you celebrate the scrutinies.
- If you have such catechumens in your faith community, this First Sunday of Lent is the day to celebrate the Rite of Sending of the Catechumens for Election. This rite, an optional rite for the United States, helps to link the whole parish with the celebration of the Rite of Election with the bishop, commonly celebrated at the cathedral and/or a centrally located parish later in the day. The rubrics and texts for the Rite of Sending are found in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, beginning at #106.
- One of the major deficits in the implementation of the RCIA in many parishes is the lack of involvement of the whole parish in the journey of the candidates. If your parish has involved the whole community throughout the process, then this rite offers an opportunity for the parish to share in this key moment in the catechumen’s journey of faith. If you haven’t adequately involved the community throughout the whole process, it’s still important to do so during Lent.
- Remember that Lent developed in conjunction with these final days of the catechumenate in ancient times. The whole community joined with the “elect” (as catechumens who have been called to the sacraments by the bishop are now called) to deepen their own conversion, so that they could richly celebrate the renewal of their own baptism at Easter. The journey of the elect and the Lenten journey of the already baptized merge into a shared experience of repentance and renewal
- Even if you don’t have any catechumens in your own parish, try to find ways to help parishioners link their Lenten practices with the elect’s spiritual journey. Can you gather names of the elect in neighboring parishes and pray for them throughout Lent? Might your parishioners write short letters to those preparing for the Easter sacraments, offering their prayers and support?
Adapted: LAWRENCE MICK ©2018: The pastoral/worship planning resource from 2018 Reflections, 2020 Reflections can be read at National Catholic Reporter website.
OUR SUNDAY READINGS
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Study Guide for October 8
Author: Study Guide for October 8 - on September 24, 2023
Here’s a link to the Sunday readings for Oct. 8 (usccb.org). Sample Commentary on Isaiah 5:1-7 The prophet uses a play on words to explain the difference between the plump, juicy grapes that God wanted and the small, sour grapes he got. God planned for a harvest of justice (mishpat) and righteousness (sedaqah). Instead, the
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Study Guide for October 1
Author: Study Guide for October 1 - on September 17, 2023
Here’s a link to the Sunday readings for Oct. 1 (usccb.org). Sample Commentary on Ezekiel 18:25-28 The Israelites had a strong communal identity. One person’s actions could affect the whole community. Sometimes the consequences extended to the person’s descendants. Children thus bore the repercussions of the sins of their parents. As an ancient proverb put
PRO-LIFE MESSAGE
Lent is a time to remember that God first reached out to us. This was not a meagre, one-time gesture like those we often make and withdraw, but a profound, lasting and healing covenant. During this season, we reflect on and ask forgiveness for our own alienating, sinful actions. We ponder in deep prayer and silence that God has invested everything, including a beloved Son, into this relationship.
CATHOLIC MORAL THEOLOGY
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Receiving Our True Names: 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
Author: Receiving Our True Names: 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time - on August 24, 2023
Isaiah 22:19-23 Psalm 138 Romans 11:33-36 Matthew 16:13-20 On our own, we cannot discover who we really are. Our true identity is given to us as a reply to our confession of the identity of another. That claim seems to run directly counter to the dominant social dynamics of our age. We are charged with
-
Election Then Inclusion: 20th Sun OT
Author: Election Then Inclusion: 20th Sun OT - on August 16, 2023
It can be hard for us to understand this week’s readings unless we are able to understand better the dynamics of Israel and “the nations” in the biblical story. Without this backdrop, it’s easy to become preoccupied with Paul’s claim about making his Jewish brethren jealous or (more scandalously) Jesus’ apparent dismissal of Gentiles by
-
Seventeenth Week of Ordinary Time: Hold Fast Even Now
Author: Seventeenth Week of Ordinary Time: Hold Fast Even Now - on July 27, 2023
The readings for this Sunday can be found here. The collect prayer for this Sunday includes the petition: “grant that…we may use the good things that pass in such a way as to hold fast even now to those that ever endure.” During this time of summer, it seems a particularly apt prayer. Many of
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16th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Attending to the Small Stuff
Author: 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Attending to the Small Stuff - on July 19, 2023
Wis 12:13, 16-19Ps 86:5-6, 9-10, 15-16Rom 8:26-27Mt 13:24-43 When I was a kid, I remember there was a saying something like, “Don’t sweat the small stuff.” I think that was supposed to be a statement about not worrying too much, not getting overly hung up on details that, in the grand scheme of things, will
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Parable of the Compost Pile? – 15th Sun OT
Author: Parable of the Compost Pile? – 15th Sun OT - on July 12, 2023
My wife and I were behind in getting our flower boxes going this year. She insisted that we buy some marigolds from the garden store; I (in my everlasting cheapness) wanted to use the seeds that I had saved from last year’s marigolds. She pointed out that when we tried to use seeds in the
- First readings for Lent in Cycle B focus our attention on covenants with God. This week we hear about God’s covenant with Noah after the flood. Next Sunday we will hear of God’s covenant with Abraham and his descendants. The Third Sunday of Lent brings us the terms of the covenant God made with Moses after the Exodus. The first reading for the Fourth Sunday of Lent sees the destruction of Jerusalem and the Israelites’ exile as a result of unfaithfulness to the covenant.
- Of course, this theme will only last for the first two Sundays if you have catechumens ready for the final stage of their preparation for the Easter sacraments. In that case, the readings for the Third, Fourth and Fifth Sundays of Lent will come from Cycle A, at least at whatever Masses you celebrate the scrutinies.
- If you have such catechumens in your faith community, this First Sunday of Lent is the day to celebrate the Rite of Sending of the Catechumens for Election. This rite, an optional rite for the United States, helps to link the whole parish with the celebration of the Rite of Election with the bishop, commonly celebrated at the cathedral and/or a centrally located parish later in the day. The rubrics and texts for the Rite of Sending are found in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, beginning at #106.
- One of the major deficits in the implementation of the RCIA in many parishes is the lack of involvement of the whole parish in the journey of the candidates. If your parish has involved the whole community throughout the process, then this rite offers an opportunity for the parish to share in this key moment in the catechumen’s journey of faith. If you haven’t adequately involved the community throughout the whole process, it’s still important to do so during Lent.
- Remember that Lent developed in conjunction with these final days of the catechumenate in ancient times. The whole community joined with the “elect” (as catechumens who have been called to the sacraments by the bishop are now called) to deepen their own conversion, so that they could richly celebrate the renewal of their own baptism at Easter. The journey of the elect and the Lenten journey of the already baptized merge into a shared experience of repentance and renewal
- Even if you don’t have any catechumens in your own parish, try to find ways to help parishioners link their Lenten practices with the elect’s spiritual journey. Can you gather names of the elect in neighboring parishes and pray for them throughout Lent? Might your parishioners write short letters to those preparing for the Easter sacraments, offering their prayers and support?
Adapted: LAWRENCE MICK ©2018: The pastoral/worship planning resource from 2018 Reflections, 2020 Reflections can be read at National Catholic Reporter website.
-
Study Guide for October 8
Author: Study Guide for October 8 - on September 24, 2023
Here’s a link to the Sunday readings for Oct. 8 (usccb.org). Sample Commentary on Isaiah 5:1-7 The prophet uses a play on words to explain the difference between the plump, juicy grapes that God wanted and the small, sour grapes he got. God planned for a harvest of justice (mishpat) and righteousness (sedaqah). Instead, the
-
Study Guide for October 1
Author: Study Guide for October 1 - on September 17, 2023
Here’s a link to the Sunday readings for Oct. 1 (usccb.org). Sample Commentary on Ezekiel 18:25-28 The Israelites had a strong communal identity. One person’s actions could affect the whole community. Sometimes the consequences extended to the person’s descendants. Children thus bore the repercussions of the sins of their parents. As an ancient proverb put
Lent is a time to remember that God first reached out to us. This was not a meagre, one-time gesture like those we often make and withdraw, but a profound, lasting and healing covenant. During this season, we reflect on and ask forgiveness for our own alienating, sinful actions. We ponder in deep prayer and silence that God has invested everything, including a beloved Son, into this relationship.
-
Receiving Our True Names: 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
Author: Receiving Our True Names: 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time - on August 24, 2023
Isaiah 22:19-23 Psalm 138 Romans 11:33-36 Matthew 16:13-20 On our own, we cannot discover who we really are. Our true identity is given to us as a reply to our confession of the identity of another. That claim seems to run directly counter to the dominant social dynamics of our age. We are charged with
-
Election Then Inclusion: 20th Sun OT
Author: Election Then Inclusion: 20th Sun OT - on August 16, 2023
It can be hard for us to understand this week’s readings unless we are able to understand better the dynamics of Israel and “the nations” in the biblical story. Without this backdrop, it’s easy to become preoccupied with Paul’s claim about making his Jewish brethren jealous or (more scandalously) Jesus’ apparent dismissal of Gentiles by
-
Seventeenth Week of Ordinary Time: Hold Fast Even Now
Author: Seventeenth Week of Ordinary Time: Hold Fast Even Now - on July 27, 2023
The readings for this Sunday can be found here. The collect prayer for this Sunday includes the petition: “grant that…we may use the good things that pass in such a way as to hold fast even now to those that ever endure.” During this time of summer, it seems a particularly apt prayer. Many of
-
16th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Attending to the Small Stuff
Author: 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Attending to the Small Stuff - on July 19, 2023
Wis 12:13, 16-19Ps 86:5-6, 9-10, 15-16Rom 8:26-27Mt 13:24-43 When I was a kid, I remember there was a saying something like, “Don’t sweat the small stuff.” I think that was supposed to be a statement about not worrying too much, not getting overly hung up on details that, in the grand scheme of things, will
-
Parable of the Compost Pile? – 15th Sun OT
Author: Parable of the Compost Pile? – 15th Sun OT - on July 12, 2023
My wife and I were behind in getting our flower boxes going this year. She insisted that we buy some marigolds from the garden store; I (in my everlasting cheapness) wanted to use the seeds that I had saved from last year’s marigolds. She pointed out that when we tried to use seeds in the
