Readings Numbers 11:25–29   Psalm 19:8,10,12–14  James 5:1–6    Mark 9:38–48 Chants Christ's Head Unknown Flemish Master, 16th c. (The Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp) To Belong to Christ Today’s Gospel begins with a scene that recalls a similar moment in the history of Israel, the episode recalled in today’s First Reading. The seventy elders who receive God’s Spirit through Moses prefigure…

Readings Wisdom 2:12,17-20   Psalm 54:3-8   James 3:16-4:3   Mark 9:30-37  Chants Christ Blessing the Children, Lucas Cranach, the Younger, 1540s Servant of All In today’s First Reading, it’s like we have our ears pressed to the wall and can hear the murderous grumblings of the elders, chief priests and scribes who last week Jesus predicted would torture and kill Him (see…

Readings Isaiah 50:4-9  Psalm 116:1-6, 8-9  James 2:14-18  Mark 8:27-35 (see also “Finding Christ in the Psalms”)  Chants Christ, Godescalc Evangelistary, 783 Following the Messiah In today’s Gospel, we reach a pivotal moment in our walk with the Lord. After weeks of listening to His words and witnessing His deeds, along with the disciples we’re asked to decide who Jesus truly…

Readings Isaiah 35:4-7 Psalm 146:7-10 James 2:1-5 Mark 7:31-37 Chants The Blessing Christ, Fernando Gallego, 1492 All Things Well The incident in today’s Gospel is recorded only by Mark. The key line is what the crowd says at the end: “He has done all things well.” In the Greek, this echoes the creation story, recalling that God saw all the…

Readings Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8  Psalm 15:2-5  James 1:17-18, 21-22, 27  Mark 7:1-8,14-15, 21-23 Chants Christ and the Adulteress (detail), Lucas Cranach the Elder, 1532 Pure Religion Today’s Gospel casts Jesus in a prophetic light, as one having authority to interpret God’s law. Jesus’ quotation from Isaiah today is ironic (see Isaiah 29:13). In observing the law, the Pharisees honor God…

Readings Joshua 24:1-2, 15-18  Psalm 34:2-3, 16-23  Ephesians 5:21-32  John 6:60-69 Chants Christ between the Virgin and St. John the Baptist (detail) Jan Gossaert, c. 1515 A Choice to Make This Sunday’s Mass readings conclude a four-week meditation on the Eucharist. The 12 apostles in today’s Gospel are asked to make a choice—either to believe and accept the new covenant…

Readings Proverbs 9:1-6  Psalm 34:2-3, 10-15  Ephesians 5:15-20  John 6:51-58 Chants Christ Feeding the 4000, Gospel of Otto III, c. 996 Wisdom’s Feast  The Wisdom of God has prepared a feast, we hear in today’s First Reading. We must become like children (see Matthew 18:3-4) to hear and accept this invitation. For in every Eucharist, it is the folly of…

Readings 1 Kings 19:4-8 Psalm 34:2-9 Ephesians 4:30-5:2 John 6:41-51 Chants Christ Resurrected, Unknown Gothic Master, c. 1450 (Burgenländisches Landesmuseum, Eisenstadt) Take and Eat Sometimes we feel like Elijah in today’s First Reading. We want to lie down and die, keenly aware of our failures, that we seem to be getting no better at doing what God wants of us.…

Readings Exodus 16:2–4, 12–15  Psalm 78:3–4, 23–25, 54  Ephesians 4:17, 20–24  John 6:24–35 Chants Feeding of the Four Thousand, from The Sinope Gospels, Syria or Constantinople, 6th c.* Endurance Test The journey of discipleship is a life-long exodus from the slavery of sin and death to the holiness of truth in Mount Zion, the promised land of eternal life. The…

Readings  2 Kings 4:42-44  Psalm 145:10-11, 15-18  Ephesians 4:1-6  John 6:1-15 Chants The Feeding of the Five Thousandfrom the Prayer Book of Hildegard of Bingen, c. 1180 Bread Left Over Today’s liturgy brings together several strands of Old Testament expectation to reveal Jesus as Israel’s promised Messiah and king, the Lord who comes to feed His people. Notice the parallels…