Sunday Commentary is a blog written by a priest.
Friday December 31 7TH DAY IN THE OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS LAST DAY OF THE YEAR Introduction Today the liturgy fits in very well with the celebration of New Year’s Eve: it both looks forward to the end of time (first reading) and back to the beginning: to the Word that created all and came […]
SHINING STAR – LIGHT FOR ALL PEOPLES YEARS A B C Introduction A land of passage, the subject of disputes, a crossroads of people, culture, race, and language! Palestine was invaded and occupied in turn by Egyptian Pharaohs and princes of Mesopotamia. The desire to take revenge against the oppressors was long cultivated […]
NEW YEAR’S DAY YEARS A B C BLESS, DON’T CURSE: IT IS THE WAY OF PEACE Introduction Christians have always connected the traditional New Year’s feast to a motive of their faith. Before the liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council, Jesus’ circumcision was celebrated on this feast. It took place, according to Luke, […]
FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY – YEAR C NEITHER DEVALUED NOR IDOLIZED Introduction ‘Children are God’s gift to the world, and they belong to everyone.’ Here is a phrase that sometimes provokes the jealousy of mothers, jealousy a symptom of a possessive love for their son who is increasingly unique, overprotected, pampered, over-defended. The […]
THE BIRTH OF THE LORD – YEARS A B C (Mass of the day) GOD HAS REVEALED HIS JUSTICE Introduction From the beginning, humankind’s history—the Bible tells us—is a series of sins. In Genesis Chapter 6, the sacred author, with a bold anthropomorphism, says: “The Lord saw how great was the wickedness of man […]
THE BIRTH OF THE LORD – YEARS A B C (Midnight Mass) LIGHT FOR THOSE WHO LIVE IN DARKNESS Introduction The darkness covered the abyss when “God said, let there be light” (Gen 1:2-3). Light is the first word thatGod speaks in the Bible. That word marks the beginning of creation (Gen 1:3). And since “God saw that the light was […]
Fourth Sunday of Advent – Year C “Answer me, for I am poor” (Ps 86:1), so prays the Psalmist. It surprises the reason he thinks to convince God to intervene on his behalf: I am poor. To gain access to the palaces of the sovereigns, of the rulers of this world, solid recommendations are necessary, titles […]
Third Sunday of Advent – Year C What does a person ask of life, if not happiness? The Hebrew Bible employs something like twenty-seven synonyms to express feelings of joy. Nothing is more contrary to the Bible, then, than the religion of sorrow, of mourning, of the frowning faces that we sometimes see in […]
Immaculate Conception of the blessed Virgin Mary (December 8) There is a way to present the figure of Mary that discourages instead of animating. She is referred to as the absolutely exceptional woman, exempted from original sin and its tragic consequences—and that’s not because of her own merit, but for a unique divine privilege—confirmed […]
Second Sunday of Advent – Year C Statistics say that 90% of women do not like themselves and try in every way (by imposing diets, doing aerobics, choosing a new look, resorting to cosmetic surgery) to improve their image. The ancients—for whom their names signified the person’s characteristics—would have defined these efforts as the […]