Liturgical Bible Study Guide: 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time Cycle A

7th Sunday in Ordinary Time

1st Reading – Leviticus 19:1-2, 17-18 The book of Leviticus focuses mainly on one of the tribes of Israel: Levi, and particularly on its priests and their duties in regard to divine worship. It is a book intended primarily for priests (Levites) while Deuteronomy is intended primarily for the laity. The Leviticus account begins with […]

Liturgical Bible Study Guide: 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time Cycle A

6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

1st Reading – Sirach 15:15-20 The author of Sirach was Jesus, the son of Eleazar, of the family of Sirach. He was by profession a teacher of Wisdom in Jerusalem. Sirach wrote during the early decades of the 2nd century before Christ, just prior to the Maccabean wars. During this critical period of Jewish history, […]

Liturgical Bible Study Guide: 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time Cycle A

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

1st Reading – Isaiah 58:7-10 Until the 18th century it was presumed that Isaiah of Jerusalem wrote all 66 chapters of the book which bears his name. The tradition of single authorship was first questioned around the year 1167 but serious questions were not raised until the late 1770’s and early 1780’s. At that time […]

Liturgical Bible Study Guide: 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time Cycle A

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

1st Reading – Zephaniah 2:3, 3:12-13 Zephaniah (means “Yahweh protects”) is possibly a descendent of King Hezekiah. He prophesied in Josiah’s reign (640-609 B.C.), when there was an attempt, serious but of limited success and duration, to undo the apostasy of Josiah’s predecessor Manasseh who was the son and successor of Hezekiah. Manasseh was the […]

Liturgical Bible Study Guide: 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Cycle A

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

1st Reading – Isaiah 8:23 – 9:3 Today we hear from a portion of Isaiah called the “Book of Emmanuel.” This book encompasses chapters 7 through 12. The portion we read from today is titled “The Prince of Peace.” The events described in Chapters 7 through 12 took place between 735 and 733 B.C. It […]