Liturgical Bible Study Guide: 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Cycle A

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

1st Reading – Jeremiah 20:7-9 Jeremiah lived through one of the most troubled periods of the ancient near east. He witnessed the fall of a great empire (Assyria) and the rising of one even greater (Babylon). In the midst of this turmoil, the kingdom of Judah, then in the hands of deplorable kings, came to its downfall by […]

Liturgical Bible Study Guide: 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time Cycle A

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

1st Reading – Isaiah 22:19-23 At various times we have reviewed the three author theory for the Book of Isaiah, the last time being the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time for this cycle. The first reading for this week comes from the first portion, that which has been attributed to Isaiah himself by all scholars. But are there […]

Liturgical Bible Study Guide: 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time Cycle A

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

1st Reading – Isaiah 56:1, 6-7 The name Isaiah means “Yahweh is salvation.” His book is the first of the books of the major prophets, majority being determined by the length of their writings. Although at the time of Christ the entire book was believed to have been written by Isaiah himself, more modern scholarship now sees three […]

Liturgical Bible Study Guide: 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time Cycle A

19 Sunday in Ordinary Time

1st Reading – 1 Kings 19:9a, 11-13a The nineteenth chapter of 1st Kings is the Elijah story which has close parallels with the story of Moses on the same mountain (Sinai/Horeb). Both journey to the mountain to meet God; Moses while fleeing from the Egyptians, and Elijah while fleeing from Jezebel. Both even receive miraculous rations in route […]

Liturgical Bible Study Guide: Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord Cycle A

Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

Introduction According to explicit accounts in the first three gospels (Matthew 17:1-13; Mark 9:2-13; Luke 9:28-36), the Apostles Peter, James and John witnessed an unveiling of the divine glory of Christ, and the appearance with Him of Moses and Elijah. This event has come to be called the Transfiguration on the basis of the scriptural report, “He was transfigured […]