Liturgical Bible Study Guide: 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Cycle A
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 […]
Liturgical Bible Study Guide: 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Cycle A
1st Reading – Isaiah 49:3, 5-6 The Jerusalem Bible titles this reading “The Second Song of the Servant of Yahweh”. There are four servant songs in Isaiah (42:1-7; 49:1-7; 50:4-9; 52:13-53:12). They describe poetically the person (or nation) that will bring people to an awareness of God’s power, justice, and love. The servant will do […]
Liturgical Bible Study Guide: Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God Cycle A
Introduction According to The Compact History of the Catholic Church by Alan Schreck, “The Bishop of Alexandria, Nestorius, denied that Mary could be called theotokos, meaning “God bearer” or Mother of God. He was part of a theological group called the school of Antioch, which did not want to risk any confusion between the divine […]
Liturgical Bible Study Guide: Solemnity of Christmas (During the Day) Cycle A
1st Reading – Isaiah 52:7-10 The period of advent is now completed and we celebrate the birth of our Lord some 2,000 years ago. Jesus, the Messiah, is the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies. During the Advent season we heard some of these prophecies and today we hear another. This one, by Isaiah, the […]