The Book of Daniel may appear to be prophetic in nature, but it is actually an example of a literary genre known as “Apocalyptic,” which was popular during the period from about 200 B.C. to 100 A.D. This was a time of stress and persecution for Jews and, later, for Christians.
Far Greater Can Await Us
Our first reading from 2nd Kings is an interesting story about the prophet Elisha and a Shunammite woman who showed him hospitality. On the surface, it would appear that the golden thread this week is hospitality, but it goes deeper than that.
The Unbreakable Bond
The mystery of the Holy Trinity is the central mystery of our faith, but it is a mystery that is beyond human reason. We cannot understand the Trinity intellectually; we can only grasp the concept of one God in three persons through faith.
The Early Church
Once again, our first reading this week comes from St. Luke’s: “The Acts of the Apostles” rather than from the Old Testament, as is the case on most Sundays.
Doubting Thomas
Divine Mercy Sunday was established by Pope John Paul II on April 30, 2000, in recognition of visions received by Sr. Faustina Kowalska of Poland in the 1930’s in which Jesus promised an overflow of Divine Mercy on the Sunday after Easter.
Palm Sunday Readings
On Palm Sunday, we first have a processional gospel of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem from the Gospel of Matthew, readings from Isaiah and Philippians, and the Passion of Christ according to Matthew. There is far too much to comment on, but I’ll try to give you my “readers digest version.”
Not As Man Sees Does God See
For those unfamiliar with the stories of King David, David was actually the second king of Israel. Saul was anointed by Samuel as the first king, but Saul fell out of favor with God and was rejected by God as king. That brings us to our reading wherein Samuel is commanded by God to anoint David as Saul’s successor.
Faith Maintained
Genesis chapter 12 is entitled “Abram’s Call and Migration” and is our introduction to Abraham. The first point to notice is that his name at this point of the narrative is Abram;
Purified Remnant of Israel
Most scholars seem to agree that the last ten chapters of Isaiah (56-66), with the exception of a few passages here and there, were written at the end of the Babylonian Captivity (597-538 B.C.)
The Book of Immanuel
Chapters 7-12 of Isaiah are often referred to as “The Book of Immanuel,” and the overall message of these chapters is eventual messianic salvation.









