Category: RRCreadings

  • Before Our Father

    A Patristic Homily on the Gospel Reading for today, Tuesday in the First Week of Lent, from the Catena Aurea of St Thomas Aquinas, using the words of Sts Augustine, John Cassian, John Chrysostom, and Pope Gregory the Great. Judaism has the teaching that God is the Father of us all. In the teaching of the…

  • Who is my Brethren?

    A Patristic Homily for the Monday in the First Week of Lent. From the Catena Aurea of St Thomas Aquinas, and the words of Sts John Chrysostom, Jerome, Augustine, Remigius, Gregory the Great, Rabanus, and Origen, the Teacher of the Fathers. Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for…

  • Lo, Mercy is Feasting.

    A Patristic Homily for the Saturday after Ash Wednesday. From the Catena Aurea of St Thomas Aquinas, and the words of Sts Bede the Venerable, Cyril, John Chrysostom, Ambrose, and Theophylact. Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners? Luke and Mark, for the honor of the Evangelist, are silent as to his…

  • Why Not Fast?

    A Patristic Homily for the Friday after Ash Wednesday.From the Catena Aurea of St Thomas Aquinas, and the words of Sts John Chrysostom, Jerome, Rabanus, Augustine, Hillary. Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but thy disciples fast not?” This is arrogance – to take…

  • Take Up and Deny

    A Patristic Homily for the Thursday after Ash Wednesday.From the Catena Aurea of St Thomas Aquinas, and the words of Sts John Chrysostom, Basil the Great, Bede the Venerable, Gregory the Great, and Theophylact, and also of Origen, the Teacher of the Fathers.If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up…

  • Do not Display Yourself

    For the Gospel for Ash Wednesday (Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18): A homily from the works of St John Chrysostom, Bishop. And when ye fast, be not as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Here we do well to sigh aloud, and to wail bitterly: for…

  • The Ark Option?

    Today’s readings: Hebrews 11:1-7 Mark 9:2-13 By faith Noah… with reverence built an ark for the salvation of his household. Hebrews 11:7 We had a baptism at Mass last Sunday, a rejoicing with the family and a chance to renew our vows as adult Christians making our covenant with the the new Child of God, to…

  • Tower Crossing.

    Today’s Readings: Genesis 11:1-9 Mark 8:34—9:1 Take up your cross. This phrase comes up whenever I meditate on the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary. As I contemplate the Mystery of Our Lord carrying his Cross for us I hear this reminder that I must carry my cross as well. We don’t do this “for Jesus”…

  • On the Road to Babel

    Today’s readings: Genesis 9:1-13 Mark 8:27-33 Dread fear of you shall come upon all the animals of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon all the creatures that move about on the ground and all the fishes of the sea; into your power they are delivered. Genesis 9:2-3 One way to view Genesis…

  • A Massage, Please Lord.

    Today’s Readings: Genesis 8:6-13, 20-22 Mark 8:22-26 Looking up the man replied, “I see people looking like trees and walking.”Then he laid hands on the man’s eyes a second time and he saw clearly; his sight was restored and he could see everything distinctly.Mark 8:24-25 Once a preacher described this as Jesus committing malpractice. Of…

  • Forty Days and Forty Nights

    Today’s Readings: Genesis 6:5-8; 7:1-5, 10 Mark 8:14-21 …Great was man’s wickedness on earth, and… no desire that his heart conceived was ever anything but evil… We will be reading about Noah (or Noe, as the Latin text calls him – which I like because of Noe Street, here in SF) over the next few…

  • Mark of Cain

    Today’s Readings: Gen 4:1-15, 25 Mark 8:11-13 Why are you so resentful and crestfallen. If you do well, you can hold up your head; but if not, sin is a demon lurking at the door: his urge is toward you, yet you can be his master.Genesis 4:6-7 This story of Cain and Abel is so…

  • Twerk It!

    Today’s readings: Sirach 15:15-20 1 Corinthians 2:6-10 Matthew 5:17-35 If you choose you can keep the commandments, they will save you; if you trust in God, you too shall live; he has set before you fire and water to whichever you choose, stretch forth your hand.Sirach 15:15-16 The traditional understanding of man’s freedom is set…

  • Take yer meds, bro.

    Today’s Readings: Genesis 3:9-24 Mark 8:1-10 Adam, where are you? Genesis 3:9 This is such a scene as no writer could invent. Sure, an all powerful Creator, that’s OK. Paradise is easy to imagine, as is a willful creature who runs away. But what writer (save one who knows this story by intimation or intellect)…

  • Who’s Yer Guy?

    Today’s readings: Genesis 3:1-8 Mark 7:31-37 I’ve been re-experiencing JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit: this time in the glorious audiobook recording by Rob Inglis. He’s long been the “canonical” voice of Middle Earth for me. Back in the Wild West days of the Internet (’97 or ’98) I found a downloadable (illicit) collection of audio files,…