PAN DE LA SEMANA

21 st Sunday Year B August 26, 2012 DISCIPLES AND BELIEVERS It seems to me the third time in these past few weeks that we have exactly the same response after the first reading: “Taste and   see the goodness of the Lord.” Why, you might wonder? Why not? This is also the nth time in a row of Sundays when we are given repetitive reminders about the great Sacrament of the Eucharist. But before I delve into something at one and the same time sacrosanct and deeply theological stuff, let me lay the human foundations first. Let me first remind you what transpired in the first reading, and what the second reading seems to be calling our attention to. The first reading reminds me of a graduation ceremony. The time has come to say goodbye and reap rewards at the end of a well-done journey and well-spent time working. Joshua, who led the people into the promised land, on behalf of Moses, was just about to say good-bye. But parting, among other th...

Catholic Homily / Sunday Reflection 21 st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) August 23, 2009 All three readings today revolve around the basic idea of choice. In the first reading, we are presented with a dramatic call made to the tribes of Israel by Joshua, asking them to decide, that is, to make a choice between two false gods. Joshua, the same passage tells us, was clear about his own choice: “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” St. Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, illustrates as best he could, culling from the culture and practice of his times, what choosing to “live in Christ, as Christ loved us” meant. Choosing to live in Him entails, in concrete, a life of mutual fidelity to one another, a life of mutual service. Nowhere is this love of mutuality and selfless service to each other, coming closest to taking part and sharing in Christ’s paschal mystery – His death and life – as in the love that ought to reign between husbands an...