Sunday Scriptures

This weekend we celebrate the third Sunday in Advent. One of the few times of the year that we see a unique color used in the liturgy, namely rose.

The word Advent means “coming,” and today’s liturgical texts focus on the coming of Jesus Christ — to be more precise, on multiple comings of Christ. Advent is about a lot more than Christmas.

This is the message of the first reading and holy Gospel for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time. The timing of this proclamation is not accidental. It comes one week before the feast of Christ the King, and the subsequent start of Advent one week later.

What brings people into the Church? What drives a person who is not Catholic to convert to Catholicism? I doubt it’s the result of a convincing argument. What brings someone who is Catholic but has stopped practicing the faith back to the Church? This last question, I can answer partially from my own experience.

The theme of the readings for Oct. 16 is persistent prayer.

Wise people know that before making judgments, it’s important to gather the facts. The same goes for growing in wisdom of the Scriptures. Knowing the context before and after a particular section helps enlighten the verses being studied, gaining for us insights that we can apply to our lives.

On pilgrimage with the Visitation Sisters, we had arrived just moments before Mass was to begin. Walking by the sacristy, the sacristan surprised me with the question, “Priest?” I said, “Yes.” Pointing inside he said, “Hurry.”

“God in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor.”