Browsing Fr. Bob's Columns
Fourth Sunday of Advent
Posted by Christine Rasure on 12/15/22
Fourth Sunday of Advent – “Immanu-el”, Hebrew for “God is with us!” This is the primary message from the Lord to us in this Christmas season. The Son of God is going to enter into our world as a child born of a young woman, and thus God will ... Read More »
Third Sunday of Advent
Posted by Christine Rasure on 12/09/22
Third Sunday of Advent – “Then What Did You Go Out To See?”The people of Judea were going out to see John the Baptist. What or who are we looking for when we come to church? In Matthew’s gospel today, Jesus answered questions about his own identity that were ... Read More »
Second Sunday of Advent
Posted by Christine Rasure on 12/04/22
Second Sunday of Advent – “Repent!” But who likes to repent?Today in the Gospel, John the Baptist is busy getting people prepared for the Coming of the Messiah by warning us, “Repent! For the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” There is an urgency about John’s ministry – the ... Read More »
First Sunday of Advent
Posted by Christine Rasure on 11/26/22
First Sunday of Advent – “Be Prepared!”A long, long time ago I was once a Boy Scout in Troop 336 at St. Michael’s Parish in Shrewsbury. One of the things that I learned from my Boy Scout manual was the Boy Scout Motto, “Be Prepared!” A well-trained Scout was ... Read More »
Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
Posted by Christine Rasure on 11/19/22
Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe – Do we really have a king?Today’s solemn feast is the last Sunday of the Liturgical Year; next Sunday begins the Season of Advent. So on this present Sunday, we reflect on Jesus in an unaccustomed way – Christ ... Read More »
Is time running out?
Posted by Christine Rasure on 11/11/22
33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time – “Is time running out?”No, I am not talking about a hockey or football game. Rather, the Word of God this weekend lets us know that “Lo, the day is coming…” and “the days will come… .” The Church is letting us know the ... Read More »
One Bride for Seven Brothers?
Posted by Christine Rasure on 11/04/22
32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time – One Bride for Seven Brothers?Today’s Gospel story would never have made it in Hollywood; the musical “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” was more delightful. The Sadducees’ tragic make-believe story about one bride enduring the death of seven different brothers, each becoming her husband ... Read More »
Solemnity of All Saints
Posted by Christine Rasure on 10/28/22
Solemnity of All Saints – Tuesday, November 1Tuesday’s liturgy, a Holy Day of obligation, celebrates all those “saints” down through the centuries who have faithfully lived in the life of Christ and his Church here on earth and are now with our Lord in heaven. This communion of saints ... Read More »
Persistent in Prayer? Persistent in Seeking Justice?
Posted by Christine Rasure on 10/15/22
29th Sunday In Ordinary Time: Persistent in Prayer? Persistent in Seeking Justice?In the Gospel today, we have Jesus sharing a fairly well-known parable of the “persistent widow” and the “unjust judge.” Jesus’ listeners would have thought that this was like David vs. Goliath; the widow would have no chance ... Read More »
28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Posted by Christine Rasure on 10/04/22
Thanking Jesus For Healing Us?In this familiar Gospel story, we hear about Jesus healing a leper who is not a Jew but a Samaritan. This large group lived in the Holy Land between Galilee in the north and Jerusalem and Judea in the south. There was great animosity between ... Read More »