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By Dr. John BergsmaSlavery is not a good thing. God's liberation of the people of Israel from the condition of slavery—an event we call "the Exodus," literally, "the road out"—is one of the most important events and motifs in the whole Bible. Although loosely related, the Readings for this Sunday are linked by the theme of the Exodus. In the First Reading, the Exodus is prophesied; in the Gospel, Jesus begins a New Exodus that culminates in the Last Supper and Calvary. 1. Our First Reading is Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18: The Lord God took Abram outside and said, “Look up...

By Dr. John BergsmaAt the beginning of Lent, the Church reads to us the account of Jesus doing spiritual combat with the devil in the wilderness, reminding us that Lent is a time of warfare. Through our Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, we do battle with the power of the devil in our lives, and with God’s grace, defeat him decisively. 1. The First Reading is Deuteronomy 26:4-10: Moses spoke to the people, saying: “The priest shall receive the basket from you and shall set it in front of the altar of the LORD, your God. Then you...

By Dr. John BergsmaSeveral years ago, Charles Barkley, when confronted with the misdeeds of his private life, famously quipped, “I’m not paid to be a role model. I’m paid to wreak havoc on the basketball court.” He went on to rake in quite a bundle of cash making an “I’m no role model” commercial with Nike. Many people felt, despite the appearance of laudable honesty, Barkley’s posturing was a kind of excuse to escape culpability for the bad example he sets for youth. It’s too bad that the young don’t have many prominent role models to follow these days, especially...

By Dr. John BergsmaIn many years, we wouldn’t have a seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time, because of how Lent usually falls, but we do this year, and it is providential, because the teachings of the Readings for this Lord’s Day are particularly relevant. The Readings are united by the theme of love for enemies, which is one of the most difficult forms of love to practice. The First Reading and the Gospel show that, in both the Old Covenant and the New Covenant eras, God is on the side of those who pay back hatred with love. 1. Our First...

By Dr. John BergsmaAs we continue our journey through the Gospel of Luke in Ordinary Time, Jesus keeps teaching us that his kingdom, the Kingdom of God, reverses many of our expectations and stereotypes. His is a kingdom where the typical markings of “blessing”—health, wealth, prosperity, power—are doomed to woe, and the typical markings of “curse”—weakness, sickness, poverty, humiliation—are signs of happiness and rejoicing. What is going on? Jesus’ teaching “upsets our apple cart” and forces us to think more deeply about who God is and who we are. 1. Our First Reading is from Jeremiah 17:5-8: Thus says the...

By Dr. John BergsmaIn the First Reading and Gospel, we see both Isaiah and Peter, heroes of faith, humbled by their unworthiness, and yet eager to fulfill the mission for which God has chosen them. As we share their sense of unworthiness, we should also embrace their zeal to share God’s Word. 1. Our First Reading is Isaiah 6:1-2a, 3-8: In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, with the train of his garment filling the temple. Seraphim were stationed above…They cried one to the other, “Holy, holy, holy is the...

By Dr. John BergsmaWe have a truly unusual situation this Sunday. Under normal circumstances, it would be the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, but it just so happens that this year, the Feast of the Presentation (pegged to Feb. 2) falls on the Sunday and “outranks” the regular Lord’s Day obligation. The result is that many persons who do not regularly attend daily mass will have the rare experience of celebrating the full liturgy for the Feast of the Presentation. The Readings for this Feast Day focus on the theme of the priesthood of Christ, seeing a kind of sacerdotal...

By Dr. John BergsmaThe past three Sundays have focused on the three early “manifestations” or “epiphanies” of Jesus’ divine nature recorded in the Gospels: the Visit of the Magi, the Baptism, and the Wedding at Cana. Now the Lectionary “settles in” to Ordinary Time, which this year involves reading through the Gospel of Luke. This Sunday, we pick up the introduction to Luke’s Gospel (Luke 1:1-4), but then skip to the beginning of Jesus’ ministry (Luke 4:14-21) because we’ve already heard all the accounts of Jesus’ childhood and early life (Luke 1–3) during Advent, Christmas and Epiphany. The Readings this...

By Dr. John BergsmaThis Sunday we remain in the afterglow of Epiphany, the celebration of the “manifestation” of Jesus’ divine glory. [Greek epi – phaino = “shine upon” = “reveal, manifest.”] Epiphany, which once was its own season (like Advent or Christmas), has often been associated with three events from the Gospels: the Magi, the Baptism, and the Wedding at Cana. These are the first events that reveal or “manifest” Jesus’ glory in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and John, respectively. Certain well-known Epiphany hymns (e.g. “Songs of Thankfulness and Praise”) make reference to all three events. In Year C,...

By John BergsmaThe end of the Season of Christmas arrives this Sunday, as we celebrate the event that marked the end of Jesus’ early life and the beginning of his public ministry: The Baptism. The Christmas decorations coming down in our churches and homes inevitably leaves a feeling of sadness and nostalgia. We don’t want to move on from meditation on all the joyful aspects of Our Lord’s early life, the incidents of wonder and mystery, like the angels singing to the shepherds, or the visit of the Magi. Nonetheless, as we leave the Christmas Season behind, today’s readings remind...

By Dr. John BergsmaThe Christmas season can sometimes seem to be just one joyful feast after another. We are scarcely past the glow from the Holy Family and Mary, Mother of God, when Epiphany is already upon us. The word “Epiphany” comes from two Greek words: epi, “on, upon”; and phaino, “to appear, to shine.” Therefore, the “Epiphany” refers to the divinity of Jesus “shining upon” the earth, in other words, the manifestation of his divine nature. The use of the word “epiphany” for the revelation of divinity predates Christianity. The Syrian (Seleucid) emperor Antiochus IV (175-164 BC), the villainous...

By Dr. John BergsmaJanuary 1 is the Solemnity (Holy Day) of Mary, Mother of God. To call Mary the “Mother of God” must not be understood as a claim for Mary’s motherhood of divinity itself, but in the sense that Mary was mother of Jesus, who is truly God. The Council of Ephesus in 431—long before the schisms with the Eastern churches and with other non-Catholic Christians—proclaimed “Mother of God” a theologically correct title for Mary. So far from being a cause of division, the common confession of Mary as “Mother of God” should unite all Christians, and distinguish Christian...

By Dr. John BergsmaThe Sunday within the Octave of Christmas is always dedicated to contemplation of the Holy Family, giving us the opportunity to meditate on the way in which the family structure, established by God and perfectly mirrored in the Holy Family, reflects His own familial nature (as Father, Son, and Spirit) and shows us the truth about ourselves and our deepest longings for love, acceptance, and communion with other persons. 1. The First Reading is Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14: God sets a father in honor over his children; a mother’s authority he confirms over her sons. Whoever honors his...

By Dr. John BergsmaThe Christmas Solemnity has distinct readings for four separate masses: Vigil, Midnight, Dawn, and Day. They stay the same from year to year, so below are my annual comments, only lightly revised. Merry Christmas! Christmas Vigil Mass1. Reading 1: Isaiah 62:1-5: For Zion’s sake I will not be silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet, until her vindication shines forth like the dawn and her victory like a burning torch. Nations shall behold your vindication, and all the kings your glory; you shall be called by a new name pronounced by the mouth of the...

By Dr. John BergsmaThe Fourth Sunday of Advent marks a switch in focus from John the Baptist (on the previous two Sundays) to the events immediately leading up to the birth of Christ. The Readings for this Sunday focus on Jesus’ royalty: his descent from the line of Davidic kings. As we will see, this royal status also accrued to his mother Mary, and this is the basis for the practice of Marian veneration in the Catholic Church. In fact, the first instance of Marian veneration by another human being takes place in this Sunday’s Gospel. 1. Our First Reading...

By Dr. John BergsmaThis Sunday is “Gaudete” Sunday, from the Latin gaudete, “Rejoice!” which traditionally begins the introit for this Mass, taken from Philippians 4:4. Many parishes will mark this Sunday with rose-colored vestments (not “pink”—“pink” is not a liturgical color!), and the theme of joy runs through the readings and the liturgy. Gaudete Sunday marks the half-way point of Advent, and the Church rejoices because Jesus’ coming is near. Actually, in most years, as in this, it marks much more than half-way. In our case, Christmas is only ten days from this Sunday! 1. Our First Reading is Zephaniah...

By Dr. John BergsmaAs we start the second week of Advent, the Church turns her attention from the second coming of Christ to his first coming, and in particular to the figure of John the Baptist, the forerunner or herald of Jesus Christ. Usually the Church reads heavily from the prophet Isaiah during the Advent season, and indeed, Isaiah 40 would have made a good First Reading for this Sunday because it is quoted in the Gospel. However, in Year C, the Church takes a little break from exclusive attention to Isaiah and reads some other Old Testament texts that...

By Dr. John BergsmaHappy New Year everyone! We start the liturgical calendar anew this evening, and we are in Year C, which has some of the most creative and stimulating combinations of lectionary readings. We just concluded the liturgical calendar by reading largely from the prophet Daniel and Our Lord’s eschatological discourse from the Gospel of Luke. We spent a good deal of time meditating on the second coming of Our Lord, the end of history, and the final judgment. We now make a smooth segue into Advent, because the first week of this liturgical season is given over to...

By Dr. John BergsmaThis Sunday is the 34th Sunday of Ordinary Time, and as everyone knows, that means it is the Solemnity of Christ the King! This is the last Sunday of the liturgical year. I give thanks to God for many things at this time of year, including the joy of living the liturgical calendar, which is such a consolation and guide for one’s spirituality through the seasons of life and the seasons of the year. Each liturgical year is like a whole catechesis of the Christian faith, as well as a kind of microcosm of the entire life...

By Dr. John Bergsma“Tempus fugit,” the Romans used to say. “Time flies.” It’s hard to believe that we are already at the second-to-last Sunday of the liturgical year. [My brother Tim used to say, “Time flies like an arrow, but fruit flies like a banana.” But that has nothing to do with anything.] Where has the year gone? How can it be so close to the end already? Yet these feelings are very appropriate for Mass we will celebrate this Sunday, whose readings encourage us to count time carefully, to be aware of its passage, to meditate on our mortality...