Thanksgiving Day, Psalm 145

A commentary on the gospel for Thanksgiving day can be found here: https://biblestudystjosephsparis.wordpress.com/2022/11/24/thanksgiving-day-24-november-gospel-commentary-luke-1711-19/ A psalm of praise. Of David. 1 I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. 2 Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. 3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no

25th Sunday, Year A, First Reading (Isaiah 55:6-9)

6 Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. 7 Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. 8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. 9 “As

Introduction to the Book of Jonah: The Portrait of God

The book of Jonah is basically a parable and very different from the other prophetic books. It tells us to love our enemies, but, perhaps even more important, it also gives us a reflection on the character of God and his immense power. Jonah sets himself against God, but there is no chance that he

Ash Wednesday, First Reading (Joel 2:12-18)

(The St. Joseph’s Bible Study blog will have a number of activities for Lent including specific prayers and thoughts for each day. Every Tuesday there will be a reflection on one of the glorious mysteries of the rosary.) You can find a commentary on the second reading here: https://biblestudystjosephsparis.wordpress.com/2022/03/01/ash-wednesday-mass-second-reading-commentary-2-corinthians-520-62/ and for the gospel here: https://biblestudystjosephsparis.wordpress.com/2021/02/16/ash-wednesday-matthew-61-6-16-18/

God’s Love (Hosea 11:5-9)

5 “Will they not return to Egypt and will not Assyria rule over them because they refuse to repent? 6 A sword will flash in their cities; it will devour their false prophets and put an end to their plans. 7 My people are determined to turn from me. Even though they call me God Most High, I will by no means

The Charge against Israel (Hosea 4:1-3)

Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites, because the Lord has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: “There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land. 2 There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed. 3 Because of this the land dries up, and all who

30th Sunday, Year C, Psalm 34:1-2 (2-3), 16-17 (17-18), 18 (19), 22 (23)

1 I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. 2 I will glory in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. … 16 but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth. 17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. 18 The Lord is

Major Themes of the Minor Prophets

The twelve books of the minor prophets were written at different times and by very different people but they do have some common themes. Fundamentally, the prophets speak about God’s relationship with his chosen people, who constantly disappoint him. They do terrible things, he gets angry and punishes them, they repent and then the whole

24th Sunday, Year C, 1st Reading (Exodus 32:7-11, 13-14)

7 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. 8 They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods,

Second Sunday of Lent, Year C, First Reading (Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18)

5 The Lord God took Abram outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. 7 He also said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur