Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time—B

To see how you might use one of these points in your catechesis, read “How to lead a 90-minute catechetical session.”

The Way of Faith

Explain that poverty is a moral scandal that we cannot tolerate.

In the news

ROME ” The global financial meltdown has pushed the ranks of the world’s hungry to a record 1 billion, a grim milestone that poses a threat to peace and security, U.N. food officials said Friday. (World hunger reaches 1 billion mark)

In the readings

Consequently, from now on we regard no one according to the flesh; even if we once knew Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him so no longer. So whoever is in Christ is a new creation. (2 Cor 5:14-17)

In the tradition

The century and the millennium now beginning will need to see, and hopefully with still greater clarity, to what length of dedication the Christian community can go in charity towards the poorest.

If we have truly started out anew from the contemplation of Christ, we must learn to see him especially in the faces of those with whom he himself wished to be identified: “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me” (Mt 25:35-37).

This Gospel text is not a simple invitation to charity: it is a page of Christology which sheds a ray of light on the mystery of Christ. By these words, no less than by the orthodoxy of her doctrine, the Church measures her fidelity as the Bride of Christ. (Pope John Paul II, “At the Beginning of the New Millennium,” 49)

The Way of Faith

Explain that Catholics have a commitment to peacemaking.

In the news

TEHRAN — Taking an unequivocal stand against days of mass protests, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, sternly warned opposition supporters on Friday to stay off the streets and raised the prospect of violence if their defiant, vast demonstrations continued. (Iran’s Ruling Cleric Warns of Bloodshed if Protests Persist)

In the readings

A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up…. [Jesus] woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” The wind ceased and there was great calm. (Mk 4:35-41)

In the tradition

Peacemaking is not an optional commitment. It is a requirement of our faith. We are called to be peacemakers, not by some movement of the moment, but by our Lord Jesus. The content and context of our peacemaking is set, not by some political agenda or ideological program, but by the teaching of his Church. (The Challenge of Peace: God’s Promise and Our Response, 333)