Twenty-Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time Background: Although much of the Old Testament tradition proclaims God’s love and care for the poor and the vulnerable, another strand in the tradition presupposes that wealth is a sign of God’s favor. On the road up to Jerusalem, Jesus continues to instruct his followers that in the kingdom/reign of …

Reflection Questions for RCIA Seekers: Year C – The 26th-31st Sundays in Ordinary Time

Twenty Second Sunday of Ordinary Time Background: Jesus is still on his journey to Jerusalem and continues to teach us what we need to do to make the journey with him. In this Sunday’s gospel selection, he is warning us to take the long and not the short view. There is nothing wrong with being …

Reflection Questions for RCIA Seekers: Year C – The 22nd-25th Sundays in Ordinary Time

Eighteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time Background: In contemporary America this Sunday’s set of readings is profoundly countercultural since only two decades ago we had a head of the Federal Reserve consistently assuring us that “Greed is good!” At this stage in his journey to Jerusalem, Jesus is once again calling our attention to the need to …

Reflection Questions for RCIA Seekers: Year C – The 18th-21st Sundays in Ordinary Time

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Background: Jesus continues his ministry of proclaiming the kingdom/reign of God in Galilee. Today Luke insists that it is the liberating Word of God that draws people to Jesus, not the miracles that he works to support the truth of his preaching. (Even those are not just “magic” but often …

Reflection Questions for RCIA Seekers: Year C – The Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time to the Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Epiphany Background: Matthew’s predominantly Jewish audience would have been a bit startled by the three Gentile “wise men” who come to adore the newborn King of the Jews. Yet Second Temple Judaism through the writings of the prophets had inherited a universalist component—as we see today in the reading from Isaiah. In the ancient world Jewish …

Reflection Questions for RCIA Seekers: Year C – Epiphany to the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time