23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) Sept. 6 (Ezekiel 33:7-9; Psalm 95; Romans 13:8-10; Matthew 18:15-20)

Correcting or admonishing other people is a perilous undertaking. It should be done sparingly and with the utmost care and sensitivity.

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Aug. 30 (Year A) Jeremiah 20:7-9; Psalm 63; Romans 12:1-2; Matthew 16:21-27

Jeremiah, ever the reluctant prophet, was bitter, disillusioned and angry. He felt that he had been sold down the river by God. In fact, the Hebrew word that is translated as “enticed” has an even stronger connotation — seduction and force.

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Aug. 23 (Year A) Isaiah 22:15, 19-23; Psalm 138; Romans 11:33-36; Matthew 16:13-20

Power is not a right and not something to be coveted or seized. Any position or exercise of power is for the common good and the benefit of others.

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Aug. 16 (Year A) Isaiah 56:1, 6-7; Psalm 67; Romans 11:13-15, 29-32; Matthew 15:21-28

“Maintain justice and do what is right.”

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Aug. 9 (Year A) 1 Kings 19:9, 11-13; Psalm 85; Romans 9:1-5; Matthew 14:22-23

God is certainly capable of great deeds of power. This is most evident in the Exodus account of the Old Testament. But there is another side of God — God’s preferred side — that is quiet, gentle and often disguised to the point of invisibility.

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Aug. 2, Isaiah 55:1-3; Psalm 145; Romans 8:35, 37-39; Matthew 14:13-21

What is the catch? Whenever we hear that something is “free,” our suspicions kick in. There must be some hidden angle — nothing is free, we will have to pay in some way.

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, July 26 (Year A) 1 Kings 3:5-12; Psalm 119; Romans 8:28-30; Matthew 13:44-52

Imagine that we were offered the granting of one wish. This has been a familiar theme in folklore and legends, and people amuse themselves by thinking of all the possibilities — something like winning the lottery.

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time, July 19 (Year A) Wisdom 12:13, 16-19; Psalm 86; Romans 8:26-27; Matthew 13:24-43

How should power, strength and sovereignty be expressed? Not in domination, harshness or the imposition of personal will on others. Wisdom describes true power and sovereignty as righteousness, and righteousness as gentleness, patience and mercy.

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, July 12 (Year A) Isaiah 55:10-11; Psalm 65; Romans 8:18-23; Matthew 13:1-23

Ancient peoples believed that rain was a gift from the gods, and it is easy to see why. Without rain or adequate water, life ceases to exist. Crops fail, vegetation withers and dies, fires rage and sand takes possession of the land.

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, July 5 (Year A) Zechariah 9:9-10; Psalm 145; Romans 8:9, 11-13; Matthew 11:25-30

The Book of Zechariah is a puzzling collection of prophecies written at different points in Israel’s history. Scholars are unsure of the dating of the various parts of the book. But perhaps this vagueness is a blessing, for the prophecies are valid in every time and place, especially our own.