We humans need to be tended. Sheep are tended by a shepherd. Gardens are tended by a gardener. Even databases are tended by experts.

First Sunday of Lent (Year A) Feb. 26 (Genesis 2:7-9, 16-18, 24, 3:1-7; Psalm 51; Romans 5:12-19; Matthew 4:1-11)

Lack of trust in God is at the root of most human evil. In the ancient teaching story of the Garden of Eden, the man and the woman were placed in the midst of an abundant garden with all of their needs met. But the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was strictly off-limits. The day they ate from that tree was the day that they would die. 

Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) Feb. 19 (Leviticus 19:1-2, 17-18; Psalm 103; 1 Corinthians 3:16-23; Matthew 5:38-48)

What does it mean to be holy? For starters, it has little or nothing to do with conventional piety. The tradition in the Old Testament offers a different perspective: holy is as holy does. 

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Feb. 12 (Year A) Sirach 15:15-20; Psalm 119; 1 Corinthians 2:6-10; Matthew 5:17-37

Evading responsibility for human actions is as old as humanity itself. It began in the Garden of Eden, with Adam and Eve pointing fingers at each other, and has continued down to our own time. We like to think of ourselves as helpless victims of forces greater than us and therefore not to blame for our negative actions. It used to be sufficient to blame the devil for everything but now we are more sophisticated. 

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) Feb. 5 (Isaiah 58:6-10; Psalm 112; 1 Corinthians 2:1-5; Matthew 5:13-16)

Spiritual illiteracy is one of the principal weaknesses of our time. It is far too common to read the Scriptures without sensitivity or understanding, seeking only lists of prohibitions, rules and details of proper worship. 

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) Jan. 29 (Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13; Psalm 146; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Matthew 5:1-12)

The humble of the land are the foundation of God’s kingdom and the mortar that holds our world together. 

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) Jan. 22 (Isaiah 9:1-4; Psalm 27; 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17-18; Matthew 4:12-23)

Gloom and God do not go together, for God is life and light. Isaiah’s prophecy was addressed to Galilee and Samaria, who had been crushed by the Assyrian invasion and destruction of the land in 722 B.C. They had indeed walked in darkness, and this contributed to their downfall. Although they had been warned many times through prophecy, they had not heeded the calls to repentance and reform. 

What are some of your favourite stories from the Bible? The Bible is “inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness.