The Firstfruits (Solemnity of Christ the King)

Click here for this Sunday’s readings Click here for this Sunday’s Old Testament reflection (The Chief Shepherd) The next several readings continue the theme of the previous readings from 1 Thessalonians regarding the Second Coming of Christ, which are meant to prepare the reader to think about the Lord’s return during the coming Advent season.

The Coming Day (33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time)

Click here for this Sunday’s Readings Click here for this Sunday’s Old Testament Reflection (A Good Woman) This reading continues the theme of the previous reading, which is the coming day when Christ returns and judges the world. St. Paul warns the Thessalonians against being lax when it comes to waiting for the day, but

Waiting for Christ (32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time)

Click here for this Sunday’s readings Click here for this Sunday’s Old Testament reflection (Seeking Wisdom) In our reading, St. Paul exhorts the Thessalonians to keep their eyes fixed on the future hope of the Resurrection. This seems necessary in light of the persecutions they’ve faced from non-Christians (recall the violent reaction of the Jews

Receiving God’s Word (31st Sunday in Ordinary Time)

Click here for this Sunday’s readings Click here for this Sunday’s Old Testament reflection (Pure Worship) In this reading, St. Paul commends the Thessalonians for their ready acceptance of the Gospel from him. Recall how they eagerly came to faith when he came to preach in Thessalonica (Acts 17:1-9). This is another example of how

Imitators of Christ (30th Sunday in Ordinary Time)

Click here for this Sunday’s readings Click here for this Sunday’s Old Testament reflection (Law and Justice) This week’s reading continues the previous week’s reading, where St. Paul speaks of how the power of the Holy Spirit came upon the Thessalonian Christians to bring them to faith. In so doing, the Spirit also brought about

Chosen by God (29th Sunday in Ordinary Time)

Click here for this Sunday’s readings Click here for this Sunday’s Old Testament reflection (Cyrus, the Lord’s Anointed) Thessalonica was one of the cities St. Paul visited during his second missionary journey. Acts 17:1-10 records that he went and preached at the Jewish synagogue there, and converted several Jews and God-fearing Greeks, before he was

All Things Through Christ (28th Sunday in Ordinary Time)

Click here for this Sunday’s Readings Click here for this Sunday’s Old Testament Reflection (The Mountain of the Lord) In previous readings, we have seen how St. Paul wants to form the conduct of the Philippian Christians by making them more self-giving and vigilant in prayer. Here, he imparts one final lesson to his readers,

The Peace of God (27th Sunday in Ordinary Time)

Click here for this Sunday’s Readings Click here for this Sunday’s Old Testament reflection (The Vineyard) The final chapter of Philippians is the most practical section of the epistle, where St. Paul takes the principles of the preceding chapters and distills them into practical life advice for the Philippian Christians. Here, he draws from his

Christ’s Humility (26th Sunday in Ordinary Time)

Click here for this Sunday’s Reading Click here for this Sunday’s Old Testament Reflection Philippians 2 is an exhortation by St. Paul to the Philippians to relate to one another in a spirit of humility and other-centredness. Some of the Philippians were falling into a spirit of selfish ambition and pride, which he felt necessary

Living for the Lord (24th Sunday in Ordinary Time)

Click here for this Sunday’s Readings Click here for this Sunday’s Old Testament reflection (Vengeance and Forgiveness) In the 14th chapter of Romans, St. Paul discusses a dispute between different factions of Christians who disagreed on two vital issues: Whether Christians should continue to observe Old Testament feasts, and whether they should avoid food that